Ramping Up
Tomorrow morning we are going to double Leelo's Adderupp dosage, from his original Rx of 5 to Dr. S's recommended 10 mg. Should be interesting.
Iz is returning tomorrow. I miss her, but oh my goddess is it easier to parent two children. Both Leelo and Mali have been getting so much more attention, books, talking, playing than usual, and it is lovely.
Leelo is in a phase where he's not all that excited about me reading him bedtime books. So instead I talked about his day with him. I described his day, and tried to let him fill in the blanks, e.g., "This morning we got in the car and went to...?"
The only thing he would comment on was going to the pool, and even that was only in a general sense of "What did you do today?" He either was not able to or refused to answer/fill in leading questions. I don't think he was being contrary; I think he just didn't understand what I was asking. And I wonder if he ever will.
Seymour and I are surprised that Leelo's cognitive age really hasn't changed much over the past three years, given how well he did when his home program began. Our boy has progressed in many areas, but conceptual language is not one of them. I keep hoping that he's going to make that leap to abstract thinking, that he'll undertstand what "I'm thirsty" means, and that he'll be able to have real conversations-- however stilted or limited. But it may be that we are going to be living with a very big, very strong boy who thinks like a toddler, for the forseeable future. Adderupp's methamphetamines might calm him and help him focus, but they're not going to rewire his brain.
6.30.2006
I Heart Satan's Pool
I invited myself, Leelo, Mali, and Therapist Y to go to Satan's Pool with Ep and Merlin this afternoon. The kids had the Best Time Ever. Mali took to the toddler pool like a lemming to a cliff. Wheee! Leelo demonstrated to everyone in the vicinity that he remembers how to swim, oh yes he does, and joyously so, thank you very much. (Or thank Ep very much as she snuck us in.)
Even better: Both kids went to sleep with a minimum of fuss. There was no two-to-four hour tag team battle. Seymour and I got a couple of hours to ourselves tonight! Which we used to clean the house, but I digress.
And I am once again wondering why we don't have a membership to Satan's Pool and Community Center (SPCC). Oh, right the SPCC is church-owned, and wouldn't let Anya and Carys join because Jesus doesn't love lesbians. Also the SPCC people sneakily tried to convert Iz--telling her that Jesus doesn't believe in dinosaurs, and other blobs of hooey--during tennis camp last year.
But neither Jesus nor the tennis coaches come anywhere near the pool. And the pool makes a big difference in both Leelo's and our sleepytime lives. *Sigh* There really aren't any other family-friendly pools in the neighborhood.
What would you do?
I invited myself, Leelo, Mali, and Therapist Y to go to Satan's Pool with Ep and Merlin this afternoon. The kids had the Best Time Ever. Mali took to the toddler pool like a lemming to a cliff. Wheee! Leelo demonstrated to everyone in the vicinity that he remembers how to swim, oh yes he does, and joyously so, thank you very much. (Or thank Ep very much as she snuck us in.)
Even better: Both kids went to sleep with a minimum of fuss. There was no two-to-four hour tag team battle. Seymour and I got a couple of hours to ourselves tonight! Which we used to clean the house, but I digress.
And I am once again wondering why we don't have a membership to Satan's Pool and Community Center (SPCC). Oh, right the SPCC is church-owned, and wouldn't let Anya and Carys join because Jesus doesn't love lesbians. Also the SPCC people sneakily tried to convert Iz--telling her that Jesus doesn't believe in dinosaurs, and other blobs of hooey--during tennis camp last year.
But neither Jesus nor the tennis coaches come anywhere near the pool. And the pool makes a big difference in both Leelo's and our sleepytime lives. *Sigh* There really aren't any other family-friendly pools in the neighborhood.
What would you do?
Angry Buzzing
Perhaps we don't need an observation hive in our theoretical new house.
Anyhow. I have been all hopped up about the spurious brouhaha still taking place in my neighborhood. The CC cited below is the EHi11s Community Coa1ition. They are using the same strategy as Bush & Co. in terms of cloaking evil institutions with friendly labels, accusing opponents of techniques that they themselves are wielding, and using fear mongering to intimidate locals into signing petitions of support. I am sick of this shit on the national and state levels and can't believe the same techniques are now being used to help promote business interests at a local level. You can read about the fracas here:
SF Examiner Article
Mostly I am pissed off about the CC's abuse of democracy, and the CC proponents turning this neighborhood upside down and inside out--pissing everyone off at each other--in the name of "concerned community members," when in reality the CC people are all property developers and real estate agents.
