Abort and Other Short Outtakes

We have aborted potty training at least for a few days. Here is what happened yesterday:
At 9, I got AJU5 dressed and we got ready to go outside. AJU6 woke up, so I ran to get him while AJU5 lingered in the bathroom. Next thing I know she comes up to me and her pants are wet. So, I change her and we go outside. After 45 minutes, we sat on the potty. Then we repeated 30 minutes later. Almost 30 minutes later, AJU5 was ready to go inside. She was clearly tired, so I told her she needed to sit on the potty and then we would go inside and she could nap. She very reluctantly agreed - crying during most of the experience. I of course put a diaper on her because I didn't want a wet bed (there had been no success with the use of the potty). She was almost completely dry when she woke up, so I tried to get her to sit on the potty. But, she wasn't having it. AJU6 was asleep in the same room, so I couldn't push too hard (for fear of waking him). She didn't want to wear a diaper, so I eventually succeeded in putting her in undies, pull-up, and then pants. She uses the pull-up and doesn't care that she has the wet undies up against her skim. I tried to get her to sit on the potty again (because I can tell she isn't done), and it was a battle with tears. So, potty training is aborted. I am not going to force her to sit on the potty if it is making her that upset. We will keep trying to get her to sit ont he potty when we go and before bath time. Maybe in a week or two she will be ready.

Last night she confirmed to me that this was a good idea. AJU1 and I asked her if she wanted a bath. She said yes, but insisted he take her to the bathroom. Reason - he doesn't make her sit on the potty before baths, and I do.


In other news - AJU5 was a dare-devil on Sunday. She tried to scale her dresser. The result was in falling down on top of her. Luckily, her TinkerToy can was there to support the dresser. The only damage to her was a few very tiny little pink/red marks. But, it sure did scare everyone!

AJU6 has been a handful. I think the boy is teething. He is demanding to be rocked to sleep AND stay in my arms for the whole nap (other than his first morning nap). Yesterday I was finally able to get him to sleep in the crib at 5pm. He took one nap in the stroller for about 30 minutes after I walked and walked and walked him to sleep. It made for a long day.

Now to write my last final. Then I just have to do some grading before the term is over. I am so ready for 2 weeks off! Well, I will have to get my classes ready for the summer, but that isn't too hard to do.

Change of Plans

I was going to do a little review of another diaper we are trying with AJU6 (since he is between sizes for the Kirkland ones), but I am not in the mood. Maybe next week...

The ick may hopefully have finally left our house. AJU5 had an ick free night last night, and she seems to be 100% today. So, that is a huge relief! After almost a week of all variations of stomach issues, I am ready to be over with it. The big thing we have to deal with now is retraining AJU5 and ourselves. AJU5 got more juice in her juice because I just wanted her to stay hydrated. Now she is refusing her juice because I am trying to bring it back to the 1/3 juice- 2/3 water combo we had. She used to even drink it more diluted sometimes, but not now. She has also figured out that "oh-no" will get a quick response from us. This is what she said often when she need assistance with ick, so I would run to her whenever I heard it. This morning she used the same tone when she spilled water on herself. Now, I know to her it might be just as bad as ick, but to me it isn't!. A wet shirt does not require me to run as fast as I can to her side...

But the most frustrating thing right now is a student I have. After the first exam, he went on a tirade in an email to me about how unfair the exam was. He also complained on the course discussion board, where other students (thankfully) voiced their disagreement with him. I did my best to deal with him politely, and he chose not to do most of the work for Exam 2. He did take Exam 2, but of course he bombed it. Then Saturday he emails me asking if he can still pass the course. Well, I had already posted the grades and explained to the course how many points are left. So, he could easily calculate his current total and see that yes, technically he can still pass the course but he has to do very well on everything from here on out. I didn't get a chance to reply to the email because of the ick on Saturday (and I take Sundays off from work). During this time period AJU5 restarted my computer, so I forgot about the email. So, this morning I had two emails from him. One asking if I was still around and the second saying I was the worst teacher ever and he was going to set up a meeting for us with the dean. Luckily I had already talked to our associate dean about the Exam 1 issues. I am fairly certain they will not make me sit int he same room with this student after what he said in some of those emails... I did email him back and explained that I was sorry I had not gotten back to him and it was because I had been dealing with sickness in the family, etc and he could have answered the question himself. Oh, and of course the end of the email I got from him was again not something any student should say to his/her professor. He went off on how I had been scammed into being a Christian. Now, I don't expect all of my students to agree with my beliefs. Actually, I expect many to have different beliefs. But, even if you don't agree with what I believe, it doesn't mean you have to basically say I am stupid as a result.

