About a month ago I made a cashmere stuffie. Blue with pink and white accents. I asked both Q4 & C5 if they wanted it.
Short answer: No. Long answer: That's Ug-uh-lee.
So, I inteded to give it to somebody with a new baby. But then my friend J. came over and she loved it and wanted it and took it home. But not before Q4 freaked out and realized she loved it and wanted it.
Too late, I'm afraid. But, I made her another. Even better. Because it is all PINK. HOT PINK. With a FLOWER on the tummy. She wanted long hair, so I put in in. Plus I made kisses to sew the mouth on, at C41's suggestion. Easy as pie. I thought it would make a great baby stuffie because I didn't stuff the arms and legs so it would be easy to chew and grab.
So, I'll have to make ANOTHER. Or more. 3 babies born in one week this May/June, and two more due this fall.
I just want to share how our mealtimes go. Recently C 41 made a lovely meal that was not universally enjoyed (ahem. Nobody except him enjoyed it). Knowing it would be a difficult meal, there was fruit and cut up veggies on the table for the girls to eat to supplement the food they wouldn't.
I ate mine, but skipped the seconds.
C5 screamed and cried at the sight of it, refused and demanded a peanut butter, butter, and jelly sandwich, but eventually took a no thank you bite then filled up on fruit and raw veggies.
Q$ carefully ate her fruit and the raw veggies, but didn't touch the yucky food. The whole time her sister ranted she kept saying how good and yummy the food was. Then she asked to be excused. When pressed to have some of the untouched but highly praised food, Q4 told us that she already knew she liked it, so she didn't need to try any.
I was trying desperately to get the kids out to the park. Q4 was compliant, and ready to go. She put her shoes on before I did. Well, almost. Well, not at all. But by the time I repeated my demand that she put on shoes and socks she already had two socks and one and a half shoes on.
C5, on the other hand, did not want to go. Not at all. Once we went she had a grand time, but the sky was overcast and she thought it might rain. And she was happily making a paper coat for Q4.
She actually did a nice job. Sleeves fit, hat fit, cape fit. Then it all fell apart, because tape isn't the fastener of choice for the modern gal.
Sound familiar? Yes? That's because we used them before with Q4, the little stinker. I mean darling child who goes to sleep everynight with a smile and a wink.
1. Brush your teeth 2. Use the toilet 3. Take a bath 4. Put on pyjamas 5. Read 3 stories 6. Turn out the light 7. Put your head on the pillow 8. Snuggle with stuffie 9. Go to sleep
They seem to be working. She only briefly came out of her room and went back in with little fuss.
She is currently sleeping on the floor directly under her new fan. A teeny tiny little fan for her teeny tiny room. Very cute.
But the point is, she's asleep, and fell asleep by 7:45. Hooray. Now I can go to bed.
We fooled this kids this morning into a mini "hike" by telling them we were headed for a wildflower walk. OK, fooled is a bit strong, because we really did. But they walked over a mile, closer to a mile and a half by themselves. Because they were all looking for flowers and stuff. Nice. That and I told them we'd go to the Bagel Place afterwards.
Here is a sampling of what we saw:
We had a lovely break on a bike rack an on a park bench
On the way to the bagel place we had a request for Dunkin' Donuts instead. So we made a detour, I dropped them off for another half mile or so walk before donuts, and we all had a treat. Yum.
Just an ordinary afternoon after a 3.5 hour visit to the doctor's office.
It started almost 2 weeks ago when Q4 came home saying K4 had poked her in the ear with a green stick. Can't really figure out if that really happened, but she complained of it the next day as well. And her ear hurt. And they were playing doctor.
Fastforward to last night, a spectacular wake up with screaming crying etc. and claims of an earache.