Witness this Supporter's Letter.
I wrote this letter in response:
I also sent the following letter to all my neighborhood friends:
And of course this all boils down to a tempest in a very fancy teapot, because really, who cares about rich peoples' building codes? How cool would it be if everyone instead devoted all this intensity to local charity causes, or getting out the vote? But, again, at the most basic level this is about the derailing of democracy, and about a powerful special interest group trying to negate a majority vote. I wish everyone would sit down together and watch the Battlestar Galactica season 2.5 finale. In the meantime I am doing what I can.
Perhaps we don't need an observation hive in our theoretical new house.
Anyhow. I have been all hopped up about the spurious brouhaha still taking place in my neighborhood. The CC cited below is the EHi11s Community Coa1ition. They are using the same strategy as Bush & Co. in terms of cloaking evil institutions with friendly labels, accusing opponents of techniques that they themselves are wielding, and using fear mongering to intimidate locals into signing petitions of support. I am sick of this shit on the national and state levels and can't believe the same techniques are now being used to help promote business interests at a local level. You can read about the fracas here:
SF Examiner Article
Mostly I am pissed off about the CC's abuse of democracy, and the CC proponents turning this neighborhood upside down and inside out--pissing everyone off at each other--in the name of "concerned community members," when in reality the CC people are all property developers and real estate agents.
Witness this Supporter's Letter.
I wrote this letter in response:
- I am disappointed by the CC's developer- and real estate agent-backed campaign of misinformation against the proposed zoning and design codes for EHills. The CC has repeatedly claimed that the proposals' majority vote was not representative because of low voter turnout. When has low voter turnout ever been an excuse, or a surprise? CC's supporters should have rallied their neighbors to vote "no;" instead they are trying to derail a fair and democratic decision because their interests didn't win.
- Even more dismaying is NM's lead role in the CC campaign. NM is the Saint Matthew County Design Review Committee's community representative for EHills, a position which gives her the opportunity to squelch the remodeling or building projects of any local who vocally opposed the CC. This is a direct conflict of interest, and a disservice to every resident of EHills whose interests she is supposed to be protecting.
I also sent the following letter to all my neighborhood friends:
I received a letter and petition from MM and the EHi11s Community Coalition (CC) today, and I suspect you did, too.I am sure all this is both confusing for and boring to anyone who is not directly involved. And I wish I had more time to devote to this cause, and could do so publicly. I would if it didn't affect my family. Arrrgh. SO FUCKING FRUSTRATED.
I do not support the CC in their campaign against the proposed zoning and design code changes for EHills, and ask for a moment of your attention as I detail why:
* The CC folks, like all property owners in EHills, were invited to develop and then vote on the proposed code changes. Why did CC not muster its forces then? They are framing a straightforward democratic process as a special interest group's stealth campaign.
* I have attended all the relevant meetings, and have been reading the ongoing arguments, of both the CC and the HA (EHi11s Homeowners' Association, the proponents of the new codes). I believe that the CC is using scare and intimidation tactics, including using incorrect data and citations, and misleading language, rather than sticking to the facts as the HA has been doing.
* While the CC presents itself as a group of interested EHills residents, in reality the members are mostly local real estate agents and property developers. It is their right to protect their own interests and livelihoods, but they are not being forthcoming about their roles.
* NM, MM's wife, is the Saint Matthew County Design Review Committee's community representative for EHills. Her involvement in the CC campaign is in direct conflict of interest with her sworn duty to her neighbors.
While I personally voted in favor of the proposed code changes, I realize that not everyone did so. I also realize that EHills has a variety of micro-neighborhoods and home styles. If the majority truly does not want the proposed code changes put into effect, I respect that. But I do not respect the hijacking of the democratic process.
Please do not sign the CC petition.
