Fava beans and a nice Chianti

AJ got bit this week.  By another child.

This is not something that I anticipated having to worry about as part of the world of daycare.  His transition has taken a major turn for the better-- no more crying when we drop him off.  Its all kisses and hugs and see you later.  He found his groove and I was feeling awesome that things were going so well.

And then my phone rang one day this week and hearing the center's director on the other end, my heart took a time out.  He was ok, but another kid bit him-- on the BACK! so he didn't even see it coming.  Poor fella. He cried, but not for too long.  She told me it "looks scraped" but didn't break the skin.

Well when he got home that day and I saw what this bite remnant actually looked like I wanted to both cry and start a manhunt for this Mini-Hannibal Lecter. At that moment I understood why it is against their policy to tell the parents of the bitee who the biter was.

Apparently at daycare, at this age, bites are not uncommon.  Toddlers love to swarm together and are often right on top of each other and in that sense they are sometimes hard to prevent.  The center did a good job of laying out how they approach these situations, who they have brought in for extra teacher training to this end, and how they have handled the more severe situations in the past.  But even knowing all of this, it makes me go back and question whether it was the right thing to do to start sending him.  Or whether it is the right thing to do not to wrap him in bubble wrap and attach him to my leg so he will never stray or get hurt or be in trouble ever ever in his lifetime.

The good thing is, outside of a cringe when I touch where his marks are, he doesn't seem phased by it.  He didn't cry that day when i picked him up and he didn't hesitate in the slightest going back the next day.  And that is my main concern, that he is happy, and ok.  And that I can sneak some kind of forensics into that classroom and analyze teeth shape to match the bitemarks and slap a face mask on the culprit!

Roseola Shmoseola

Well, the important thing is that my brothers wedding was a success in every way, including AJs triumphant march (borderline run) down the aisle.  I was such a proud momma!  Unfortunately his good spirits faded after a few hours, his fever returning and after a missed nap, he was just craving sleep.  I'm so happy he was able to be part of the day though, my heart would've broken even more if he didn't make it there at all.

It turns out, he probably had roseola.  His fever lasted Wednesday night til Sunday morning and Sunday afternoon his rash showed up just like clockwork.  It went away today, Tuesday.  Dr. Google has given me conflicting information as to whether this is something you can only get once, but at lest now I know what to expect, and the real pediatrician was helpful.  His nose is still pouring "yuckys" and he is coughing it out, but he is fever and rash free, and is back to a very healthy appetite.

The scariest part of the last week, though, was last night.  Perhaps related, perhaps not, about 3 hours after going down to sleep, he woke up SCREAMING like I have never heard.  High pitched truly fearful screaming at the top of his lungs.  He was totally asleep the whole time, and it took a while to snap him out of it and calm him down.  Poor baby!  But I will admit.  This past week, the few nights I got to sit with him in the glider and have him fall asleep on me, with a little snore from his stuffy nose, were totally precious.

Firsts

AJ is at that amazing age where everyday is literally a new accomplishment.  The 'language explosion' I read so much about is not an urban legend.  Over the past month he has started to say so many more words, and although they are still mainly a language that only Joe and i can understand, he clearly has an identifier for so many things.  Over the summer while we were in Lake George, he said his first 2-word combo:  "more please".  It happened so fast I had to ask someone else if they heard it too, and like the Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot, we didn't have another sighting for quite sometime so I still questioned its existence.  Then the past 2 weeks he came out with "too big" and "no more" distinctly and repeatedly!  SO proud of him!

Daycare transition is going ok.  Drop offs are still really tough and he clings to us, but I am very comfortable with his teachers, that they are attending to his needs especially when he first gets there.  And the details of his day that they can tell me about are really meaningful, and that makes me feel so much better.  Everyday we get a write up of activities they did, as well as how  long he slept,what he ate and the diaper situation.  ts fun to come home and ask him about the specific things they noted and see hm react, like "AJ, did you jump and stretch today" and he does it (well, still cant quite jump but tries!) or teh fact that he can complete the words to Twinkle Twinkle Little STar when thats not in our top 40 playlist at home, but I know he sings it in school.  So, while I still wish I could be with him every second, he is happy when he comes home, and other than atypical short naps, he seems to be happy while he is there.

