catching up (monster post)

Okay I know I could have posted while I was at my mom's, but I didn't want to hog my mom's computer. Last week I was playing catch up with everything. We left friday after Alex finished school and went to my uncles in Cumberland. The kids love Chris and Cindy, Chris because he can be silly and play games and Cindy because she reads to them. My Aunt Pat on the other hand, well Alex likes her well enough but Quin started crying everytime she held him, he'd stop as soon as Chris or I took him. When I told my mom this the next day she laughed.

I got to my mom's Saturday around 2:30. Between the 40 minute stop for lunch and the 20 minutes while I got written up for a speeding ticket, in WV of all places. It took me a bit longer than planned. Though the trip home was actually not so bad only took 8 1/2 hours with stops. Not too bad with two small kids. And it would have ben shorter if I hadn't hit 695 at rush hour. What normally takes 40 minutes took over and hour. And a miserable hour it was both kids crying off and on, no place to stop and I just wanted to get home, the exit to 95 was just 16 miles away.

When we got to my mom's my Aunt Bonnie was there with her husband Jim. I haven't seen Jim in a long time. It's nice that they're both in Cleveland now, instead of out in Vegas. Only an hour and a half from my mom. I think even though Bonnie drives my mom nuts sometimes she likes that at least one of her siblings is willing to visit her. Though Katie comes to visit as well, Pat and Chris haven't been to Erie since my sister got married 14 years ago. They didn't even go up after my mom had her masectomy. Which has really pissed Bill off, he'd perfer my mom have as little to do with them as possible. I know Katie wanted to go up but she has to little girls and was a complete wreck about the whole thing herself so her visit would have been more work not less during my mom's recovery.

Quin charmed everyone once more. Alex was being shy and went in the front room to play. We had Bill's BBQ ribs and home made applesauce. Bonnie was feeding baked potato mixed in with the applesauce, he was loving it. After dinner they had to go, it was a nice visit but short. I did get the impression that Bonnie thinks Jason should have paid the extra 800-900 dollars and had Ken shoot his wedding. I guess the photographer they got hardly took any pictures of the John side of the family. Including Bonnie and Jim with the bride and groom. She's the mother of the groom for pete's sake. I still couldn't have gone since I was on travel restriction and ended up having Quin three weeks later.

I have to say it's pretty rough sleeping in the same room as both kids. Alex wakes several times a night and Quin usually wakes early in the am for a feed. The first night it meant they woke each other, to top it off Alex had a cold and was miserable. (I now have this cold, I caught it the day I drove home, lots o fun). By the next night giving him a tiny bit of Tylenol took away the worst of the aches and scratch throat so that he slept through the night much better.

Sunday afternoon I went over and visited my sister. I planned on taking both kids with me to dinner with friends but Alex wanted to stay and be with his cousins. And my sister's dog is both jealous and afraid of Quin. Alex on the other hand she enjoys giving kisses, must be because Alex hates it. Dinner with Patty and Sherri was nice. Quin flirted with them and with just about anyone else close by.

Monday was my massage. Can I say how much I needed this. Ken said i wasallowed a monthly massage and then he goes and starts travel nearly every week Tuesday to Thursday. I work Friday and Sunday. So Saturday and Monday evening are about the only times we can spend together. So I guess until this project is done it'll end up being quarterly.

Tuesday I picked up Jessie after school and we went over to the covered bridge close by. I had heard last summer that there was talk about it being torn down. I wanted pictures of it again before that happened. I found out later that the talk is about building a second bridge for traffic and restoring the covered bridge.

Wednesday was shopping day. Nothing for me and Alex this time, well nothing planned. He did get a couple pair of sunglasses from Children's Place. Ken needed polos and Quin needed pants, he's out grown them yet again. I hope the warm up continues because I have plenty of shorts in larger sizes for him.
I also took Karen's kids because Penny's was having a sale on South Pole and Brandon wanted shorts and tees. Jessie always likes new clothes.

NowI've been thinking about a new laptop since I was up visiting my dad. He let me borrow his a couple days. And I started thinking it would be nice to have my own stuff to take with me when I travel. That and there are a couple things this summer I want to particiapte in and if I had a laptop it would help. One is a photoshop seminar the other is called a Laptop scrap at a scrapbook convention in VA.