Thank you,
Squid
And of course this all boils down to a tempest in a very fancy teapot, because really, who cares about rich peoples' building codes? How cool would it be if everyone instead devoted all this intensity to local charity causes, or getting out the vote? But, again, at the most basic level this is about the derailing of democracy, and about a powerful special interest group trying to negate a majority vote. I wish everyone would sit down together and watch the Battlestar Galactica season 2.5 finale. In the meantime I am doing what I can.
6.29.2006
Change in Programming
As you can see from the post below, Leelo had a fantastic time in San Diego! While he was at the beach.
The rest of the time he was either distant, violently noncompliant, or both. His verbal abilities shrunk to two or three handy phrases (e.g., "I want XXX, Mommy."), and he inverted negative statements the entire visit (e.g., "No toast" to mean he wanted toast). We had two incidents of howling screaming flailing public tantrums, the kind that drew tut-tuts and stares. Before this trip we'd chalked up exactly one such incident.
And he refused to sleep. Absolutely, vehemently. He kept Seymour up past midnight each night; when he finally went down it was because he passed out, not because he gave in. I could not help out because Mali was holding her own sleep-free vigils, I suppose out of sibling solidarity. Iz snoozed through it all down in her grandparents' room (though they did not get much sleep as she is a slumbering jumping bean).
I was very bummed about all of this, as was Seymour. Travel makes our boy extremely stressed and unhappy, which then makes him regress. Sigh. Though he seemed okay with Hawaii, so perhaps we need to try that again (or Mexico, the more affordable version of tropical happies).
What this means in the near future is a shorter Seattle trip in August. I was going to try to fly up with all three kids by myself for a few days, as Seymour didn't have enough vacation hours to cover two weeks of PNW fun. Now I say fuck that, I am not going until Seymour is going. I probably won't get to see SJ or Elswhere, but I'm not sure I'd get to see them anyway if Leelo started acting out the way he did in San Diego.
I was especially saddened by Leelo's San Diego misery because I had been so hoping that my parents would notice a great big wonderful change in Leelo due to the Adderrup. Didn't happen. But maybe they'll see it when they bring Iz back up here in two days.
Leelo does seem to be happy to be home. He is back in summer school at ALSO, back in home sessions, and the Deadwood school district is giving him speech twice a week and OT once per week, in addition to weekly Sage speech sessions. I think we'll have our boy back by Saturday.
He also showed real delight in seeing Pat the Cat again, giving him pets, hugs, and smiles. He even let Mali borrow a coveted Cookie Monster toy when she asked for it, and then insisted on giving her its Elmo twin (the Leelo universe is still one in which pairs reign supreme).
He was enough of himself today that I took him out on the town in underwear rather than pullups, for the first time. Granted, I did so because we had run out of pullups--but he has been doing such a great job staying dry that I felt confident in his ability to remain so during an errand run. He did not disappoint.
As you can see from the post below, Leelo had a fantastic time in San Diego! While he was at the beach.
The rest of the time he was either distant, violently noncompliant, or both. His verbal abilities shrunk to two or three handy phrases (e.g., "I want XXX, Mommy."), and he inverted negative statements the entire visit (e.g., "No toast" to mean he wanted toast). We had two incidents of howling screaming flailing public tantrums, the kind that drew tut-tuts and stares. Before this trip we'd chalked up exactly one such incident.
And he refused to sleep. Absolutely, vehemently. He kept Seymour up past midnight each night; when he finally went down it was because he passed out, not because he gave in. I could not help out because Mali was holding her own sleep-free vigils, I suppose out of sibling solidarity. Iz snoozed through it all down in her grandparents' room (though they did not get much sleep as she is a slumbering jumping bean).
I was very bummed about all of this, as was Seymour. Travel makes our boy extremely stressed and unhappy, which then makes him regress. Sigh. Though he seemed okay with Hawaii, so perhaps we need to try that again (or Mexico, the more affordable version of tropical happies).
What this means in the near future is a shorter Seattle trip in August. I was going to try to fly up with all three kids by myself for a few days, as Seymour didn't have enough vacation hours to cover two weeks of PNW fun. Now I say fuck that, I am not going until Seymour is going. I probably won't get to see SJ or Elswhere, but I'm not sure I'd get to see them anyway if Leelo started acting out the way he did in San Diego.
