Family news/Updates – Page 24 – Our Family Adventure

Little Heroes

I’m not quite sure where Ajax has picked up the concept of the super hero. At home he doesn’t watch Batman or Superman, we’re primarily a Thomas the Train or Bob the Builder home. Maybe he sees it at the sitters? I’m not sure, but his Super Ajax routine has certainly expanded over the last few nights. Now it involves daring rescues, tunnels, and helping with all sorts of things around the house.

On a general update note, Ajax is doing well. He is not congested or stuffy, but I’m still not sure if that is due to the lack of dairy. lol. I guess I’m not sure what this experiment on my child has proven yet. He can say almost the entire alphabet though he doesn’t like us to sing it. He’s eating very well and is possibly in a growth spurt. I couldn’t drag him away from the guacamole tonight and he inhaled his spaghetti yesterday. He’s still doing excellent with the potty.

We are having a time though with some bad language. He started calling people – filthy murderers – for some reason and we could not figure out where he heard it. The sitter finally said, it’s from Toy Story! Go figure. We’re primarily doing time outs and if he gets really rambunctious we’ve been taking favorite tractors away. We’ll keep working on it, but based on his language he doesn’t understand the words he’s using, he just has a sense that they get a rise out of the adults, so we’re trying very hard not to get too frustrated. It is difficult though, especially when Ajax asks, well Dad, can i say foooot? Well Dad, is fooot a bad word? Darn kid.

Super Ajax

This weekend was both relaxing, productive, and child-free. My parent’s took Ajax for the weekend, picking him up from the babysitters around noon on Friday. I hear my dad treated Ajax to a happy meal and an excellent hour of playtime at McDonalds. My parents said that Ajax did wonderful the whole weekend. They played outside in the barn, rounded up the animals, and generally had a very good time. Ajax insisted on having one of the dogs sleep with him, so around 11 or so my dad would sneak in and take the dog out, so that the dog didn’t inadvertently wake Ajax up. In the morning, however, Ajax would wake up and yell for the dog – how did you escape?

During our child-free weekend Dave and I worked very hard to wrap up the last few constructions projects around the house – some masonary work on the basement stairs, staining, and touch up paint/caulk. Saturday night we were both beat. Today we met my parents over my grandpa Nader’s house to pick up Ajax and then headed home. I got a ton of cooking done this afternoon – yogurt, waffles, falafel, sweet potato and carrot soup, and granola bars. Ajax of course helped and is getting much better about lending a hand… though for most of our cooking he was the self appointed taste tester.

After dinner and bathtime, Ajax was pretty wired. I believe he was simply way overtired. Well, he took to running all over the house in his hooded towel calling – Super Ajax! (he’s really into super heroes lately) He put the couch pillows on the floor and lept over them. He then would run and grab my legs/Dave’s legs and say – I rescued you! I will rescue everyone! He ran around for about a half hour before I wrestled him into his PJs.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mv4-NOheudY?rel=0&w=420&h=315]

Weekend adventures

This weekend went by way to fast.

On Saturday we finally got some snow, about 1-2 inches, not much, but it was at least enough for Dave and Ajax to play outside and for Dave to bust out the new snow blower. Ajax had a ton of fun playing outside, but because it was so cold he wasn’t out for very long. I stayed indoors as I am just getting over a cold and watched from the kitchen window while I cooked. When the guys came in I made us hot chocolate with marshmallows. Dave admitted that we should have bought a snow blower years ago.

Sunday was a bit of a jumble. Ajax and I went visiting over my grandpa Nader’s house to give Dave some time to work in the morning. While we drive, Ajax loves to know what road we’re on, what road were passing, and what city we’re in. It’s so interesting because he can recall where certain people live and on what street they live on. Ajax had lots of fun with his great-uncles and kept dragging them all over the house to play with him. At 12:30 pm I dropped Ajax back home for a nap and my mom and I went to a baby shower. After the shower, I went grocery shopping and then home to do some more cooking. I misjudged how long it would take me to shop and prep dinner to the point where I realized we wouldn’t eat till 7. That meant Dave and Ajax ran to grab burgers and fries for dinner, lol. Oh well, at least we ate at a reasonable time and I have dinner ready for tomorrow night.

The baby needs cool ranch Doritos

While I was grocery shopping this past weekend I splurged on a bag of cool ranch Doritos. I didn’t have a coupon, I didn’t look at the price, I just didn’t care. I needed them. I generally don’t keep many snacky items in the house because – 1. I’m cheap and 2. we just don’t need that junk around. But I felt that the baby really really needed those Doritos. Dave has attempted to eat a few and I have angrily demanded he put down the bag and back away. Ajax doesn’t even realize its in the house, which is good because that boy loves chips. I have also been craving tuna fish, but I don’t have to worry that anyone else in my home would even dream of touching that. On a side note, I’m 13 weeks along and just had my second doctor’s appointment yesterday. I listened to the baby’s heartbeat and all appears ok.

