Real Kisses and Bad Tables

I was starting the wind down to a nap yesterday. Drawing the shades, turning on the fan and reading a book. Norrin was holding onto this silly lil Taco Bell dog that Todd got for me many moons ago and while I'm reading, I see him kiss the doggie's nose...a real kiss! Lips together and smack right on the dog's nose. He did this about six times. So, I kiss the doggie and hand it back to him and he does it again! I'm not seeing things! So, I lean in for my kisses and I get nothing!!! That lil punk...I mean, my loving son, Norrin, isn't handing out kisses to Mommy. He takes a nap and two hours later, he's kissing Elmo. So, once again, I lean in for my kisses and once again, I get nothing! Foolish Mommy. Later that evening, Norrin was determined to help himself to my water. I'm sitting on the couch, blocking that possible route and I'm watching his hand sweeping the table, back and forth. Then, I see his hand getting closer and I assume he's standing on his toes. Wrong. He's using a football to get a little height and we all know how stable a football is :(. Before I can stop it, the ball slips and Norrin hits his chin into the table. He howls, I pick him up and I'm trying to see if his lip is bleeding...its not his lip...its his tongue. I cleared the blood out of the way and saw two distinct teeth marks in the tip of his tongue. He was still crying so Todd started yelling at the table..."Bad table! You hurt my baby! I want you out of here!". Norrin stopped crying and started pointing his finger at the table and imitating his Daddy. That table got a hell of a talking to :). Norrin wasn't too fond of the taste of blood and kept moving his tongue around like he had a piece of hair in his mouth, but it stopped bleeding pretty quickly and I thanked our lucky stars that we weren't going to make friends with anyone in our local emergency room...yet.

Just an Update

So, yesterday was our doctor's appointment and every time I go I think to myself how much I wish I could just stop going. I've been requesting the nurse practitioner b/c she listens to me and doesn't make me feel like the world's worst mommy for the decisions I make (even the ones that are outside the norm). I really haven't had to fight about anything with her and she's very attentive to Norrin. She also gives us tons of information about food choices, safety and educational play. Some of it is useful and some of it doesn't really interest us, but I like that she is a cornucopia of knowledge :). Its just a tedious visit when all I'm really letting them do is weigh and measure my kid (24 pounds, 2 ounces; 31 inches tall). I have to wait in the waiting room for at least half an hour which feels like a lifetime with a rambunctious one year old, then they make me undress him which is always a wrestling match these days and finally they poke and prod him which nobody really enjoys (who wants a cold stethoscope on their tummy- not me!). The main reason I keep going back is I want someone available if Norrin has health issues that require a doctor. Its a safety net that I hope to never use :). Norrin was especially unhappy with this office visit. He clung to me like a little koala bear. Todd came with us, but Norrin wasn't releasing his death grip on me until we were out the door. The doctor couldn't even get his mouth open enough to see the molars that have been wreaking utter havoc on our lives for quite some time. They tried to convince me to get the chicken pox vaccine, but I refused. Some people say it lessens the case if they do get chicken pox, some say it only works if given within 72 hours of exposure and most people I've spoken to say its just better to aim for natural immunity. We haven't seen a single spot on our child yet, but we still have two more weeks to go before we're in the clear. Other than that, teething has kicked back in...we had about a week and a half off :)...now Norrin is miserable again. He gets extra needy (pick me up, carry me close all day), then he wants to nurse constantly, the drool flows like a fountain, he chews on his fingers and lastly, we have night waking every two hours. He doesn't cry...he just gets whiny, so I have to consider us pretty lucky. A corner of the molars have broken through on each side, so there is an end in sight...until the next set of teeth :). And that's about it. Today is all about prepping for the weekend. I hate Thursdays b/c of that. I don't feel like I'm a very attentive mommy, I feel stretched in too many directions and I'm more or less making constant lists in my head. Its important to me that I make the time I'm away from Norrin and Todd as smooth as possible, so as crazy as I am on Thursdays, its also my way of showing my love when I can't physically be home. So, there will be bottles to prep, snacks to line up, clothes to lie out and, in between, lots of cuddling with Norrin.