I was especially saddened by Leelo's San Diego misery because I had been so hoping that my parents would notice a great big wonderful change in Leelo due to the Adderrup. Didn't happen. But maybe they'll see it when they bring Iz back up here in two days.
Leelo does seem to be happy to be home. He is back in summer school at ALSO, back in home sessions, and the Deadwood school district is giving him speech twice a week and OT once per week, in addition to weekly Sage speech sessions. I think we'll have our boy back by Saturday.
He also showed real delight in seeing Pat the Cat again, giving him pets, hugs, and smiles. He even let Mali borrow a coveted Cookie Monster toy when she asked for it, and then insisted on giving her its Elmo twin (the Leelo universe is still one in which pairs reign supreme).
He was enough of himself today that I took him out on the town in underwear rather than pullups, for the first time. Granted, I did so because we had run out of pullups--but he has been doing such a great job staying dry that I felt confident in his ability to remain so during an errand run. He did not disappoint.
Free Wireless!
Just had dinner with Seymour, during which time I fretted about the lack of late-night wireless here in Deadwood. Then I had an epiphany: Rook! He does not mind if I hide in the corner, and in his unique kind way feels absolutely no obligation to be social. Heaven!
The kids have been keeping Seymour and me both up late late late at night, and even with babysitting in the house and with a closed office door I cannot work at home right now. The kids sense my presence.
I did not want to go spend $12 on dessert and $5 on coffee to enjoy the only available node downtown, nor did I want to drive to Menlo. Thank you, Rook.
Just had dinner with Seymour, during which time I fretted about the lack of late-night wireless here in Deadwood. Then I had an epiphany: Rook! He does not mind if I hide in the corner, and in his unique kind way feels absolutely no obligation to be social. Heaven!
The kids have been keeping Seymour and me both up late late late at night, and even with babysitting in the house and with a closed office door I cannot work at home right now. The kids sense my presence.
I did not want to go spend $12 on dessert and $5 on coffee to enjoy the only available node downtown, nor did I want to drive to Menlo. Thank you, Rook.
6.28.2006
Something I Can Do
AutismLink has set up a mentoring program to pair veteran autism parents with parents of newly diagnosed children. You can sign up right here:
http://www.autismlink.com/mentor/
As I just did.
Why? Here is part of what the AutismLink folks have to say:
We need more more mentors, however. There are several requests for
mentors that we cannot fill because we simply don't have anyone in
that particular state (particularly Hawaii and Arizona!).
Thanks!
AutismLink has set up a mentoring program to pair veteran autism parents with parents of newly diagnosed children. You can sign up right here:
http://www.autismlink.com/mentor/
As I just did.
Why? Here is part of what the AutismLink folks have to say:
We need more more mentors, however. There are several requests for
mentors that we cannot fill because we simply don't have anyone in
that particular state (particularly Hawaii and Arizona!).
Thanks!
The Happiest Boy in the Whole World
Here's Leelo at the beach in La Jolla Shores with Therapist Y. The water was the coldest I've ever experienced in SoCal during the summer, but our boy could care less. He stayed in for an hour until he started shivering, and then only came onshore because we hauled his yowling little butt out of the water.
The next day we went back for a repeat. I think we'll be spending a lot of time in Santa Cruz and HMB this summer.
Here's Leelo at the beach in La Jolla Shores with Therapist Y. The water was the coldest I've ever experienced in SoCal during the summer, but our boy could care less. He stayed in for an hour until he started shivering, and then only came onshore because we hauled his yowling little butt out of the water.
The next day we went back for a repeat. I think we'll be spending a lot of time in Santa Cruz and HMB this summer.
6.23.2006
Playground Race Cards
Every month of so, a member of the Deadwood Moms' Club will shoot off a detailed email regarding observing but not actually doing anything about an evil Hispanic "nanny" mistreating her charge on a playground. I have had enough of this offhandedly racist nattering, so when the latest one came, I shot off the following response in a huff:
Me, irritated again:
Ask before accusing. Simple to state yet incredibly difficult to absorb. This is a mantra I am trying to drill into my own head as well as that of my impulsive older daughter.