So yeah, I am glad I got that off my chest. I am glad I don't have to see this student face to face. Although, I bet if we were face to face, he either would not have said these things OR I would have gotten him removed from my course. Hopefully he will either get over his issues or the dean will back me up.

Lucky

When I was starting to get frustrated Wednesday evening, I realized I am lucky. I don't end up having to do it all most days or weeks. My husband is normally home by 4:30 or 5;00. He normally gets every other Friday off (as well as Saturdays and Sundays). When he travels, it is normally for one or two nights only.

I started to think of those whose husbands have to work 60 hours a week. Those families whose husband is only around on the weekends. I think of those families who work at places that don't value families. Then I realized having to do it all for a week and a half isn't that bad.

Wednesday night wasn't fun. AJU6 had 3 shots that afternoon and was not a happy camper. He just couldn't get comfortable for long because any movement in his little legs hurt him (luckily Tylenol eventually kicked in and he started to feel better. AJU5 was back at her not wanting to go to bed until every late (8;30ish), so I had two kids to wrangle when I was getting tired too. But, that was the last night of my husband's crazy work schedule at least for a little bit.

Normally if my husband has to work extra, he will do at most an hour Monday through Thursday and then work on Friday even if it is supposed to be a Friday off. But, when I hard deadline is coming up, they end up working even more than that. And, normally I don't mind the extra hours because he still gets paid overtime because he isn't staff. But, boy, with two kids it is harder!

Oh, and a little size update for AJU6:
10lbs 3.75 oz (25th percentile)
22.5 in long (over 25th percentile)
41cm+ head (nurse measured it at 41cm, but the doctor thinks it is larger than 50th percentile by look)

Adjusting

AJU1 went back to work today. There are no plans for holidays or vacations until at least March, so it is time to adjust to the new normal. So far - so good!

AJU5 was a handful last week at times. She has gotten very demanding and will throw a tantrum when she doesn't get her way. There is a hint that this might be partly due to teething, but we aren't sure. Last night, she was also running a temperature (or so I guessed based totally on feel), so I drugged her with Motrin. This morning she has been great. She isn't hot anymore, but she is a little stuffy. So, I drugged her with a little Benadryl before nap time :) I think the stuffiness may just be allergies ebcause AJU6 and I woke up stuffy too (but we have cleared up by now).

So, not to figure out our new "routine" during the week... School starts for me on Monday, but I have a lot of prep work to do. Library storytime starts next week. So, this week will be a good trial run of just normal days. I can figure out when it is best for me to work. I can figure out the best times to figure out what is for dinner (because I haven't had to cook much since November). Hopefully we will get "organized" so AJU5 will be happier and not take things out out AJU6...

And as for that - she kicked him Saturday morning! I had them both in my lap, and she kicked him in the head trying to get him off my lap. Luckily AJU1 and my sister were there, and she got removed from the room. She is definitely jealous of him! She has also requested to be held like a baby (laying in our arms) and requests that he be moved from places where she wants to lay/play. We also learned the hard way to not use her blanket for him EVER! I used it once to cover myself up while feeding him, and she pulled it off. Another time AJU1 had wrapped AJU6 up in it and had him laying on the couch. AJU5 tried to pull her blanket away and almost pulled him with it (luckily multiple adults were there to stop her). Ahh, the joys of two kids!

Are you getting back into the swing of things this week?

Numbers Game

Here are a few numbers for you:
3: Number of months before /junior arrives (at the latest).
7: Years I have been married
46: Years my parents have been married
56: Number of students enrolled in my classes this term (which starts today)
89: Days until my due date...

Busy First Two Days of the Week

It has definitely been a full two days so far.

AJU1 left Monday for a one-night work trip. So, AJU5 got to spend a tiny bit of time with him before he left (his flight was early enough going to work was pointless but late enough that he left later than normal). I think she liked that, but she didn't like saying bye to her daddy.

Then, Monday afternoon we went to a friend's house. The mom and I had to get some planning done for our VBS's, and her kids and AJU5 are good friends (well, other than the 9 month old that AJU5 just gets jealous of if I play with). We got the schedule, crafts, worker assignments, and goodie ideas planned, so we were happy. AJU5 got to play and burn off all the energy she had. There were only two issues while we were there. First, a little tikes play house thing fell down on AJU5. I think she was pulling on it, which caused it to fall on her. Luckily, she wasn't hurt at all - just a little scared. Then, not too long after that, their dog stole a cracker out of her hand. He had snuck in when we went to rescue AJU5 from the Little Tikes incident, and stole the cracker very gently. It was just sad for AJU5 to have her cracker stolen! After we got home, she ate a little and was in bed before 6!