I feel it is now safe to say that Ajax is potty trained and I am simply amazed. We got him a step stool and seat that goes on the big toilet and he feels pretty confident using them. I think as a little boy he views pooing in the potty as a competition and brags constantly regarding how much/often he goes. He is also doing well off the dairy, though I haven’t noticed any major changes. He seems congested, but again, we’re all sick over here, so that’s not a good indicator. He hasn’t been pulling on his ear, so at least I know he doesn’t have an infection. I think after 30 days, I’ll introduce milk back into his diet and see if I notice any changes. I should point out, that as an attorney one of my top annoyances are people who google various legal questions and then spout off incorrect jargon that they picked up. Dave has pointed this out to me and that he is SURE doctors hate these same type of people who think they know more because webMD told them so. lol. The irony here is not lost on me.

Ajax asked me to take his picture while in the bath tonight-

Home

We got home last night from a long weekend up north.

Dave picked up his sister, Theresa, from the metro-airport on Thursday night (her flight having been sidetracked due to a storm that blew in) and we all headed up north together on Friday morning. Ajax did very well on the drive up and was quite happy to listen to the Beach Boys and Ramones. Our drive was a bit slow as the roads were very slick and icy. We got up north around 1 or so and then attended the viewing for Dave’s grandma. The viewing went until 9 pm, so I ended up taking Ajax home and putting him to bed around 7 pm. Dave’s parent’s home is kind of in the middle of nowhere and they have real bears up there. Needless to say I turned on every light in the house and kept all the dogs (three) in the house with me till everyone got home around 9:30, lol.

The funeral was on Saturday, with a luncheon afterwards. Although the occasion was obviously a sad one, it was nice for Ajax to see and spend time with his cousins (there are six great grandchildren-four are older than him- ranging from 7-4, with one younger than him – almost a year). The kids ran and played and wrestled constantly. Due to our hectic schedule, the only nap Ajax got was when he happened to fall asleep in the car. He was beat and slept for 12 hours straight last night. Overall, he did wonderful.

DSCN9452 — Sorry this picture is so dark, but I was trying to get a pic of everyone together.

Making donuts with Aunt Lisa, Aunt Theresa, and cousin Travis.

DSCN9460 — Playing with his cousin Jason.

Ajax loved this blackboard and was happy playing with it for a very long time.

Updates

Some more bad news. Dave’s grandmother passed away yesterday. She was 84 years old and a lovely woman who will be missed. This means that we are heading up north tomorrow for the funeral which will be held on Saturday. I think we’ll be coming home on Sunday. I hope the weather holds as we’re supposed to be hit with a snow storm tonight.

I also had my first trimester screen done today, which includes a blood draw and ultrasound and reports the chance of a genetic abnormality. We aren’t terribly concerned that about any risk, but it’s a non-invasive test and the ultrasound was cool. The tech confirmed that there was only one baby in there and that it appeared to have all it’s parts. So, that’s good.

Six Years

This morning when I was on my way to work my mother-in-law sent me a text saying, Happy Anniversary! (thank you Dara!). I took one look at it and said, nuts. I had forgotten my wedding anniversary. I immediately called Dave and it went straight to voice mail… that meant he was trying to call me at the same time. I hung up, redialed, and we connected. Happy Anniversary we both said. We then both admitted that our only reminder of our anniversary was Dara’s text! Six Years now and counting!

Ajax had another successful day of using the potty… except, he still won’t poop in it. We played Angry Birds for about 15 minutes while he sat there, lol. I have been doing some google searches and they all seem to confirm that this is completely normal, so I guess I’ll relax about the whole thing.

As one of Ajax’s rewards for using the potty Dave put together one of his Christmas presents- a Lego garbage truck- from his Aunt Theresa. He’s a little young for it, but loves it. He’s been driving it all around his bedroom lately.

Hello 2012!

I wish I could say that our week off has been relaxing and easy-going, but that would not be entirely accurate. Of course, I have truly enjoyed the time with my family and being at home, but I wonder, as a parent, how my child can both amaze and humor me while at the same time push every button in my anger index. My emotional highs/lows are mostly attributed to the fact that I’m slowly making my way through the first trimester (due date July 22) and am sick about 24 hours a day. My anti-nausea medicine only seems to take the edge off, but at least I’m not throwing up constantly.