Anyhow. I am off to reserve a special place in passive-aggressive hell for the playground mommy who, after one of DoubleTrouble's autistic sons splashed water near her precious toddler, said loudly enough for all of us to hear, "That wasn't very nice of him, was it?" Stupid cow. ASK!
(All these scenarios are good example of why I avoid playgrounds, and try to socialize only with people I already know, or who have been introduced to me by a trusted source.)
------
Addendum: Ep took them on after all! After a bunch of emails saying for shame, the original mom was trying to be helpful and that is ALL that matters, Ep courteously and thoughtfully told them that they were all dickheads:
And yet...
If the intent of the original email was to ask advice about how to handle a
situation where a child was being mistreated by an adult in public, the
details of everyone's appearance would be irrelevant.
If the intent was to let a parent know that a nanny was harming her child,
then the details would be important, so the parent would know they were the
target audience.
It was hard to figure out exactly what the original posting was about, in
this regard.
For a long time the media would use race as a means to identify suspects in
news reports. Members of many minorities complained about why this
information was included. To some people a story about a bad Hispanic woman
and an innocent white child is rife with hidden pitfalls of possible
offense, and those people would suggest being overly sensitive when telling
it. We don't have a lot of Hispanic members of this club, but someday we may
have more, and then we will need to be even more careful about these issues.
My two cents, anyways.
-----
And then Badger posted her own thoughtful points on the importance of discussion in a community. I'll post it here if she gives permission. She cited this link as well, which I probably should have read before this whole fracas:
http://www.amptoons.com/blog/archives/2005/12/02/how-not-to-be-insane-when-accused-of-racism/
6/28: Badger's full message, which I hope everyone absorbed:
Weighing in with a couple of points I think are important:
- This is not actually a flame war! It's a healthy discussion, that I am
grateful we get to have, and it shows what a strong and caring community
we are.
- Bringing up race and power dynamics is not a bad thing. For a cool short
essay on talking about race and racism:
http://www.amptoons.com/blog/archives/2005/12/02/how-not-to-be-insane-when-accused-of-racism/
- Consider: if the person pushing the swing had been someone the original
poster felt more comfortable talking with, what would have happened? How
much of that is the "nanny" part, how much race, how much "person I don't
know"? We don't have to see that discussion as a personal attack -
instead, let's take what's productive and interesting from it, and apply
it in our lives.
There is a fuzzy line between "parenting drive-bys" and trying to reach
out. I remember reading a reallyl great post on someone's mommyblog about
how she reacted very strongly to seeing a young mom with toddler in a
grocery store, and the situation was clearly that the mom was about to
lose her temper - and she did and she smacked the child - not hard, but
in anger.... The woman
writing the essay said something neutral and sympathetic, something like
"It's so hard, when they're tired, and we're tired..." and the angry mom
just about melted.. and they had a chatty conversation and the mom's anger
was defused. So, a moment of genuine empathy, and friendliness, and
conversation, probably had a very positive effect.
So, if I saw someone, nanny or mom or dad or whoever, pushing their kid
too high in the swing, and thought they were not paying enough
attention... I might try to talk to them, directly. We've all had those
moments. I've had my own less-than-ideal parenting moments! Sometimes
knowing that other people were judging me negatively...
Anyway, that's longer than I meant to go on, and I think that the original
poster clearly had good intentions... that we all recognize... and yet
there were some things said in response that were also well intentioned
and important to say! And, again, we are stronger as a community for all
taking the time and energy to bother having those conversations, and for
caring.
Best,
Badger
Every month of so, a member of the Deadwood Moms' Club will shoot off a detailed email regarding observing but not actually doing anything about an evil Hispanic "nanny" mistreating her charge on a playground. I have had enough of this offhandedly racist nattering, so when the latest one came, I shot off the following response in a huff:
If you truly thought the baby was in danger, then you should have said something along the lines of, "Do you think she's old enough for this swing? She seems scared."Another person wrote back:
I would recommend talking directly to other adults on the playground if safety is a concern. Better to irritate a stranger than passively endanger a child.
Also, I am curious what the appearances of the baby and nanny have to do with this scenario. Or that the woman might not have been the baby's mother. You are writing about safety only, correct?