The inevitable downside to daycare happened just 2 weeks in, AJs first cold.  This kid barely sniffled the first 19 months of his life, and now we've got a snot fountain, a tiny fever and a bit of a cough.  I expected this (thought maybe not quite so soon) but I did not expect that Joe and I would catch it almost immediately.  We're 3 peas in a pod home sick today, trying desperately to ingest as many vitamin packed foods as possible in order to recover in time for Uncle Joeys wedding this weekend.  Despite being under the weather, AJ remains in mostly good spirits, except if I DARE try to wipe his nose.  Ah well, a milestone nonetheless!

How much is too much?

Last week Joe took AJ to ‘visit’ daycare, and he seemed to have a great time! We wanted to get him used to seeing it/being there before we just drop him off the first day.  AJ hasn’t had a ton of exposure to other kids, so I was afraid of how he would react.  Joe sent me a ton of pictures while they were there and while AJ was on the timid side, he did like it and smile a lot and then did not want to leave!

So today, I took him for his second visit so I could see how he did for myself.  Similar to his last visit he was a bit reserved.  The other kids, who are used to being there, are much more vocal and sometimes rambunctious (especially the ones who are almost 2 years old and will be moving on soon).  AJ didn’t cling to me, but did look for me and sometimes grabbed my finger the way he always does when he wants to bring me somewhere.   He played with the toys, but stayed near the back of the pack most of the time.  He sat down like a big boy during snack time, and other than trying to shove an entire apple slice in his mouth at once, loved his snack and was the last one to leave the table.

Mom however, was pretty much a wreck.  I held it together while we were there but once we got home and I called Joe, I was sobbing with rivers of tears streaming down my face.  I don’t think I am questioning our decision to send him, but I think I’m fully grasping the impact of him not having one-on-one attention day in and day out.  I’m wondering whether his being new and a bit shy will mean he won’t get the same interaction from teachers that the other kids will.  Will they ask him what color things are so that he learns?  Will they make him count to 5 like Mommy does 10x a day because it’s so freaking adorable?  Will they have enough eyeballs on him to make sure he doesn’t choke on entire apple slices or whole graham crackers??  I’ve never done this before, so I don’t know how much worry is the normal amount of worry or whether my mommy instinct is trying to give me warning signs.  Or is this the natural inclination to try and protect him and want to keep him in a little pouch like a kangaroo? 

Like every other transition he has been through, my guess is that he will be unfazed and my worry will far outpace any resulting bumps or boo-boos he might get at day care.  I just want him to stay the amazing happy kid that he is, always.

Updates.

Well, I wasnt intending to ignore this blog for 2 months, and then life was happening and, ooops, its now the end of August.  I feel like Ive been slacking terribly in my attempt to keep up with documenting what AJ is up to for my memory, if not your enjoyment!

At 18 months we have a very energetic little boy on our hands.  Walking, running, throwing, climbing, talking, tooth brushing, its too much fun!  He is trying to say words or talking to hear himself talk almost every minute of the day.  He makes an attempt to repeat words you say to him (he even counts to 4 with help!) but my favorite noise that he makes is "dadoo" .  He says it over and over again while running across the living room or hiding in our closet.  Oh yes, lots of hiding.  He will run and hide in the same places al the time (usually a corner in plain sight) and then, once he is good and ready-- which can be MINUTES-- he will finally look up or come out and say BOO!  But most times he waits quietly and patiently for you to find him.  I tell you it will be scary if he ever hides for real, I may never find him!

I'm still feeling totally inept at feeding him.  Even though we're past the food allergies and I have incorporated yogurt and cheese into his diet (still too scared to try eggs straight, but will try them IN things) I feel like I feed him the same things over and over and over.  And part of my issue, I know, is my own old hang ups with food and concern over making sure he is eating as nutritiously as possible.  Some days though, I wonder if I'm doing him a disservice.  He grew in the past 3 months and gained less than a pound... the doctor is not concerned and his development is right on track.... so why do I panic if I give him white pasta more than once a week?  He sometimes eats what we eat, but his 7 little teeth cant always handle the meaty stuff.  Ugh, anyway, I'm trying to relax more and find new ideas and not panic over every little thing.  He did eat brussel sprouts the other night!  Meaning I probably could've tried them months ago!  I think I need to sing the 'Confidence' song from The Sound of Music daily.

