In my world, it seems as though I'm always scrambling through my days, trying to catch up on what I was SUPPOSED to do yesterday. If I could only have one "me" day to get caught up on everything so I could start getting ahead of schedule, it would be oh-so-appreciated. Yet, somehow, life gets in the way and I can only prioritize my life to accomplish what needs to get done and what can be left for later. I've never been much of a procrastinator, but I'm finding myself wishing I could just - for one day - not have to do a thing...and we can dream can't we? Plus, if I actually had a "free" day, I'd probably find myself climbing the walls and searching around the house for something to occupy myself. We do not sit still.
Yesterday, I had a hearing in the morning and then had to head down to Mankato for a deposition. Then, I had to hustle back up to Minneapolis to meet my girlfriends for dinner - at 5:30 - a time I had requested so I could actually make it to dinner. I had hoped that I could eat, relax and be home for Jack's bedtime, but I didn't quite make it. But, it really didn't matter since Jack was up fairly consistently last night. We've been struck by the teething monster yet again. And this time, we've got not one, but two teeth poking through the top gums. Teething is an evil mistress and I haven't found any solid remedy for it. We've tried it all - teething rings, Ora-Gel, Tylenol, cool washcloths - but nothing really seems to help, so we just "grin" and bear it.
Anyways, we had a pretty low-key weekend yet again. It's quite cool here in Minnesota and that doesn't really make any of us want to strip down to our bathing suits and jump into the pool. Still, it's been absolutely beautiful, so I've been trying to get outside and do something fun with Jack while we still can...winter isn't that far away!
On Friday, Jack and I hiked up to the park with Maverick in tow. We had a little play-time up there and Jack demonstrated all his latest skills - pulling himself up to a standing position, shuffling along the playground equipment, and holding onto the swing like a big boy.
While he's happy to play with me on the playground, he's usually just biding his time for an opportunity to play with the wood chips. Seriously, I don't know why we spend the money on toys for him when he's more interested in pulling up grass, sifting sand through his fingers, and diligently inspecting wood chips. On Saturday, we went down to a friend's apartment for a jewelry party. Jack was quite the hit at the party, even if he threw up a few times. Oh well, he's a baby, what can you do? Afterwards, we ran to Target and Jack sat in the cart like a "big boy" for the very first time - up until now, I've been keeping him in his car seat, but I decided he's now big and strong enough to tackle the Target shopping cart on his own.
Seriously, look at that little man! Such a big boy! People must have thought me crazy as I continually snapped pictures of Jack in the shopping cart. Oh well. Anyways, we headed home for an afternoon nap. Jack really slept a long time and I made the most of it - I made about a month's worth of baby food and some banana bread. I was really quite proud of my accomplishments. And after Jack woke up, we headed out for another trip up to the park.
He really likes the swing the best, but I don't know if that's because of the fact that it's a swing or the fact that I make weird noises and faces when he's swinging. And Sunday was more of the same. I had all these big plans to take Jack to the Children's Museum, but it was too nice of a day, so we spent some time outside - and more time at the park - along with some friends from the neighborhood.
So, on Sunday night, Jack had some "difficulty" going to sleep. It may have been my fault. True Blood was starting and I wanted to get him to bed before the show started, so I may have rushed through his bed time routine. Don't judge me. Anyways, he was still fussy even after I'd exhausted all my tricks, so I resorted to the old stand-by, the CIO (Cry-It-Out). In any case, I knew he was tired and he fell asleep after about five minutes of wailing...but this is how I found him when I went to check on him a few minutes later...
And I suppose I should say something about this...Jack really doesn't like to go to bed, or take naps, for that matter. I don't know where or how children learn to dislike sleep. In our house, bedtime is our favorite time of day! Maybe Jack thinks that we're still partying when he goes to sleep instead of lying prostrate on the couches, barely conscious...anyways, he's learned to stand up in his crib and shake it so it almost moves across the floor. This is also accompanied by some very serious and pitiful wailing. Fortunately, since we've lowered his mattress, there's no danger of him jumping over the top of it, but I get worried about him falling backwards and hitting his head against the back of the crib. I just don't know what to do about this. Half the time, I'm glued to his video monitor, watching it like it's a very suspenseful television show for any signs that he's losing his footing. Then, when I can't stand it any more, I go and get him from his crib, soothe him, and try and get him to go to sleep - which is exactly what my little manipulator wants.
So, what to do? The baby books tell you that you shouldn't put a fully asleep child down to bed, as they won't learn to go to sleep on their own. But, they don't tell you what to do when your child is trying to make his crib shoot through the ceiling either. And somehow, I don't think this is a phase either. My guess is we'll be busting Jack trying to sneak out of bed until he moves out of our house...
And so, with one thing checked off my to-do list now, I suppose I should move on to doing actual work and getting caught up on everything that was supposed to get done yesterday...
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