I understood the detailed descriptions as ***** trying to help someone identify the nanny and the child, not any type of racial statement.My pissy response:
That is possible. Racism is a slippery subject, and is often not something we want to admit to ourselves.***more email about how she was just trying to help (which is true), and why are we bashing her.***
However there are many biracial or adoptive families in this area with children who are very different in appearance from their parents. This is why it's best to ask directly before making assumptions.
Me, irritated again:
My hope is that we all continue to look out for each others' children (as ****** was trying to do, and her intentions were good) while also being mindful of our assumptions. Unintentional racism is still racism.I am disappointed in the parents who were blind to the original email's racist overtones, but I am more disappointed in myself for those acerbic responses. I should know by now that people don't listen to me after I've accused them of being assholes. I wish Ep had written in instead; she uses diplomacy to disguise polemics better than anyone.
Ask before accusing. Simple to state yet incredibly difficult to absorb. This is a mantra I am trying to drill into my own head as well as that of my impulsive older daughter.
Anyhow. I am off to reserve a special place in passive-aggressive hell for the playground mommy who, after one of DoubleTrouble's autistic sons splashed water near her precious toddler, said loudly enough for all of us to hear, "That wasn't very nice of him, was it?" Stupid cow. ASK!
(All these scenarios are good example of why I avoid playgrounds, and try to socialize only with people I already know, or who have been introduced to me by a trusted source.)
------
Addendum: Ep took them on after all! After a bunch of emails saying for shame, the original mom was trying to be helpful and that is ALL that matters, Ep courteously and thoughtfully told them that they were all dickheads:
And yet...
If the intent of the original email was to ask advice about how to handle a
situation where a child was being mistreated by an adult in public, the
details of everyone's appearance would be irrelevant.
If the intent was to let a parent know that a nanny was harming her child,
then the details would be important, so the parent would know they were the
target audience.
It was hard to figure out exactly what the original posting was about, in
this regard.
For a long time the media would use race as a means to identify suspects in
news reports. Members of many minorities complained about why this
information was included. To some people a story about a bad Hispanic woman
and an innocent white child is rife with hidden pitfalls of possible
offense, and those people would suggest being overly sensitive when telling
it. We don't have a lot of Hispanic members of this club, but someday we may
have more, and then we will need to be even more careful about these issues.
My two cents, anyways.
-----
And then Badger posted her own thoughtful points on the importance of discussion in a community. I'll post it here if she gives permission. She cited this link as well, which I probably should have read before this whole fracas:
http://www.amptoons
6/28: Badger's full message, which I hope everyone absorbed:
Weighing in with a couple of points I think are important:
- This is not actually a flame war! It's a healthy discussion, that I am
grateful we get to have, and it shows what a strong and caring community
we are.
- Bringing up race and power dynamics is not a bad thing. For a cool short
essay on talking about race and racism:
http://www.amptoons.com/blog/archives/2005/12/02/how-not-to-be-insane-when-accused-of-racism/
- Consider: if the person pushing the swing had been someone the original
poster felt more comfortable talking with, what would have happened? How
much of that is the "nanny" part, how much race, how much "person I don't
know"? We don't have to see that discussion as a personal attack -
instead, let's take what's productive and interesting from it, and apply
it in our lives.
There is a fuzzy line between "parenting drive-bys" and trying to reach
out. I remember reading a reallyl great post on someone's mommyblog about
how she reacted very strongly to seeing a young mom with toddler in a
grocery store, and the situation was clearly that the mom was about to
lose her temper - and she did and she smacked the child - not hard, but
in anger.... The woman
writing the essay said something neutral and sympathetic, something like
"It's so hard, when they're tired, and we're tired..." and the angry mom
just about melted.. and they had a chatty conversation and the mom's anger
was defused. So, a moment of genuine empathy, and friendliness, and
conversation, probably had a very positive effect.
So, if I saw someone, nanny or mom or dad or whoever, pushing their kid
too high in the swing, and thought they were not paying enough
attention... I might try to talk to them, directly. We've all had those
moments. I've had my own less-than-ideal parenting moments! Sometimes
knowing that other people were judging me negatively...
Anyway, that's longer than I meant to go on, and I think that the original
poster clearly had good intentions... that we all recognize... and yet
there were some things said in response that were also well intentioned
and important to say! And, again, we are stronger as a community for all
taking the time and energy to bother having those conversations, and for
caring.
