Renovation Haiku #3

Painting is finished.

Carpeting in on Monday.

Bathroom done today.

Big Time Nesting

Lately, nesting = shopping.  

This past weekend we ordered Tai's Big Boy Bed (and dresser) and it should be arriving sometime in mid-April.  The best part about this new furniture is that it's called the "Morgan Captain's Bed".   How could we resist buying our son a bed that's practically named after a rum? Tai knows we've ordered it and is excited about the idea.  He also knows this means he's moving into the study, which is now called "Tai's New Room", or sometimes "Tai's Big Boy Room".

 

And, since our renovation to make our living room larger accidentally included making our existing couches no longer fit, we've also been shopping for a new living room set.  Oh, fun.  Minh stumbled upon this unusual piece online.  

My initial reaction was pure horror.  

He then spent a few weeks trying to win folks over to his side by showing them the picture online, but to little avail.  Some of them were polite in their criticisms of it.  Others told him it was plain old Fugly.  But I agreed to go see it in person and give it a chance.

And maybe it's better once you meet it?  Or maybe I'm just ready to be done looking and buy something?  Not sure, but we're very close to purchasing this "2 piece sectional" as well as this ottoman that actually slides in to make this couch even more like a giant bed.  They fit together like Pangea.  It's either really tacky or really cool.  

Then, since the occasional guest needs someplace to sit that will allow them to actually keep their feet planted on the floor, we figured we've sit two of these in front of the bay window.  They swivel, which will undoubtedly delight Tai to no end.

Finally, we'd like to get this for in between the swivel chairs.  As Tai pointed out this morning you can put toys inside it and you can put your snacks on it.

 

R&F's sales tactics being what they are (aggressive) this entire order is already entered into their computers.  All we have to do is call them up and say "go" and arrange a delivery date.  So yesterday Minh made life-size paper cut-outs of all this stuff and laid it out on our living room floor.  Now all we need to do it stare at it for a few days and decide what to do....      

(Next phase of nesting = clearing out the study.)

Mom of The Year Award

Yesterday I was trying to rush Tai out of the house for a dog walk, while he was interviewing the flooring guy about each tool in our living room. Finally, I had everything ready: the dog, the leash, the stroller, jackets, clogs, hats and mittens. I asked Minh to take Tai out to the stroller while I dealt with the dog. As they reached the bottom of the steps into the garage I heard Tai calmly announce, "I walking in my socks."

Yes, I had neglected to put shoes on his feet.

Renovation Haiku #2

Bulkhead tomorrow.

Sheetrock makes rooms feel smaller.

Painting starts next week.

Weekend Quotations

Some notable quotes uttered during our weekend of taking care of Tai and his good buddy, Natasha:

T: "My penis huuuuuuurts!!"

N: "I hurt my tushy."

N (on phone to her parents): "I hit Tai. I had time-out."

K, to N: "Say, 'sorry, Tai' "

T: "Sorry"

K or M: "Who wants to...."

T & N: "Me!" "No, Me!" "No, Meee!" "No, MEEEEEE!"

T to N, or N to T: "I still using that!" (often in reference to a toy that was lying 15 feet away on the floor)

T: "Waaaaaaaaahhhh!"

N: "What's wrong, Tai?"

T: "Tasha, you have pink medicine on your bib."

K & M (nearly constantly): "Who wants to go potty?" "Who's turn is it to go pee?" "It's time to use the potty." "Who wants to try to poop?" "Do you want to use the red potty or the ducky potty?"

Stranger in restaurant: "Are they twins?"

K (out loud and smiling): "No, no. He's ours, but we're just babysitting her."

K (internally and horrified): "Oh my god, no! I can't imagine how anyone survives with twins!"

M: "I'm ready."

K: "For what?"

M: "A vasectomy."

He's Officially Too Smart for Me.

This morning, while getting dressed for school, Tai asked to watch some specific TV shows that are not on until about 10:30am.  I told him no and explained that:

(1) It was time to go to school,

(2) Those shows were not on at the moment anyway, and 

(3) We only watch those shows when we stay home sick from school.

After only the briefest moment of consideration, Tai announced, "I not feeling well.  I sick".

Get-away Booked

Thanks to everyone who offered advice on this topic.  We are indeed taking our friends up on their offer to watch Tai for an entire weekend (I hope they know what they signed up for!) and have a grown-up weekend to ourselves.  It's a hectic time at home right now and maybe not the best time to take off, but I figured we'd better do it before spring because who's ever gonna volunteer to watch two kids all weekend?

