The Latest Injury

Yesterday Norrin pulled a chair down on himself. The result was some bleeding and a very fat lip. Neither of these pictures really do it any justice. The injury didn't effect his latch and he's still able to nurse...the boy has his priorities. I'm just happy he didn't knock out any of his teeth...famous last words...that will be next. The first picture was taken by me. The second one is Norrin's self-portrait. Nobody can take the camera out these days without Norrin wanting to take a few of his own photos.

The Aquarium...Again

For Todd's birthday, we went to the Aquarium in Camden. It was a hot, but sunny day and we all had a great time. We took Norrin when he was an infant and while he enjoyed it then, he was so much more involved this time. He loved the sharks and the hippos and the penguins. He kept asking "what's that" and he stayed awake way past his nap time in awe of everything he saw. Todd took tons of pictures...half of which were too dark to show off. Its too bad because the shark tunnel was really cool and Norrin loved it when they swam over us.



Walking along the waterfront.

Posing in front of Philadelphia.

Norrin loved the seagulls.

Looking at the fish.

Hippo!

Norrin in front of the jellyfish tube.

His favorite- the penguins.

Didn't even want to hold still long enough for one picture with his Da.

I'm Pretty Sure I've Aged Ten Years...

in the last 24 hours. Yesterday we went to Steve and Anne Marie's. I was looking forward to it. They have a beautiful pool and a fabulous supply of cupcakes :). Norrin loved looking at the floats in the pool, so we got our suits on within minutes of getting there. We started by sticking our toes in the water. Then, Norrin pushed me to get into the pool...okay, the temperature was perfect. Then, I coaxed him in and swirled him around and he laughed...he loved it. Then, after watching the big kids jump in, he worked up the nerve to jump from the edge into my arms...very cute. Then, after a couple of more times, he just decided to throw himself in wherever, regardless of where Mommy was standing. He even stubbed his toe pretty bad, but he kept throwing himself in...near the stairs, near the deep end, whatever. Finally, I just couldn't take it. I handed him off to Todd. It was too much for my heart to take...and he's a pretty big boy for this Mama to be catching constantly. For the record, Todd and I also just finished watching The Curious Case of Benjamin Button...and as Todd said, "that movie should come with a warning". Both of us were crying by the end of it and I cried some more the next day...absolutely heartbreaking and it makes you want to hold onto your child with both hands. After his adventures in the pool...this mama found a quiet spot for some meditative knitting in the hopes of returning my blood pressure to normal...I got him dressed, brought him inside and hoped he would watch TV quietly. He didn't. He wanted to play with Conor's train tracks, which upset Conor because Norrin tore his track apart and walked off with two of his trains that were neatly lined up...how do you teach a 1 1/2 year old not to break other people's stuff? I made one more attempt to get him to watch TV, he ran off, I ran after him and by the time I caught up with him, he had hit his head on something in the dining room...don't ask me what...he's quick and it happened before I got around the corner. Now he has matching eyebrow wounds. This one didn't require stitches...in my medical opinion...it was a clean edged cut that only bled enough to convince me that it was time to go home. I love my child's confidence...its something I've never had...I've always been afraid...of heights, of meeting new people, of just about everything unknown...and because of that, I don't understand him very well. I want to nurture that, keep that spirit alive and also keep him alive...and minimally injured :). I have pictures from our aquarium trip that I need to publish. Other than that, we'll see what other adventures we have this week...again, hopefully, with minimal injury.

Longwood Gardens

Thursday was a truly beautiful day...and I got it in my head that I wanted to be someplace outside. But not just any old place would do...I needed to go to Longwood Gardens. Now I've heard how beautiful they are and I knew it would be a great place for Norrin to run around, but I had no idea where this place was. It took me an hour and a half to get there...and it was worth it. We had a really great time...I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.


The first fountain we came to...one of many that Norrin would be sticking his hands into.

The topiary garden

Twirling around in the topiary garden

The conservatory

One of the many fountains in the Children's Garden

Norrin loved this fountain

More fountains in the Children's Garden...they know that kids love water...especially my kid.

On our way to lunch...lots of walking for my lil man.

A couple more outdoor fountains and then its time to go home.

