No pressure January 28, 2009

I have this huge post written — in my head. It will not be posted today. But, I did just come across this great article on Slate, telling you something you totally already knew. That your behavior influences and teaches your kids how to behave, much more than just telling them what they should and shouldn’t do. But it’s worth pointing out — especially for me, and especially now that Darwin is starting to really see thing and process them. Time to start at least realizing when I curse out other drivers, or drop an F-bomb. Sigh.

LATER — you know, maybe this modeling thing starts out earlier than I ever thought.  My mom (who was in town to take care of Darwin because he has yet another ear infection and bronchiolitis and is on antibiotics and one of his ear tubes came out and we have to have surgery again, but that’s a post for another time) and I went to visit Julie and her kids, and it was really interesting to see the difference.  Now, keep in mind that Julie is a “doer.”  If there’s a couch she wants, she buys it, and if they don’t have it in stock, she picks another one.  There’s no hemming and hawing about whether this couch’s armrest is too high to take a proper nap, or whether that other couch over there has a better curve on the front of it.  She sees a couch, she likes it, and she DOES something about it.  Her kids, also, “do.”  They learn sign language.  They draw.  They know what a sheep says.  Darwin, on the other hand, seems to just sit back and observe — even with a 3-year-old racing around the living room pretending to be a ferocious bear, and another 15-month-old squealing and running back and forth, Darwin just looks around at everything and takes it all in.  He doesn’t seem to get scared, but he also doesn’t seem to rush in to participate.  It seems as though he may be, well, thinking too much about things to DO anything.  I have no idea where he gets it.

Progress! January 24, 2009

We are one step closer to actually getting a permit! Given it is the first step, but the journey of thousand miles, etc etc. We finally found the correct letter to send to our neighbors and the alderman, and sent it on Jan 2. We sent them certified mail, so that they would sign the little green card thingies and send them to the architect, who would then take them to the zoning board. After a few weeks and several calls to post offices (the PO lost the alderman’s letter), all the green card thingies are accounted for and turned into the zoning board. NOW we just have to wait 15 days (15 business days, of course) to give them time to file a protest, and THEN we will hopefully get the stamp of approval. THEN we can turn in all our paperwork for the permit. THEN we can wait to get that, and THEN we can start tearing it up. If only Chicago politicians and zoning boards would just take bribes to speed things along. But you know how un-corrupt they are….

Firsts! January 13, 2009

We have had a few firsts recently. Not all of them particularly good, actually, but firsts nonetheless.

Darwin is climbing a lot more. He has learned, after many attempts, to climb onto the couch by himself. He gets super excited when he gets up there, and giggles and stands up and stomps his feet, etc. The problem is that he does not know how to get DOWN by himself. Usually, we’re right next to him anyway, being crazed paranoid parents and thinking that he’ll concuss himself from a 1.5 foot fall. So, when we’re there, Darwin usually just launches himself off the couch onto us, usually knocking us over. The climbing up does create a problem, however,  when one wants to, say, urinate. That kind of thing happens in another room, and the whole time I’m peeing I have visions of Darwin launching himself off the couch into the coffee table or something, and if I’ve had an especially lot to drink and excrete, I have time to plan out my route — from the bathroom, I get the phone (just in case), then I can staunch the bleeding and call 911 at the same time. All moms do this, right?? It’s not just me??

Darwin also has like 18 teeth or something. That’s weird, right? It seems like a lot, compared to the other kids around. He has no real words yet, but a jillion teeth. Maybe his teeth are getting in the way of his speaking, because they just pop up so suddenly. Yeah. That’s the ticket.

In addition, I have a personal first, or at least first in a while. I was wondering why I was so grumpy lately, and crying about stupid things (like when the 10000 Maniacs song “These Are Days” came on, and I cried because we all used to be so happy and carefree in college. I didn’t even LIKE that song in college. Sheesh.), or why my face was so broken out, why I feel so fat — I know you’re catching on already, but I sure didn’t. It has been 2 years since Aunt Flo came to visit, and I can’t say as I’ve missed her all that much. But now I am back in the land of the ovulating. Lucky me. Guess it’s a good thing I got real birth control at the last doctor’s appointment.

And, again about me, I am finally doing something that does NOT make me feel old. I am addicted to Twitter. I have no idea what I’m doing, but I have asked a pro football player about the OSU game, found out what Lance Armstrong’s last ride was like, and also just learned that a truck carrying 43,000 pounds of cheese overturned. I have a problem. At least it is a problem that can be contained in the 2 hours I am awake after I get home and put Darwin to bed.

I grow old, I grow old… January 2, 2009

It’s a brand new year. And looking back, I realize I am old. The top 5 reasons (in really no particular order) listed below:
5. I find myself before photos saying “Oh, who cares if my hair isn’t brushed” because no one will be looking at ME in the picture anyway, and it’s too much trouble to try and find any hygiene products like a comb, lipstick or clothing without drool.
4. This new year’s eve, I watched the Chicago countdown. Sober.
3. During said countdown, I saw the video of people at the Metro, and was glad I wasn’t there, because it looked too hot, too loud and like there was no place to sit down.
2. I have said, on several occasions, “No thanks. You guys go ahead to the movies. I’d rather just read my book and go to bed early.”
1. I was very excited about a Christmas gift of an electric toothbrush.

Not to mention that I spent more money in 2008 on babyproofing supplies than on beer, I think.

Renovation update — plans approved! We just need receipts to come back from the neighbors and alderman saying they got the letter letting them know that we’re renovating out house, and we can actually knock down some walls!