Cherish

You would think that after almost 16 months I would have accepted the enormity of the love that I have for AJ, but it still amazes me.  The past 2 weeks I have had a few observations as AJ seems to be developing by leaps and bounds.

1.  I literally daydream about what I would do if I were home with him every day.  I know I know, the grass is always greener.  But one day this week I left work and ran to Whole Foods to grab lunch, and I saw moms and babies and moms and toddlers, and I thought jeez, I'd totally take AJ food shopping!  We've been getting groceries delivered literally since he was born, so except for a trip or 2 here or there, its not something AJ and I do together regularly.  This quickly morphed into thinking about taking him on picnics, and up to the beach, and thinking about how he'd react to the seagulls flying around, and whether or not he'd be scared of the ocean waves. Story time at the library, or lunch with grandma and grandpa. The weekends are just too short, but we do try to do one thing to together each weekend, just mommy and AJ.  

2.  As much as I try to soak AJ in when I do have time with him, and despite the fact that my hard drive is busting at the seams with the number of pictures Ive taken to try to capture all of his moments, I am petrified that I'm going to forget the little details that are making each and every day with him so special.  This weekend he was babbling so many new noises, they were hysterical, he really thinks he is talking.  He tries to say so many words now and his memory is incredible.  He loves playing on the grass, and loves picking up rocks and collecting sticks when we are at the park.  I never thought teaching him to take 'one' Cheerio rather than his typical fist-ful would be a moment that filled me with pride, but it did.  Every day is a new discovery and my merely mortal memory can't retain all the mini-moments with the kind of accuracy my heart wishes for.   I just want to bottle every moment.  If nothing else I guess it has taught me that I have to be better about documenting these little things in some way, whether its his baby book, a journal or blog I feel like I have to record it somewhere.  

Roasted Chicken Thighs

Roasted Chicken Thighs... not some witty way of referring to AJs legs.  He hasnt had chicken thighs since about 3 weeks old.  Although he grew 1/2 an inch between 12 and 15 months, his legs remain cushioned with ample pudge... just calling for tickling fingers!

I'm actually literally referring to roasted chicken thighs, which I just took out of the oven.  My latest endeavor to get AJ to eat actual meat.  His typical reaction to meat of any non-babyfood kind is to put it in his mouth, then stick out his tongue and precisely remove said meat, placing it on his high chair.  But, mom isnt giving up and today we're trying something new.

I remember when I was pregnant and I went back to easting whole eggs (instead of just whites)-- it was like I rediscovered food!  Whole eggs are SO GOOD!  How did I ever convince myself that the whites alone were good enough?  Thats how I felt today with the chicken.  I was squarely in the white meat only camp for so long that I forgot the juicyness that is some dark meat.  If I can't convince AJ of this deliciousness, we may very well have a vegetarian on our hands!

In the past 2 months since I last blogged, its like we got a different kid!  He's walking-- most of the time first grabbing my finger and dragging me wherever he wants to go, just for a little more balance, but he's doing it!  He has so many 'words' now also, trying to repeat what we say even if much of it sounds similar.  I love to hear his daily babble, when hes playing alone or when he gets very excited about something.  He's probably sick of my quizzing him on what all the animals say but his lion roar is just too precious to go more than a few hours without hearing.  He still loves books, but Im noticing he gets bored more quickly so we have to swap out the rotation every few days.  Aj is also starting to communicate his preferences with vigor.  Well, more like when he doesnt want to do something he will surely let you know.  I see glimpses of tantrums in our future and I am pre-summoning as much patience as I can.

Oh, we finally got some more teeth too!  The count if 4 and climbing... 3 on bottom and one lone front tooth so far.  He asks to brush them about 10x a day but I'm still too nervous to use even baby toothpaste.

Ah and with that, I hear him up from his nap.  Some how in the last few weeks his wake up time has moved from 6:15am to 5:30am and I'm just not sure how to change that, other than becoming an early bird myself.  Not the worst thing, an extra half hour-45 mins with him in the morning is kind of a nice treat!