Tuesday started off early. She was up before 6! Luckily, after some food, she was ready for a nap before 7. After the nap, we got ready to stop by my work to pick up exams and go to Costco. She made me carry her 95% of the time in Costco - my left arm was killing me by the end. The only rest I got was when she gnawed on a spoon from the apple pie sample (she didn't want the apple pie though for some reason). After Costco, we went home and ate lunch. I then put her to bed for a short rest (she didn't sleep) before we headed to the spray park. This was our first visit there, but she had experienced spraying water both at the zoo and in our backyard (sprinklers) and loved it. We were meeting friends (the ones from Monday as well as another boy and his grandma). She had a variety of reactions to the spray park. At first, she just stood in the water enjoying it spray on her. Then she got very cold and needed to warm up, so we snuggled in the sun. Then she had a snack with her friends and enjoyed being outside. I tried to get her back in the water area, but she wasn't so sure about it. Finally, she was willing to go walk around with her friends (the bigger ones) and rediscovered the spraying-water fun. After another warm-up time/snack time, she was ready for one more excursion into the water before they closed. two hours at the spray park definitely wore her out. She fell asleep in the car on the way home and took about a 2 hour nap (I got about an hour nap even). She stayed up a little later than normal, but I didn't mind.

We don't have big plans for the rest of the week though. We have a few errands to run, but that is about it. Hopefully she won't get bored having to be home in the afternoons :)

Almost done...

It is finals week for us. I have one class done - grades entered into our Banner system even. Now I just need to finish the other course. I have to pick up their finals today, grade them, and finish a few last minute grading pieces (late assignments, etc).

It feels great to be almost done. I have two weeks "off" before summer starts. During those two weeks, I have to total redo one course because we are changing books. Luckily, about half of my stuff I just have to make very minor changes to (like section numbers). But, it will be nice to not have to grade for three weeks!

What are you looking forward to right now?

Work...

Today AJU5 and I went to my work. I had to drop of my laptop for "maintenance." Hopefully ITS won't mess it up too much! I also went ahead and dropped off my next set of exams at the testing center so I didn't have to make another trip next week.

AJU5 loves one of our secretaries! She isn't afraid of anyone in the office other than our dean (who is the only male in the office), but she will go right to E. E picks her up and lets her play with things on her desk. It is so fun just to see her interact with all of the ladies in the office actually. None of them have little ones, so they enjoy watching her grow. Our dean has two little girls (2 and 0), but they aren't as friendly as AJU5 supposedly. So, they take great pleasure in just watching her grow and play.

After hanging out the the ladies for a while, we went and dropped off the exams. I put AJU5 in a chair while I readjusted my purse, and she found that the tray attached to the chair swiveled in and out. She sat there and played with the two she could reach for quite a while. While we were still sitting there, my old boss (she was the dean for a while) walked by. Her and I have had issues (didn't see eye to eye on something AT ALL), but she stopped and said hi and asked how old AJU5 was now. It is kind of weird seeing her though. I was so happy when she moved on to another position so I didn't have to see her, but then I think it might have been better if she had stayed around so we could have dealt with the issue better. But, that is all in the past...

Well, I guess I should go clean the kitchen now. We have piles of papers, etc that need to get sorted and put away. We are trying to get the down stairs looking nice, now that we have it all mostly done (still need some furniture, etc - but the main building pieces are done). But I don't know where to put the papers! My desk is a mess because I end up pushing things to the back to prevent AJU5 from getting them. So, really I need to clean my desk and sort through it, but I told me husband I would work on the kitchen... maybe I will end up bringing a box of papers up?

Shoes and Walks

AJU5 is in love with shoes now! She will walk in mine (until she steps out of them). She will carry them around the house (mine and AJU1's mainly because hers don't have shoe laces - which makes them harder to carry around). She empties the shoe rack as much as possible (sometimes I get lazy and don't put them back). She also knows that shoes go on her feet and she tries to put them on herself. Sometimes she tries to put the second shoe on the foot that already has a shoe though... But, she also loves to take her shoes off and throw them! I guess it is a love/hate relationship! She is like her daddy and likes to have her toes free a lot of the time!