We're headed to Lenox, MA for two nights at a B&B in early April.  Hopefully this will help me get over my reluctance to stay in B&Bs (I've always been a large-anonymous-corporate-hotel kind of gal).  I loathe the idea of having to sit at a large table and eat breakfast with people I don't know and, possibly, even have to make small talk.  Ugh.

But I am whole-heartedly looking forward to this trip -- especially since the B&B has already sent us an extensive list of places to eat and things to do.  Is it April yet?

Renovation Update (and my kid is soooo cute!)

The fireplace is long gone, the playroom is all framed, and the plumbing is roughed in.  Before long, we should have a very large hole in our kitchen floor as well.

Buttons has been temporarily shipped off to Hadley, MA to sleep on exotic dog beds, harass different kitties, and take walks with her buddy Arrow.  Poor Smudgie cowers under the futon all day long.  He actually took off mid-breakfast this morning when the contractors arrived, not to emerge from the study until they leave.  Nibbles sleeps on the futon all day and doesn't give a shit about any of it.   

Each morning Tai looks out the front window in anticipation of the arrival of two pickup trucks.  And when the contractors enter the house he greets them with an enthusiastic "Hi Don! Hi Kenny!"  and, occasionally, an "I'm Tai!" (as if they don't know by now).  He then tries to pepper them with questions about what they are doing and the tools they are carrying, but they are too fast for him.  By the time he gets out, "Don, why you have..." Don is already halfway down the basement stairs.

Each afternoon we inspect the progress that has been made.  Tai is beside himself with this new development of Being Allowed in The Basement.  He's either going to be a contractor or a gymnast, for sure -- he's very much into examining the tools and walking along piles of 2x4s.  If he tries to stick the landing, we'll know which path he's chosen.  And yesterday afternoon he decided that his orange plastic slinky is actually a measuring tape.  He repeatedly held it up to the plywood wall where the fireplace used to be and announced, "I measuring playroom!!"  The game of "measuring" every inch of the house then lasted a good 30 minutes.

Practically our own Branch of the Public Library

As part of our preparation for construction, Tai and I organized the books and toys in his room this past weekend--and promptly realized that his bookshelf is full beyond capacity.  The books pictured below are just the ones in his room.  He has others scattered around the house and some of the very babyish ones are already set aside for his sister. 

Looks like we're gonna need a bigger shelf soon.  Since many of these were gifts and hand-me-downs, let me make a public plea.  Please, no more books for Tai.  At least not until we get some nice big shelves set up in the playroom.  I smell a trip to IKEA.....

Renovation Haiku

contractor chosen.

the big day is next thursday.

basement purging time.

Bravery Bribery

Saturday I took Tai to a local Butterfly Conservatory.  That morning I told him where we were going and he was so excited.  Five minutes into the 35 minute car ride he stated that we were "almost there" (which is clearly the first step toward the dreaded "are we there yet?" phase of life).

Walking into the place, he stopped to show me each and every picture of a butterfly.  On the sign out front, hanging in the cafe, on the coffee mugs in the gift shop, etc.  After happily looking at the frogs and birds and lizards in tanks that they (inexplicably) display just before you enter the butterfly room, we entered the main conservatory.  Instantly, thousands of angry butterflies attacked us with their razor sharp teeth.  Wait, actually I think 2 fluttered over and landed on my sleeve.  

Tai flipped out.

I've seen an adverse reaction to the butterfly room once before (you know who you are, Lee) but this was much worse.  "Up! up! uppy up!" he demanded the safety of my arms.  But even that wasn't enough to calm him down.  "I don't want it! I don't want it!" he exclaimed and his cheeks turned pink and the tears welled up in his eyes.

So we retreated to the safety of the room with the frogs, birds, and lizards contained behind glass.  We spent the next 30 minutes viewing those creatures, having a snack, and talking about how gentle the butterflies were and how he needed to be brave and go see for himself (I had paid $10 admission and was going to see some butterflies, dammit!)  He was not really buying it--each time I went near the door to the conservatory he bucked in my arms.

Finally, I decided to try good old fashioned bribery and asked him if he wanted some "Butterfly Bravery Beads" (they sell cheap Mardi Gras beads in the gift shop for $1).  A long time fan of sparkle, he, of course, wanted some beads.  So I managed to convince him that all we needed to do was go in and briefly say goodbye to the butterflies and then we could get some beads.  He totally bought it.  Sucker.

Once I got him in there, I kept moving constantly so no butterflies would land on us.  In the end, we were able to spend a good 20 minutes in there and he almost enjoyed himself, though he would not leave the safety of my very sore arms and he did flinch anytime a butterfly got too close.

