Icky

This kid never ceases to amaze me. Double ear infection, crusty eye and a cough that would rival a life long Lucky Strike smoker. Doctor prescribed drops for the eye...that outta be fun. And amoxicillin for the cough and ears. Yay for magic pink liquid.

Now I can pretty much guarantee if I had ear infections in both ears, a crusty eye and a cough like that, I would be a miserable...well...bitch to put it lightly. But not this kid. He is not phased in the least. Running around, vrooming cars all over the living room, and roaring like a ferocious lion. Yeah, he roars now when you ask him what a lion says. It's more of a "RAAAAAH!" than a "ROAR!", but it is super cute. And he is very proud of himself, so the smile of accomplishment after ain't so bad either.

Haaaack!

Alex has a cough due to cold. And a snotty nose. And as of this morning a crusty right eye. Boo. At his check-up last week, his doctor said if it hadn't gone away in 4-5 days to give a call and see if antibiotics are needed. Well, it's been a bit over 4-5 days so I called and the doctor wants to see him. Which I understand, but part of me wishes he could just say, "Yep...here's a prescription for some magic liquid that will make him feel better." A big part of me wishes that. It would save the $20 office visit charge and the time of taking him into the clinic.

But! I don't have to worry about the time this time! Travis gets to take him. Have I said how much I like having Travis not working an hour away from home? Because I like it. A lot. And now it's really paying off! And based on how much Alex likes going to the doctor now...I am super duper happy I get to sit this one out.

Obviously I trust Travis to take care of getting the boy there and all that. But little things like letting him drink bath water until he pukes and putting Alex's shoes on the wrong feet one of the last times I was gone, has me a bit hesitant. Yep. He did that. And he also admitted they didn't look right, but he swore the Velcro straps aimed in and not out, so he went with it. Umm...didn't look right is an understatement. I mean when was the last time you saw someone with the shoes on the wrong feet and thought, "Hmm...that looks a little off, but the Velcro straps are going the way I somehow think they should go so...must be right!" I'm gonna go with, never. Never is the last time you thought that. Killin' me.

So cute. So old.

We turned Alex's car seat around on Sunday. He is now a forward facing baby. And he loves it. Unfortunately I wasn't along for the maiden forward facing voyage. Travis called me about .7 minutes after they pulled out of the driveway to tell me Alex was laughing and yelling and all around excited. And then I got a text about 2 minutes after that saying, "Ok...he is squealing now!"

Well apparently the sense of wonder wore off yesterday because this morning was not nearly as exciting. It is fun that I can see him now though. He thinks it's pretty funny that I can turn around and we can see each other. He giggles just about every time. But there was no squealing or yelling this morning. I'm gonna blame it on him being tired, and not admit that all of a sudden he likes Travis waaaaay more than he likes me.

And in case you were wondering, he looks about 17 sitting there all facing forward and stuff.

Muy Caliente!

I can't figure out how to get an upside down exclamation point for the title. You're just gonna have to use your imagination.

Alex is still eating dinner early enough that we don't really eat as a family. So for his dinner we are usually heating up leftovers from our dinner the night before, or making something quick like a veggie burger or EasyMac. At least one of us sits at the table with him while he eats...you know to form some kind of family eating bonding.

Tangent: I used to scoff at EasyMac. Seriously, it is not a lesson in culinary expertise making mac 'n' cheese. How lazy are people? Ummm, yeah...lightly put, EasyMac is fantastic and was invented by someone who loves us and wants us to be happy. A little water and 3 minutes in the microwave and BA-BOOM! dinner is ready. Throw in a side of peas and sippy cup of milk and you're good to go.

Since we don't eat that early, Trav and I sometimes need a snack to hold onto our sanity until dinner. We are nice parents, so we share our snack with Alex, which more often than not is chips and salsa. Manny's chips and Mrs. Renfro's Salsa? So good. We keep two flavors of salsa, regualr ol' hot and jalapeno green. The jalapeno green is no joke. I like spicy food and I will not usually eat it without a beverage handy. Enter Alex the Freak. He will sit and dip his chip in the green JALAPENO salsa and lick the salsa off. And then go in for another dip. He does this until his little eyes start watering and his face is flush. He would go on beyond that point, but as his guardians, we feel the need to step in and stop him.

Last night for his dinner, we heated up some leftover chicken curry I had made. It was fairly spicy. He inhaled it. After finishing his first bowl he was reaching for more, with his little flush face and watering eyes. I am afraid there might be something wrong with this child.

Babysitter's Club

Tomorrow night we have some places to be that are not exactly baby friendly so we need babysitter. We are also super duper organized and smart and didn't think about that little gem until Molly asked who was watching Alex. She asked that yesterday. Tomorrow we have stuff to do. Nice work on the planning ahead, right?

Our two go to ladies were not able to hang out with Alex, so I asked one of his daycare teachers. She has the day off, she doesn't have any plans for the evening. The stars have aligned and all is right in our little world. But then I took a look around our house last night. Oh my dear sweet grossness. I am a big fan of having things picked up around the house. I don't like clutter...it irritates me and makes me feel stressed. I am not, however, a big fan of actually cleaning. So while at first glance our house appears clean, one second of sitting on the couch will tell a dramatically different story. With the amount of hair the dog and I are shedding every day, things have gotten more than a little nasty.

I have to admit, if it wasn't someone that has never been to our house, I would probably not bother. But I cannot have someone "new" come into my house with it this dirty. Especially someone that watches my child on a daily basis but has never before had this opportunity to peek further into our lives.

I feel like it is always a little awkward having someone to your house for the first time. The comfortable flow of the house gets slightly off kilter while everyone gets acquainted with the environment. But now, there is going to be that awkwardness compounded with the fact that I am leaving and the person new to the house is staying. I feel like I am working on a huge project and my grade determines how I will be viewed from here on out. And I really want an A+.

Tonight's agenda: Scrub! Vacuum! Wipe! Mop! Laundry!

I know you are just aching to come over...It's the exclamation points. They make things look fun. They are lying.

Are ya sure?

Alex's babbling is well on its way to resembling real words. The one word that has stood out for a fair amount of time is "No." But now "no" has two different meanings.

When you ask him something and he wants to answer no, there is not a shred of doubt that he means no.
Me: Alex, do you want to go inside?
Alex(with furrowed brow): Nooooooooo.

However, when you ask him something and he wants to answer yes, things get a little murky.
Me: Alex, do you want some milk?
Alex(with raised eyebrows): No?
Me: Yes? You want some milk?
Alex: No?

We've got some work to do.

Beat them to the punch

When I picked Alex up on Friday, one of his daycare teachers said, "So..Alex says 'Thank you' now?" I stopped dead in my tracks. And then I did a little happy dance. Finally! Finally I have managed to teach him something before they do. Finally I have fulfilled my role of mother/teacher/poopy butt wiper in all capacities.

I have been saying "Thank you!" and "Say thank you!" so many times in a sing-song voice over the last couple of weeks it is ridiculous. But hot damn it paid off!