We finally got a walk in today! Monday she napped later than normal, so by the time she woke up from the afternoon nap it was time for dinner. Tuesday and Wednesday we had wind advisories, so I decided a walk would not be fun (walking to the mailbox was fun enough!). Technically we did walk a little on Tuesday though - at work when we went to pick up exams, etc. Today was still a little breezy, but we made it to the library and back. The other issue with walks these days is that AJU5 wants to do the walking. I either have to let her out of the stroller or listen to whining and crying. It makes it hard to get an hour walk in! Hopefully she will outgrow this or at least learn to walk faster :)

A Year Ago...

Today is the Thursday of finals week. Things seem so much different now! I had to enter grades and complete all of our end of term paperwork with AJU5 in tow. I am no longer a full time faculty member, so I don't have an office on campus (which makes keeping AJU5 entertained slightly harder). But, I would definitely say that I love my current life!

At her doctor's appointment on Tuesday, we found out AJU5 weighed 18 lbs 3.5 oz (10th percentile), was 28 inches tall (25th percentile), and had a head circumference of 48 cm (95th percentile). That makes for one very skinny, somewhat short, and very large headed one year old! This might be why she doesn't want to walk - she isn't proportioned correctly (have you every tried to walk with weights attached to your head?).

We have also started sleep training AGAIN. Getting up every 2 hours was killing me, so I started making her go three hours on Monday. Tuesday night she refused the three hours once (screamed for 20 minutes before I gave up), but did the 3 hours every other time on her own. Last night she went down close to 9 (we were at church late, but she was happy because she was playing with the other kids). She woke up a little past midnight. Then she cried a little around 1, but she put herself down before I even considered getting her. I didn't hear her again until almost 7! It was amazing to get that kind of sleep! Now, if only I hadn't had to hear my husband's alarm at 4:45...

Here are a few cute, somewhat recent, pictures. One is of one of her melt downs (for an unknown reason - we were right there!). Then there is her winter sweater, hat, and mittens from her grandma. And finally, there is a picture of spiked hair!

AHHHHHH!!!!!

This is a bout work. Since I know I have at least a few readers who are also college instructors/professors, I thought I would rant here!

I am teaching a course for the first time this semester. I somehow miscalculated points to make them add up to the numbers on the syllabus. So, back before Thanksgiving when one student pointed this out, I told them I would adjust the grades based on percentage by dividing by the possible points and then multiplying by the point values on the syllabus. Sounds simple enough - right? Well, I have had to explain it three times today so far! And it is a math class!

How hard is it to get - add them up, divide by x and multiply by y? They keep telling me my points don't add up to what you posted online. Yeah, that would be right! Why can't they get it?

Okay, now off to get more work done. Rant over...

Vertical!

We are at the office today because I had to meet a student. After meeting with the student, I decided to hang around for about 30 minutes until my office mate was done with class (she hasn't seen AJU5 in a few weeks). So, we went to the main office to hang out the the secretaries, et al. She was crawling around and keeping them entertained when our scheduler came in. He decided to see if she could stand up. So, we put her bottle and a "toy" she was playing with on a box. She considered kneeling (which she has done before), but wasn't sure. So, I helped her to the kneeling position. Then, with just a hand behind to make sure she didn't fall down, she stood up on her own! Her hands were still on the box - but she was standing up! She is also scooting a little bit when standing, so before too long she will be cruising... uh oh!

Happy Baby - I Don't Think So...

Today I was in an 2-3 hour meeting at work. There were only 5 of us there, and the only other female has a 13 month old son. She said AJU5 is so happy and cooperative... I think she is better than some babies, but she does behave better around company I think. She likes the attention - end of story. If she is getting attention, she will be happy and pleasant. If she isn't getting attention - and she wants it - she will be very cranky. There are a few times when she likes to be alone - when she doesn't want me to hold her - but these are at most once a day and last for about 15-30 minutes (when she is in her exersaucer).

Now on to the cranky part - I think she is constipated. Her poo is very thick. I tried apple juice - didn't help much. So today I bought some apple-prune juice (Gerber). Since I have no idea how to make prune juice (I don't like prunes...), I decided buying it would be easier. She has drank about 3 ounces of it, but she has spit some of that up. She has actually spit up more this evening following the juice than ever before. So, tomorrow I think I will skip the morning solids and go back to the once-a-day solids until this issues is resolved. She grunts a lot, and some ties they are followed by cries, so I know it doesn't feel good. Hopefully it will relieve itself in a few days. Then I will give her a week before we try two solids again...