Yesterday Dave and I took Ajax into the doctors office where he of course – of course – has fluid in his right ear. This was not his ear specialist as it was Saturday and New Year’s Eve, so it looks like I’ll be calling the specialist on Monday to see what’s going on. The fluid in his ear has been bothering him terribly and he has not been sleeping well, nor has he been the best mood. My poor little guy. Of course it’s the holiday season and he has an ear problem. He is also developing a cough, so it seems a small cold is now following.

Our New Year’s was spent at home with Ajax in bed by 7 pm with some children’s advil. He slept for a solid 12 hours. He so needed it. Dave and I ended up watching a movie and falling asleep by 10 pm, lol, we were both exhausted and we so needed the sleep.

Potty training is somewhere between a rock and a hard place and I’m not too sure where that leaves us. Ajax has been doing much better this time around than last. He is still having accidents, but now he seems to realize he’s peeing and can usually stop himself to go sit on the potty. Dave and I are still asking him constantly if he has to pee, which I’m sure is annoying him. Because we realized how sick and tired he was Dave and I decided to prematurely end potty training yesterday and put him in a diaper (during a small meltdown), but this morning Ajax told me he had to use the potty (even though he had a diaper on) and in a parent-panic moment I thought – OH NO, we’re confusing him! I put him on the potty and Ajax specifically said he didn’t want to wear diapers, or pull-ups and wanted his underwear… sigh. We made one trip to Target (in underwear) where he actually used the restroom and he made it through a nap with no accidents. All said and done, I have no idea where that leaves us, but we are home tomorrow and we’ll see how it goes.

DSCN9434 — Ajax at 7 am playing with his tractors.

Lazy Day

Today was a mighty lazy day. Dave and I are enjoying our week off and Ajax seems to be having a good time hanging with mom and dad. Though he does seem to be incredibly tired and just can’t catch up on his sleep.

Yesterday we went to Ikea where Ajax was not as cooperative as we would have liked. But we all managed to come out in one piece with the items we had intended on purchasing. We bought a new TV stand and a closet for upstairs, which now officially makes it a bedroom.

Today the guys hung around the house and I ventured out to Target for diapers and bought Ajax a new toy box for his room. I also scanned the after Christmas sales, but didn’t see anything worth my time or money.

When I got home we had a massive – putting things together – party and Ajax thought all the boxes and Styrofoam were wonderful. He loved his new toy box and kept putting all his tractors into it. I then went through his room while he was watching Cars and tried to clear a few things out.

Because we were feeling so lazy Dave ordered pizza for dinner and then we all had a picnic dinner on the living room floor while watching Cars. Good times.

After dinner Ajax asked to watch Zelda (yes the video game, which Dave has for the Wii). Ajax loves watching Zelda for some odd reason. Him and Dave really get into it. While I was in the kitchen Ajax called over to me, “You can’t play Zelda mom because you’re a woman. Only guys can play Zelda.” I glared at Dave, who insisted he never said such a thing. The truth is, I can’t play Zelda and now the whole family seems to know it.

DSCN9426 — Excited about his new toy box.

DSCN9424 — I tried to de-clutter little man's room, but it still has a lot of stuff.

Updates

Goodness where to begin.

Last Thursday my grandpa Valentine passed away. He was 90 years old and passed away peacefully in his sleep. My sister flew in from Alaska and family came in from Washington for the funeral which was on Sunday. Ajax spent a few hours at the funeral service, but didn’t understand why “that man was sleeping.” Ajax has actually been to a few funerals and this was the only one where he even noticed the casket. We didn’t elaborate, but simply said he was resting and Ajax was ok with that explanation. The rest of the time he was happy to explore the funeral home and get attention from all the adults.

As my grandpa was a veteran he was buried at a national cemetery in Holly, Michigan, on Monday, which is just over an hour from us. The service was at 2:30 pm and there were about 20 family members and close friends in attendance. Ajax did fairly well through the service and stood in silence/shock when they fired the rifles. Afterwards was a luncheon and honestly for what we asked of him, Ajax did quite well. We then hustled my cousin, Andre, to the airport and made it home for a late bath and bed.

We also squeezed in a work Christmas party on Saturday in Lansing, which Ajax loved. The entire party was actually planned around him (as I am the only person in the department with a nino). The party was at 2:30 on a Saturday. Ajax had a blast and ate nothing but M&Ms for dinner (thanks to some very helpful coworkers).

Tuesday I ended up staying home with Ajax as our babysitter called us at 6:15 am to say she had the stomach flu. Although I did not enjoy missing work, I wasn’t feeling well and had a terrible headache. So overall, I guess it was fate that I stay home. Ajax also needed the down time and although we did get dressed around 1 pm, we never left the house.