Dinner Time

Norrin, Mommy can't see your face.

Okay, now smile big for the camera.

Cheese! What a ham!

Nothing Beats a Box

Thank goodness Steve and Anne Marie gave us some boxes of clothes for our son to play in.

Our Day So Far

Norrin is currently in nap mode :). We woke up around 8:30 am...actually, I woke up at 7:30 am and made myself a cup of coffee and a bagel. Then I sat down at the computer and didn't realize Norrin had woken up until he pitter pattered across the hallway to me :). He's getting awfully stealth about escaping the bed. We had a doctor's appointment at 10 am and I was all ready to fight the power (No vaccines!), but when I got there they said they cancelled my appointment and weren't able to get in touch with me. So, Norrin and I went to the playground. Norrin loves to run around and collect leaves. We didn't spend a lot of time there b/c neither of us were properly dressed (its gotten so cold and windy), but he loves being outside no matter what the weather. When we got home, it still took me about an hour to get him down for a nap. He just hates closing his eyes when there's so much to see and do. Now that he's asleep, I can spend some time catching up on my email. I love that lil boy, but I also love having a little time to myself :).

Our Rainy Thursday

Todd took off the whole day from work yesterday and it was so nice. Now that I'm on these weekend shifts, I'm starving for time together as a family. It rained pretty much all day yesterday, but I was just soaking up the joy of spending the day with my boys. We went to breakfast at West Ave Grille in Jenkintown. Norrin is incapable of sitting still in a high chair so I let him wander around the restaurant while Todd waited at the table for our food. Once the food arrived, Norrin enjoyed mixing his pancake with my omelet and fruit. Its not enough for him to taste this bazaar combo...he needs to share the flavor blend with me. Yesterday he removed all my toast from my plate and stacked it on top of his pancakes. He is the only person who has not been threatened with death for touching my toast (I'm very possessive of my carbohydrates) and that's only because he doesn't understand the threat...just wait til he's older :). After West Ave Grille, we went to the new Barnes and Noble at Neshaminy Mall. I love, love, love bookstores. I can always drop at least $40 in a bookstore and yesterday was no exception. Todd watched Norrin run around the kids section. Norrin went from shelf to shelf pulling off stuffed animals and books. Once again a total stranger commented on how smart our child is. I have to admit, I've never seen a one year old so in love with books. He flips pages, "reads" aloud and has gotten into pointing to the pictures (just like Mommy and Daddy do). It really is amazing to see how much he enjoys books. After Barnes and Noble, I received a phone call from Amy about Henry...he has the chicken pox. Norrin was sharing a sippy cup with him (by sharing, I mean Norrin stole it when Henry wasn't looking) and they both had their grubby lil hands all over the snacks...so, now we're just waiting and watching. I wanted Norrin to get the chicken pox naturally...I'm just not so sure I wanted him to get them at one year old. I guess I should stock up on the Aveeno oatmeal baths :). So, that's about it. Today is the start of three 12 hour shifts in a row...for the next three weekends :(.

Per the Grandmothers' Request

Today I was verbally attacked (that might be a bit of an exaggeration) by both my mother and my mother-in-law for not updating my blog since November 3rd. I guess they're a little attached to the constant Norrin updates. So, here's the latest tricks...

Norrin likes to dump things in the tub...it started with his blocks, but he recently started throwing some clothes in there as well...I say,better the tub than the toilet.

We are now working on his ability to climb down the stairs. When we are any place without a gate, Norrin aims for the stairs and I would like it if I didn't have to worry about him as much. So, now that he's an expert at getting up, we need to work on the down.

Norrin is learning every day how to express himself with words as well as with gestures. At Moms Group, he makes it very clear when he wants a certain toy...now if only we could figure out a way for all the kids to have that same toy :).

He has traded in walking for running. This has led to lots of tripping and lots of bumps. He is also still climbing anything and everything that holds still and he took a hell of a fall when he tried to use his wagon as a step stool.