Nothing much else going on. I did order some seed mats last week and they came in yesterday. I'm going to have flowers this year. Well in addition to the ones Ken planeted while I was out of town. He said they were an anniversary gift. I got him a peach pie. He planted lillies near the shrubs out front on the right. That part of the house is in almost full shade all summer. I'm going to plant snapdragons on the other side because it gets full sun at least part of the time. Then a victorian garden collection next to the garage. Ken liked the pie so much he had a second piece, almost every night we had it.

There were points Tuesday, last week that were just hellish, . I'm trying to figure out if Alex is acting out because of Quin or because Ken is out of town so much lately. I know he pulls his delay tactic games at potty time just so he has my undivided attention for longer. I've been making sure I spend time alone with each kid several times a day. I guess Alex thinks I should spend all my time with him, but I didn't do that before Quin so not sure why he expects it now.

Anyway he has this yellow bin that he puts toys in to take up to his room every naptime and night. He almost never actually plays with the toys in the bin but he needs it to go upstairs and sit on the foot of his bed. Now he's onlt been doing this since Jan-Feb. I give a warning count down starting at thirty minutes because he transitions better with warnings that it's coming up. Usually at the 10 minute swarning and definately by the 5 minute one he's put the toys he wants to go up in the bin. At nap time he ignored my warnings so we went up to naptime without the bin. This caused a full meltdown. And I wouldn't let him leave his room to go back down and get it, I've told him I only bring it upstairs if it's in the bin, nothing in the bin nothing upstairs.

When he's upset he avoids looking me in the eye. Once I got him mostly calmed down I tried and go over the rules again but he wouldn't look at me and I know when he doesn't look at me he's not going to listen to me. He ended up taking a three hour nap. At bed time we almost had an exact repeat. He ignored my warnings until the last minute. And he only had half the toys he wanted in the bin when I picked it up. I sat it on the kitchen table when I went to fill his cup with watered down juice. He was running back and forth from the family room to the kitchen trying to get the last of the toys in the bin before I carry it up stairs. He was all panicked and crying the entire time. We get upstairs and he started the delay tactics, playing with his blocks instead of getting into pjs. Though I think he got the message this time, bedtime not playtime.

This whole drama led to a very early morning for me. Quin woke at 4 for a feeding and I brought him into bed with me. Alex woke at 5:30. We got him a clock a couple months ago and he knows that once the 6 turns to a 7 he can call to get up. So why he's trying this at 5:30 I don't know. 15 minutes later he's crying because his sheriff's badge dropped down between the bed and the wall. I told him I'd get it in the morning but I wasn't going to move his bed right then. Then he shows me he wet his bed. I ask him why he didn't say anything when I came in the first time. Then at 6:30 he's calling because his books fell off the bed. I crack open the door and tel him if he wants his books he can get out of bed and get them himself I am not his maid. He was quiet until 7:15 when I hear "I'm done" meaning he wants out of bed. Luckily the rest of today went much better, almost no whining and bed time he had his bin filled. And actually repeated the "bedtime not playtime" from the night before.
oh but the boy is trying my last nerve lately, good think he does at least one sweet thing a day to make up for it.


My big question is how can there be so much snot in such a small place. I'm sure Quin thinks the asperator bulb is a torture device. He had the cold Alex had the week before and was having a hard time eating and nursing in the mornings so I had to clean him out. He was screaming the entire time. I'd finish and he'd scream a minute more then realize he could breathe. We offically have a tooth coming through. Both Ken and I felt the sharp edge on Friday when he was chewing on fingers.

This morning was pretty nice. Ken was going through more boxes downstairs. I guess in one way the flood was a good thing. Got him getting rid of stuff, that and he needs more room in the shop so he wanted stuff either moved up in the garage or just gone. We have a box of stuff for the yard sale next Saturday, a bunch of stuff for recycling and some stuff ws just trash. Anyway this morning he found a harmonica came upstairs and gave it to Alex. Who was having a great time playing with it. Then he was saying he wanted his Katar so I pointed to where the fireplace bellows were on the table (that's his katar) He's like "nononono big katar" meanign he wanted to play with Ken's guitar. I told him he had to ask daddy first if he wanted to play it. It happens Ken was just coming up the stairs then. So he went to get it out but then Alex told him to play it and he ran and got the harmonica. It was so cute. He even went up to his nap a happy camper a half hour later.

We were talking about getting Alex his own guitar for his birthday next year. He loves pretending to play one all the time. Though if we do I want him to take lessons as well but I want to find someone who knows how to teach young kids and make it fun. I don't want this to be a chore for him, I want it to be something he enjoys and takes with him as he grows.