He happily wore his beads all the way home. 

Let There be Food

I can't really cook, even on a good day. And I'm fine with that because Minh can (and usually does). Lately, I can barely even throw four things in a lunchbag for Tai. Let's blame the pregnancy? Or the recent illnesses being passed around the household? Whatever the reason, I can't really think more than about 20 minutes ahead of the present moment.

So when 5pm rolled around today and we suddenly realized we had no plans for dinner, I suggested making "breakfast" but Minh was not feeling it. So we decided that I'd heat up some something frozen from Trader Joe's while Minh and Tai read books. (Gone are the days of me doing anything in the kitchen without Tai pawing at my thighs asking to be picked up to "see stove" or "see something in sink"). So, knowing I only had 10-15 minutes before Tai grew tired of reading with Daddy, I grabbed an assortment of items from the freezer and started warming them all up.

Without really thinking.

So tonight we dined on Mushroom Risotto, Creamed Spinach, and Mini Tacos. Blech. Each one was pretty good, but the combination of the three is just bizarre enough to turn your stomach. Right now our insides are wholeheartedly asking, "WTF?"

So after Tai went to bed Minh got into one of his cleaning/nesting zones. On top of throwing out a bunch of clutter and re-organizing a closet he took an inventory of the fridge and freezer, looked up recipes online, made a shopping list, and headed out to Big Y. He has "real" meals planned for us for the next FOUR days. Four days? Will we even be living here in four days? What will the world be like in four days? I just can't picture anything so distant in the future.

But, apparently, there will be food.

Pick a Theme, Will Ya?

The other day Tai must have been going a little stir-crazy from being cooped up in the house because he decided to (concurrently):

(a) wear his baby doll on his back "in the ergo"
(b) wear his cowboy hat (who says cowboys don't tote their babies on their backs?)
(c) play his little Asian drum (a-la Karate Kid Part II)
(d) fix all manner of things around the house with his toy hammer

This kid does it all, man. He does it all.

Bits & Pieces

We had the Big Exciting Ultrasound yesterday and learned that this baby has all the right parts in all the right places, including a vagina that looks (to me) like a foot. But I guess that is normal.

So, yeah, it's a girl.

First (and Last?) Getaway

Even though in my pre-motherhood days I scoffed at couples who waited until their child was over a year old before getting away for a night or two alone, here I sit with a two-year old son, having never left him with anyone overnight. Well, I've left him with Minh and Minh has left him with me, but we've never gone away together and left him with a third party.

So it's about damn time. We figure we need to hurry up and do this before the second one comes and we end up waiting two more years!

And we happen to have these wonderful friends (who happen to read this blog) who have offered to let Tai stay with them for a night or two while we escape. Their daughter is Tai's age and they go to "school" together, which means that (a) Tai will have a great time and (b) Tai will actually serve as entertainment for their daughter. I'm confident that the adults will be able to just sit back and relax while the kids play. They also have similar a parenting philosophy to us, and perhaps can even whip Tai's attitude into shape while we're gone.

So the plan is this: we dump our kid on them for a weekend and go away somewhere to relax. Then, a bit down the road, the dump their kid on us and do the same. A pretty sweet deal, really. Now we just need to iron out the details.

First and foremost, Minh and I need a place to go. I don't really want to drive more than an hour or two and we don't need all that much in the way of entertainment. A couple of nice restaurants, a comfy hotel bed (and no one to wake us up at 6am), maybe a movie theater or museum or some nice places to shop? Normally we are the outdoorsy type, but I'm guessing this trip will be sometime between now and April. And we're not skiers. Suggestions?.....Leave me a comment.

It Must Be Instinct...

How do kids know what to do with meat on a stick?  It must be some primal code written into our DNA.  We're born seeking out warmth, and milk, and meat on a stick.

The other night I set down a chicken satay skewer in front of Tai and prepared to explain to him that it is chicken that can be eaten right off the skewer.  I thought I might even have to demonstrate so he'd know it was food and not a toy.  But before I could even open my mouth he picked it up and started gnawing on it.  In fact, the boy who is not a huge fan of chicken these days ate THREE chicken skewers, presumably because it is so fun to bite meat off of a stick.  

What's Been Going On

Life's been busy and it's hard to find time to sit down and put any of our adventures/mishaps into writing.  (Though if you received Minh's holiday letter you got a whole year's worth at once.)  Anyway, here's a quick update on life-n-stuff:

• Tai just celebrated his second Christmas and birthday in the span of one present-filled week.  He's now a professional at tearing open gifts and officially has way too many toy vehicles.  You cannot walk through our living room without tripping over a backhoe, dump truck, or fire engine.