The result of all that walking :)

Perfect Day For A Picnic

This morning, after my giant cup of coffee, I got it in my head that I wanted to go on a picnic. With Norrin's help, we packed our picnic basket with a water-proof tablecloth, cheese, crackers, pb&j, big bottles of water, grapes and some napkins. I also packed another bag with a change of clothes for Norrin, sunblock and a knitting project. After this was complete, I had no idea where we were going to picnic. I told Norrin we needed to bring his stroller, which he translated into he needed to get into his stroller. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth (whatever that means), I decided our picnic should be relatively local, but I wanted something a little more open than the park two blocks from our house. We went to the park near the golf course, which is about a ten block walk...part of it uphill...thank goodness I packed a lot of water. It turned out to be a great idea. I always meet friendly people there. One mom had her daughter and son with her and her son was Norrin's age. He also found a 3 year old and 5 year old to play with. Despite how old the playground equipment is, I find it to be much safer than some of the newer parks. There aren't as many scary gaps and the ones they do have are easier for me to get to in a hurry, the slides aren't super slippery fast and they're surrounded with that great cork stuff so there's no wood chips in our shoes and I don't panic when Norrin trips. This playground is also surrounded with huge fields for Norrin and the other kids to run and there's a hill that's just perfect for rolling down...although Norrin kind of rolled along the side instead of down...hmmmm. Norrin helped the older kids find caterpillars...and once they found some of their own, Norrin tried to steal them away. A couple of them did not make it...my son's grip is very determined...I was rinsing bug guts off his hands before lunch. Since the park is so big, we found a quiet spot under a tree for our picnic lunch. After lunch, Norrin was done and he willingly climbed into his stroller for the journey home. We stopped off for a little ice cream and ran into Da just as we were leaving Wawa. Todd had stopped off at the house for his lunch break. While we didn't get to spend lunch with him, we got lots of kisses before he went back to work...nothing better than sticky ice cream coated baby kisses :). Norrin took his nap quite willingly after that...its amazing what a couple of hours running around can do for my child.

Addicted to Knitting

Yesterday we attempted a photo session. In all this cool, rainy weather, I knitted two hats for Norrin and Todd. I wanted to get some photos to update my Ravelry account. First, we tried photos with Da...

Then, we tried photos with Ma...

Then, our young model ran off to plug up ants' homes with his fingers...thus ending the photo session.

My mail has also been a knitter's dream come true. After much debate and research for good prices and after many balls of yarn were made by hand, I am now the proud owner of a swift and ball winder.

And this is the glorious result of this contraption...yummy new yarn just begging me to make something great for my lil boy.

Norrin's Weekend

Not a lot of words today. Todd took some great pictures over the weekend. I love coming home to a happy family and a camera full of pictures. Todd takes so many great shots, which makes it really hard to be picky...but I swear I chose the bare minimum. Besides, who doesn't want to see tons of pictures of our beautiful boy?


Bath time.

Love that face...totally looks like Todd there.

Brushing his teeth naked on the stairs...hmmm.

Stop with the pictures and draw with me, Da!

Jeep given to us by one of our very generous neighbors.

Sometimes its just easier to get out and push.

Soooo thirsty!

Time for a break.

Quiet nursing moment with Mommy.

Sunday walk with Da...the Pooh Bear push-n-ride from our sweet friends, the Wheelers.

Making friends with a neighborhood dog.

Sloppy dog kisses.

Sleeping at Grandmom and Grandpop Milligan's.

So Much To Write About

So, I received a phone call yesterday from my manager to see if I wanted the day off...YES! Usually that means they have too many nurses scheduled and not enough rooms running. Whatever the reason, I was more than happy to jump at an opportunity to spend one more day with my lil guy. I'm hoping for a long nap because there's lots to update on. Mother's Day was a work day for me, but my hubby and son made it perfect by setting up my gift- a Keurig K-Cup coffeemaker. There was also a handmade card, which I brought to work with me. The other gift I received was the gift of only one case in the OR. It was not a whirlwind day of feeling like a chicken with my head chopped off and for that, I am truly grateful. On Monday, Todd and I went to IKEA with Norrin to return our art table lamp. We thought we just bought a shade, but it was a hard wire lamp...and we're just not ready to commit to a permanent lamp in the corner. Before we could buy a shade, Norrin smacked his head on a bed frame. It made a loud thunk that several people walking by had to comment on and I was expecting a huge egg on his head. Unfortunately, it was something that required a little more attention. He cut himself just enough to require stitches. I was really mad at myself- one because I seem to be under the mistaken belief that I can protect my lil boy from everything and two because I chose Children's Hospital of Philadelphia to take him to. I guess I thought that a close by hospital that can handle a child Norrin's age in need of stitches was the best bet, but I was oh so wrong. We were not the sickest in the bunch. In fact, teenagers with sprains were more of a priority than our child. We were there from 9 pm to 3 am and the entire experience was a miserable, horrible one...to say the least. I felt like I was dealing with the most ignorant, uncaring human beings on the planet. It took hours to answer the simplest questions and it seemed like they needed to consult everyone and their mothers before we could get a straight answer. They acted like they'd never seen a mother nurse her child...which was just sad. And right up until the last second they were still trying to decide if Norrin needed stitches or if they could glue it. In the end, he got two stitches and was traumatized in so many ways that I think he reached his quota for the year. Norrin is not a crier, but the lack of sleep, keeping his belly empty in case they needed to sedate him, restraining him for the stitches and the actual stitches themselves turned my child into a whimpering mess. In addition to all that, his sleep schedule was thrown for a total loop. He slept until 11 am the next day and napped from 5 pm- 7 pm. I tried to keep it quiet and low stress all day and he seemed to be more than happy with that idea. It was after 11 pm before he was able to sleep that night. Wednesday was Moms Group at my doula's house. Her son, Henry is about a year older than Norrin, but they are the same size. I told Todd that this Moms Group was basically a Fight Club for our son. These two were so rough and tumble with each other...I swear Amy and I spent the entire time yelling at our kids. There were many tears from both our boys. They hit, they pushed, they slapped, they threw numerous objects at each other, they were incapable of sharing, they snatched things away from each other constantly. The whole time I just didn't want another trip to the ER for stitches. Other than that, I had a great time chatting with Amy and the other moms :). Yesterday, Todd took off from work to get some things done. I did some work around the house, he drove Norrin around the neighborhood since there was no way he was gonna sleep with both the parents around to play with, he got us some lunch, he got a haircut, we had dinner together and Norrin got a bath...his first since he got his stitches. During his bath, he pointed to the towel bar and asked, "what's that?". I said, "its a towel". He said, "hoo, hoo" and I burst out laughing. "No, Norrin, not an owl, a towel". Even with his minimal vocabulary, he's starting to say the funniest things. And as for today, we went to AC Moore this morning. It was rainy and overcast, but I wanted to take him someplace where he could run around a bit. I always think I'm going to find great projects to do with him, but truthfully, he's just not quite old enough. I picked up a few stamps though and some 99 cent stickers...and a little bit more yarn for me :). I'm thinking of trying my hand at knitting socks. I'm terrified of trying to figure that out, but I think once I got into it I would love it. We'll see. So, that's about it. I have to work tomorrow and Sunday, but then I'm off for an eleven day stretch. Todd's birthday is next weekend...I'm already plotting. And now that I've found our charger, there will be many more pictures of the star of our show, Norrin Radd.