Best,
Badger
6.22.2006
Movement in Fits and Starts
Poor Mali went to the doctor yesterday to have her week's worth of chesty coughing and green slimy nose evaluated. She has an ear infection, so we're putting her on the antibiotic Amox. It is mellow stuff, she is never on meds, and we're going on a road trip Saturday that involved driving over very tall mountains. I'm not going to wait this one out, even though she remains cheerful.
Her illness has in no way affected her ability to climb bookshelves and onto tables in under five seconds. Nor has it made her want to go to sleep before 10 or 11 PM. She and Leelo are still having contests to see who can stay up the latest (Leelo's record this week is 11:30 PM).
Leelo is overall in a fairly good mood. He still has the occasional daddy-needing tantrum, but Seymour and I have set up videoconferencing at our respective workstations and that seems to make our boy happy.
Iz is wonky from a week of all-day soccer camp in the blistering heat. She and Merlin like to decompress afterwards by watching the skateboarders and cyclists doing stunts in the adjacent skate park. Though after a while she starts grumping about the lack of girl skateboarders.
My sinuses have declared war on the rest of my head so I am signing off. I can do that because it's babysitting night!
Poor Mali went to the doctor yesterday to have her week's worth of chesty coughing and green slimy nose evaluated. She has an ear infection, so we're putting her on the antibiotic Amox. It is mellow stuff, she is never on meds, and we're going on a road trip Saturday that involved driving over very tall mountains. I'm not going to wait this one out, even though she remains cheerful.
Her illness has in no way affected her ability to climb bookshelves and onto tables in under five seconds. Nor has it made her want to go to sleep before 10 or 11 PM. She and Leelo are still having contests to see who can stay up the latest (Leelo's record this week is 11:30 PM).
Leelo is overall in a fairly good mood. He still has the occasional daddy-needing tantrum, but Seymour and I have set up videoconferencing at our respective workstations and that seems to make our boy happy.
Iz is wonky from a week of all-day soccer camp in the blistering heat. She and Merlin like to decompress afterwards by watching the skateboarders and cyclists doing stunts in the adjacent skate park. Though after a while she starts grumping about the lack of girl skateboarders.
My sinuses have declared war on the rest of my head so I am signing off. I can do that because it's babysitting night!
6.21.2006
Happy Solstice to You
Summer is here! I am so happy. I was just writing to Badger that this has been a very strange Spring for our Bad Mamas crew, and that I'm hoping for us to have a more mellow and playful time this season.
Iz wants to celebrate the solstice by staying up until the sun goes down. Anyone want to join her?
Summer is here! I am so happy. I was just writing to Badger that this has been a very strange Spring for our Bad Mamas crew, and that I'm hoping for us to have a more mellow and playful time this season.
Iz wants to celebrate the solstice by staying up until the sun goes down. Anyone want to join her?
6.20.2006
Ride 'Em!
Before Adderupp, Leelo never got the concept of steering. He would sit on wagons, scooters, tricycles, toddler cars, etc., and never figured out that he could do anything other than roll backwards and forwards.
That was then. This is now:
He looks particularly spacey during this clip because he's looking around at all the birds, etc. And the chewy tube doesn't help. But watch what he does. Unprecedented stuff for our boy.
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Unrelated: Friends, do not leave sliced baguette rounds anywhere near our boy. He will systematically remove and consume a dime-sized sweet spot from the center of each slice before you even realize what he's doing.
Here's the little mercenary with his booty. I had asked him to smile for the camera.
Before Adderupp, Leelo never got the concept of steering. He would sit on wagons, scooters, tricycles, toddler cars, etc., and never figured out that he could do anything other than roll backwards and forwards.
That was then. This is now:
He looks particularly spacey during this clip because he's looking around at all the birds, etc. And the chewy tube doesn't help. But watch what he does. Unprecedented stuff for our boy.
----
Unrelated: Friends, do not leave sliced baguette rounds anywhere near our boy. He will systematically remove and consume a dime-sized sweet spot from the center of each slice before you even realize what he's doing.
Here's the little mercenary with his booty. I had asked him to smile for the camera.
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