• Minh and I discovered Scramble (a word game on Facebook) and have spent a few recent evenings playing against each other.  It's a great way to spend time together, but not actually have to talk or even be in the same room.

• Baby Number Two now makes his/her presence know by doing back flips across my uterus several times a day.  We should be finding out the sex in mid-January (stay tuned...)

• Buttons has been without her dog-walker for over a week now, which has the effect of either (a) making me get my butt out and walk her or (b) making me not walk her and then feel very guilty about it, depending on the day.  Luckily, the young energetic dog-walker is due back next week.

• Minh and I have found the very best way to keep a house clean and tidy -- continually invite contractors and (even better) Realtors over to your place.  We did this weekly for about a month and the place looked fantastic.  After de-cluttering the place and talking with the Realtor about all the wonderful selling points of our house, I no longer want to move.

• Yes, we considered moving.  But the house we wanted is too pricey for our budget.  And yes, we considered massive renovations, but budget and time constraints have put that on the back burner as well.  It's looking like minor renovations will begin shortly.  Stay tuned for updates as we expand our living room and finish part of our basement.

OK, that's all I can think of for now.  I'll try to come up with some amusing tales of Life in South Hadley before too much longer...

Falling Behind

I'm keeping up at work, but falling desperately behind in my leisure activities.  I have a brand new book waiting to be read, a half-finished Netflix movie, and last week's episode of Grey's all waiting for me at home.  It's stressing me out.  

And here I am wasting valuable time at work.

Tonight I have to decide which leisure activity to "tackle" and get over with--taking into consideration the fact that I can only keep my eyes open for about 1 hour after Tai goes to bed. This is why it recently took me three sittings to get through WALL-E.  (Which is very good, by the way.  Please don't take my inability to stay awake during it as a poor reflection on the film.)

It's No Wonder We Love Our Neighborhood

We love our neighbors. They are friendly, helpful, and just downright pleasant. In the past we've relied on various neighbors for cat sitting, dog walking, pellet furnace filling, borrowed lawn equipment, and baby hand-me downs. And we like to think we return the favors whenever possible (at the very least we give them an annual event at which they can risk life and limb to de-clutter their woodsy yards).

Recently, we spent 48 hours in the Boston area for Thanksgiving and troubled one of our neighbors to feed not only our cats, but also the two cats next door, for whom we were responsible that week. He agreed without hesitation.

We returned on Saturday to find all four cats well fed, but also this on our front lawn:

If you can't tell, it's a four-foot-tall-light-up-mechanical-drumming-holiday-bear. It so tacky, right? Not the kind of thing we would ever put on our lawn. But there it was, all set up and waiting for us. Buttons barked at it and Tai fell in love with it right away ("bear! drum-drum-drum!"). So, of course, it stays. Apparently, our neighbor knew better than we did that we needed this thing. Our lives are now richer and more full of the holiday spirit. And I'm sure it will decorate our lawn each December for many, many, many years. Does this mean I have to apologize to my sister for making fun of her mechanical reindeer?

Increased Productivity

Well, since I promised, here is the review of the newest thing in hair care.  

I think it's working.  Minh is less distracted by my frizzies during staff meetings, which means he's more focused on his work, which means he's more productive, which means he'll most certainly be receiving a huge raise any minute how (just checking to see if Cate still reads this thing).

The thing that takes some getting used to with this new "system" is that there is no actual shampoo.  No, no, "shampoo" is now a dirty word (much like in Minh's first Christmas letter).  Instead I use the "cleansing conditioner" that does not strip my hair of its natural oils.  Bottom line?  My hair feels a little greasier than I'm used to.  But I guess the grease is what keeps the frizzies away, right?

My hair is indeed less frizzy, though I can't attribute it to any one part of the "system."   It could be the cleansing conditioner, or the leave-in conditioner, or the styling creme.  But it's certainly not the intensive hair repair mask or the texture balm because I have yet to use either one of those.  Yes, this "system" is really a bit much to handle.  Especially for someone who used a 2-in-1 shampoo for years.

I have since cancelled my membership in the system because I have more than enough styling creme and can buy the cleansing conditioner on amazon.com.  And I have never been comfortable with signing up for any "club" that will automatically bill me for my monthly supply of whatever.  I never even joined Columbia House to get my 10 CDs for a penny.

Would I recommend it?  Sure, if your frizzies are negatively impacting your life or the life of a loved one, go ahead and try it out.  But I think you can probably get away with just the basic bottle of stuff from amazon.