Trying on visors at AC Moore.

Ahhh...yeah, that's backwards, Norrin.

Norrin's "injury"...he keeps picking at the stitches and its all I can do to keep some antibiotic ointment on it.

Time For A Norrin Fix

I finally found the charger to the camera! YAY! However, these photos are from about two weeks ago :). Keep your fingers crossed for some photo ops and a long nap today.

Having some lunch.

Crazy hair at the drawing table...obviously pre-haircut.

Wise guy, eh?

Closeup of the sleepy baby.

Conversations With Norrin

Yes, I need to get the battery charged in my camera...if for no other reason than to tape our latest conversations. Yesterday started a new conversation of Mommy asking who everyone is and Norrin having to answer. I asked who Todd was and he screams "Da!", I asked who I am and he says, "Maaaaa" (emphasis on on the "a" sound...kind of a weird accent for my name...hmmm) and I asked who he was and he says "Norrrr-eeeen" all sing-songy and cute. I ate it up with a spoon and probably asked him these questions twenty times yesterday. Poor lil guy humored his MAAAAA. We walked around New Hope yesterday...until it rained. Then, we took cover in a toy store. Norrin saw a baby doll and said, "Baaa-byyyy" (loves to use a sing song voice...I wonder where he gets that from). There was a toy bottle next to the baby doll and he held it in his arms and fed the doll a bottle. I was a little shocked at how natural this was. He does get bottles, but not when I'm around...is this a sign that he's ready for a sibling? We only stayed in this store for a short period of time. The lady behind the counter was so rude that I decided I'd rather get soaked in the rain. Norrin and I huddled under the umbrella and ran to the car. My pants were soaked, but we played in the car, watched the rain and had some snacks...goldfish crackers and water...Mommy really needs to improve her snack stash. After our adventure, he took a three hour nap and was full of energy for when Da came home. We had our usual art night, but Norrin didn't have the attention span for it. I got some sculpture toys for him and he was content to play with those (kind of like odd shaped, brightly colored tinker toys). I know that Todd and I benefit from these family art nights. Its a quiet time that gives us all a chance to gather around a table and get messy :). We aren't consistent about eating dinner around the table, so this is a nice alternative that seems to suit our family. Norrin loves playing with all the different mediums and he has learned to grab whoever isn't sitting at the table and insist rather loudly that he or she "Draw!". I love it.