The best trick though is his dancing. He loves to shake his baby booty. He has a toy that plays music and he dances around with it all the time. On Monday night we were watching Dancing with the Stars and Norrin danced to the music and clapped when the audience clapped. It was really freakin' adorable.

And that is just a snippet of the amazing adventures of my one year old. Between taking him to upstate NY to visit my family and then Todd and I having a date night the day after we got back, Norrin hasn't been too keen on letting us out of his sight. He cried outside the bathroom door until Todd let him in the other day. So, needless to say, he wasn't really into letting me blog...and truthfully, I'd rather play with Norrin than blog (sorry, grandmoms). But right now Todd is bathing our lil boy and I'm ignoring the dishes and the laundry and its nice to take this time to talk about all the joys of motherhood. I'm so grateful that I get to be an observer of my son's life. He amazes me and teaches me and makes me take the time to enjoy silly little things, like dancing with total abandon (with the Stars).

Tagged

So I believe I've been tagged (by my dear friend, Amy) so I need to list 8 habits/facts/quirks about myself...however, I don't know 8 people who blog and Amy already posted her list, so I won't be able to tag 8 people back (humph).
1. I will not finish the bottom of any beverage...water, soda, coffee...Todd says I'm like the lil girl in Signs...maybe I'll save my family from aliens some day too :).

2. I have to open a new bag of cheese whenever we make tacos...I don't know why...I just like fresh cheese.

3. I am extremely OCD about my dishes. I used to redo the dishes that Todd did before we had a dishwasher...now I'm OCD about how they go into the dishwasher.

4. I was a ballerina...now I'm a nurse in an operating room...why do people find this so strange?

5. I used to be a great artist. Now I'm lucky if I have time to write in playdates on my calendar.

6. My email address is lil pixie, which is what Todd called me when we first started dating.

7. I laugh all the time...after every sentence, when I'm happy, when I'm uncomfortable, whenever.

8. Even when I complain, I know that I have never loved anyone as much as I love my husband...he gave me the greatest gift...our son.

November? Already?

Its 5 am and I'm the only one awake in my house. Truthfully, I set the alarm in an attempt to get a little "me" time. I will get up at any hour to enjoy a hot cup of coffee without the fear of spilling it on my one year old's head. The boys (Todd, Norrin, Rolo and Scout) are all sleeping in our big king-sized bed and so far, its been a very peaceful start to my morning. I worked Friday- Sunday so I feel a little disoriented and out of the loop. Yesterday, Norrin woke up at 5:30 am with me and cried whenever I left his line of vision...which was quite frequently since I had to get ready for work. It made me feel loved and horribly guilty for having to leave him all at the same time. I can't believe its November already. Norrin and I are making a trip to upstate NY tomorrow night to visit my family and I'm not even a little bit ready to go :). As long as I have some diapers and a change of clothes, we should be okay :). I'm looking forward to seeing what my mom has to say about him. He's quite the curious kid and its amazing to watch his mind at work. Last week, Norrin noticed my wedding band. Then, he looked at his hands for a wedding band. Then, he turned around and showed his hands to his Daddy as if to say "hey, where's my shiny jewelry". For someone who hasn't learned the English language yet, he knows exactly how to communicate his wants...of course, if there's any confusion about what he wants, he will make it very loudly known that Mommy made a mistake. The other funny thing he did was he started emptying a drawer at Rita and Joseph's which had lots of tools...including a heavy monkey wrench. Well, Rita took it away from him so he couldn't hurt his foot. Norrin got mad. He wanted that wrench. Well, somehow, he got it by either going back in the drawer or maybe one of us gave it to him. Wouldn't you know Norrin walked right behind Rita and hit her in the leg with the wrench...on purpose! Thank goodness he didn't hurt her or that story wouldn't be nearly as funny as it is. Norrin is a headstrong lil guy...a force to be wreckened with :). So, this trip to NY should be...um...interesting.