I went to work in the am, but came back after doing what needed to be finished, and took her to the doctor, figuring the green stick and the ear problems COULD, if unlikely, be related to the stick in the ear. So we went for a check. And waited, and waited and waited. Q4 was very good, enjoying the room and the books and the spinny chair. Then somebody came by and told me they had forgotten us, and we'd be next. Then our doctor forgot us AGAIN! (I'd chosen Dr. D. so our girls could go to a girl doctor. Plus, the other doctor there today was the old doddering one of whom I am not fond.
Eventually Dr. D came in. The ear that didn't hurt was perfectly fine. The ear that did hurt ... was filled with wax. So the doctor couldn't see.
Last time we were there Q4 had to have earwax scraped out with the little pink spoon ... and she remembered how much she didn't like it. I had to hold her arms and head so the doctor could scrape. But she couldn't didn't get it all, and we decided to try the debrox route, rather than torturing Q4 any more.
In the meantime, the nurse came in with swabs for a throat culture (because Q4 had also been complaining that her chest hurt. But when asked where on her chest she pointed to her lower throat. Which was red. So, throat culture. Which Q4 decided was NOT going to happen, and promptly covered her mouth and screamed at the same time. So we laid her on the table. I restrained her legs and body. The first nurse held her arms over her head, and a second nurse wiggled and pried those swabs in through lips that were as firmly sealed as Q4 could manage.
She did it. When she was done Q4 leaped into my arms crying, screaming. But it wasn't over. The debrox. I had to hold her sideways, pull her hands off her ear (both hands), keep her legs from kicking, and keep her safe. While the nurse poured wax softener in her ear. The doctor walked by and shut the door so as not to disturb the other patients.
After a great tussle, we did acomplish it. Then Q4 had to lie like that for 10-15 minutes. That was not fun. Then we had to get the ear wax flushed. They put a giant paper apron on Q4. Then a towel. Then an oilcloth. Q4 looked like a little volcano with a girl's head. I went over the tools with her, and when Dr. D. returned so did she. And Q3 was fine. Upset that she STILL got wet, but fine.
The doctor managed to sneak another look in Q4's ear. Still a little wax, but no redness or obvious preforating. But she wanted to do a hearing test because of the trauma from 2 weeks ago.
THAT was a no go. Q4 rejected the possibility right off, covering her ears. Dr. D. offered tomorrow as an option, which Q4 took and ran with. Tomorrow! Tomorrow! Tomorrow! Not that I thought it would be any better. I tried telling her it was like wearing the headphones when listening to music, which I thought it was, and she thought that sounded OK, and agreed to try. But then the nurse came in with a little instrument that looked like the ear light again! Uh uh. More screaming and ear covering and yelling Tomorrow! and then Dr. D. said something about Saturday and Q4 picked right up on that. Saturday!
I got her to calm down and asked her if she'd like to earn something. The thought for a moment. Yes. What treat would you like, I asked. Candy, said she. So I offered TicTacs, Starburst, and then peanutbutter cups and at that her face brightened and she agreed to try for a peanutbutter cup.
I would too, frankly.
But when it came down to it, she couldn't allow the nurse to put the thing in her ear. It just wasn't going to happen. So we scheduled for Saturday and left it at that.
After Friday night, Q3 was tired, tired, tired. She went to sleep late! And Saturday night C40 and I went out to dinner, leaving Q4 making crazy noises with our babysitter, but she was alseep before 9, maybe 8:30?
Sunday Q4 was a little tired, and so she took a nap during quiet time. We thought she needed it, so let her sleep. I knew she fell asleep because Enya had been blaring and suddenly just ended and there was no re-up or change to a new CD.
She slept for 1.5 hours? I don't know. But I do know she was up until 11:17 PM.
So today, getting ready for quiet time I asked Q4 if she wanted music. Q4: Yes. E39: Enya again? Q4: No. E39: Why not, I thought you liked it? Q4: It just plays the same thing over and over again. E39 [in head]: yes, you are quite correct.
She took a nap again, and I but we were headed to a party, so woke her up. She's not yet asleep now at 9:37 pm.