More Adventures

So, I have yet to charge our camera which means lots of writing and no pictures to back it up :). Tuesday night, Todd picked up Panera and we had hot soup for dinner...exactly what we needed. Norrin was overjoyed that his daddy was home. He stood at the window and screamed "Da!" when Todd got out of his car. Then, he climbed off the little footstool and ran to the top of the stairs so he could watch him come in the door. Todd got lots of hugs, kisses and attention and I told him I now know how he felt all those months before...there's a little twinge of jealousy mixed in with the relief of not being constantly needed. We had a nice long family art time after dinner. Todd and Norrin drew with just about every medium they could get their hands on and I sat at the table with them and knitted. There was also some dancing and a game of tag followed by a big bowl of oatmeal and a little TV time to wind us all down. Norrin still fought sleep...he's making it to almost 11 pm most nights...but with the oatmeal in his belly, he sleeps like a rock until 9 am. I was up at 6:30 am for some more knitting :). Then, I got Norrin dressed and took him to get his haircut. That child's hair grows like a weed and it was getting to the point where he couldn't see past his bangs. After that I took him a little farther down Byberry Road to Mason Mills Park. One of the girls I work with suggested it and I'm so glad she did. Its a cute, beautifully maintained park with a playground, a little miniature town Norrin can ride his bike through (once he gets the hang of that), a walking path, tons of open fields and tall trees...everything you could ever want in a park. We climbed all over the jungle gym, took a walk, splashed in some puddles (I always bring a change of clothes), said hi to some geese, picked dandelions, rolled down a hill, threw some sticks down the hill and ultimately just had a blast being outside. Norrin cried when it was time to go, but our snacks were eaten and it was after 1 pm. I thought there would be a nap in his future...I was wrong. Norrin decided when we got home, he was going to dig through his toy box. Most days he ignores his toy box. Then, I tried to take a bath with him to calm him down. He kicked, he splashed, he insisted we go back downstairs. So, we watched some cartoons until finally, at 4 pm, he was tired. He curled up into my lap and fell asleep. And slept for almost three hours! Todd came home, made dinner, I crunched right over the top of Norrin's head...he slept through it all....unbelievable. He woke up around 7:15 pm and since we knew sleep was a long time away, we went to IKEA. We bought a lamp to hang over our art table. Since we're using it so frequently...every night...we need some better lighting in that corner of the room. After we got home, we tried some oatmeal and cartoons, but Norrin was still a bundle of energy. At 11 pm, after reading a few stories and several attempts at nursing him, I decided to leave the room. Norrin didn't cry, he didn't need me and I knew it...he fell asleep in his daddy's arms. Its the cutest thing when those two fall asleep cuddled together. They both tilt their head in the same direction, they both snore (one a little louder than the other), they even position their arms the same way (hands up!). If I wasn't so gosh darn tired, I would've watched them all night. I love my family.

Gloomy Weather

Yesterday was an odd day. Norrin took his nap from 10:30 am- noon. And rather than repeat the stress of the last time he took a nap that early...I decided to get him out of the house as soon as he woke up. He woke up, I got him dressed, we had some leftover Chinese food for lunch and it was off to the Please Touch Museum. We got a membership so its "free" for two kids and two adults and it includes parking. This is the third time I've gone, so its already paid for itself. Plus Norrin really loves it and with the weather being so disagreeable, it was the best place to escape. When we got to the parking lot, I put Norrin in his mei tai carrier piggyback-style and before we made it halfway across the parking lot, a mommy was stopping me to ask about the carrier. It is a beautiful carrier made by Tonjia of Divas n Babes and I swear I need to start carrying cards around for her because I really don't make it very far without someone stopping me to admire it. I just like that it keeps my lil man from running away from me while I'm checking us into the museum. Norrin ran all over the place. They just got the giant piano from the movie "Big" and Norrin ran back and forth on that thing at least fifty times. He also more or less threw himself into the water play area. The smocks are too big for him (and its not like he would keep it on), so I always bring an extra shirt for him. He was totally soaked...but he loved it. He was also very fascinated with the Three Bears' house on this trip. He tried every bed at least four times. He would lie down and pretend to snore...it was pretty cute. Then, we decided to make our way home...in rush hour traffic. With the slow drive and the dark, rainy weather, Norrin fell asleep again...for two more hours. I picked up Starbucks before I went home because I just knew he was going to sleep for a long time and with a second nap under his belt, I knew it was going to be a late night. He went to bed at 11 pm...and that was with huge effort. Today, I got him out of the house early. The cleaners were here and I don't like to be underfoot if I don't have to be. We went to visit Da at the bank. Norrin has become very daddy-oriented. After playing with Todd for a good half an hour, we had to leave and Norrin cried like his little heart had been broken in two. We went to Walmart...yes, Rita, all by myself...and weird people talked to me...which is why I don't like going there...even though the prices are excellent. Norrin ran around while I picked up some more sewing odds and ends. When it was time to go, I put him in his carrier again and we were out the door quite efficiently (love my carrier). I thought he'd fall asleep in the car, but he didn't. So, we shared some cheese and crackers, watched his Baby Einstein World Animals DVD and then he was ready to settle down. Now I'm knitting and wishing it was nicer outside. This rainy weather has put a chill in our bones and its making our usual days seem so off somehow. It might be a soup kind of night...