Quarantine Life

Whelp, the novelty has worn off.  Or life with a pre-teen has hit a valley, or peak.  I don't know.  

It turns out, Captain really likes to have a schedule and a plan.  He gets frustrated with writing and not being perfect which hinders him trying.  He prefers staying home.  Even when we've offered him to go get the mail or take a walk, he prefers to stay inside.  There was some chalk painting on the balcony, but that's about it.  Today, we got a little creative with lessons.  Even though it's Spring Break, I still like to keep him busy.  Today, he got to watch some Penguins of Madagascar and then had to write about his favorite part.  In the afternoon, I had him write a letter to his great-grandparents.  

Little Miss has been super great and making cookies for the family by herself or super emotional.  So, 12 is fun.  She gets a little cooped up and does like to get out to run around the block or walk down to get the mail.  She has been allegedly working and keeps in contact with many of her friends.  

All in all, I can't complain.  They've been good.  It's hard to keep them learning and motivated, but I think they (at least Captain) like the interaction and being around us.  

Husband and I have been having Zoom calls with family.  We've started Schitt's Creek.  I've watched Glow Up, Next in Fashion, and Making It but having trouble concentrating on finishing an actual book.  We've also been listening to the Scrubs podcast and doing a rewatch along with it.  So, that's been fun.

So, we're hanging in there as I hope you all are as well.

Captain Update - Week 2

2 full weeks!  No accidents at school or at home.  He has taken to peeing standing up which is a new development.  BUT he has also successfully pooped at home, at school, and while we were out running errands.  This is a big corner and has made for a much happier household.  The household is still full of rampant hormones of the toddler and teenage variety, but this looks to be improving.  

Now we just need to work on his aim... 

Captain Update

We went to the pediatrician last week thinking we were heading into the worst, but it went well.  Captain didn't have one accident last week after a 2-day long journey with daily suppositories.  Then, after a long weekend, he had some bathroom time on Monday with everything working normal.  We continued, so far, this week with no accidents.  He's so happy - and we're so happy.

Long story short, the pediatrician thinks this can be controlled by diet.  I heard many went gluten-free so I was preparing for that, but it turns out, we're doing the opposite and doing as much fiber as possible.  So, it's whole-wheat snacks, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat pizza dough.  We have upped the amount of fruit to his diet, and he's allowed to have juice quite often along with water at school per doctor's orders.  We are continuing to limit dairy and applesauce and bananas which were off his diet for the most part already.  He's been such a trooper and asks if the doctor said it was ok to eat this before every new food.  He's embraced everything we've thrown at him, and we haven't had to eliminate treats yet (like cookies, cake, etc.)  Because he's avoiding the white flour, I was afraid it would be drastic, but we're good if it's offset enough.  I know one week isn't much, but you have to start somewhere.  Next test will be vacation, but summer vacations always have so much fruit that it's not so bad.  Fingers crossed!

Daily Life

Captain was born with an imperforate anus.  He was lucky that it wasn't very severe and, with surgery at around 6 months, he had all working parts.  However, he is easily constipated and any change in diet really affects his body.  As a baby, he didn't have banana, applesauce, and had restricted dairy which are all foods babies eat first.  Keeping weight on him was always a challenge.  Starting last year, we started giving him fiber vitamins and probiotics as well as a weekly stool softener - except you don't want to over-correct either.  It's a delicate balance.

As a slow potty trainer, it was difficult to see how his condition would affect him long-term.  We know that the constipation is a daily, constant issue, but the bowel management/control is relatively new.  He's been trying, but we don't know what else to do.  There's either an accident or a little poop on his underpants at least 5 out of 7 days of the week.  The school seems to be impatient with it which I completely understand, but he also can't help it.  We see the doctor to see what else we can do this week.  

I've done some research online, but there are so many with such severe conditions and challenges, but I'm hopeful we can control this by diet and possibly medicine.  The next stages are much more physically taxing (daily enemas or X-rays or suppositories).  He already receives frequent suppositories which he hates.  As a picky eater, it makes diet tricky, but I think we would be able to adapt to any conditions we need to add.  So, here's hoping we get to the bottom of things.  See what I did there?  

January 2020

January was a fun month.  In the beginning of the month, we celebrated a belated holiday with the In-Laws.  We had dinner out and then went back to our apartment for dessert and presents.  I can't even handle the cuteness of all the kids together.

The very next day, Captain and I took the Metro to The Kennedy Center to see the play Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus.  He used to be scared of the Metro and is no longer!  Because I'm an idiot, I bought 4 tickets to the play because I can't work the Internet.  So, I gave two of the tickets to Sister-in-Law and Nephew.  We met in between the two performances for lunch.  After lunch, Captain and I did the fun virtual tour of The Kennedy Center with Pigeon on the app.  The wifi was a little spotty so we didn't complete it, but we did get a pin and had a lot of fun.

The next weekend, Husband was out of town on an annual trip.  So, the kids and I did some cooking and baking and had a movie night (101 Dalmations, the original animated film).  We did dinner out with the In-Laws.  It was a lot of fun.

The next weekend, Little Miss had a Latin party which is a total thing.  She won second place in a costume contest.  I went to a Housewarming party and a couple of happy hours.  Overall, it was a pretty relaxing long weekend.  Our Sunday Family Movie was Star Wars (A New Hope).  I did not fall asleep once through this viewing, too.

The last weekend, the kids and I went back to The Kennedy Center for Lunar New Year (China).  I think I'm going to have to skip Korea this weekend.  I just need to do some things at home.  The lanterns were beautiful, and the kids had a blast with crafts and costumes.  We also completed the Virtual Tour and got certificates of completion!  And then everybody melted down, and we came home.  

Food front:  I bought myself an Air Fryer for Christmas so we used that quite a bit.  In January, we air fried everything from veggies (butternut squash and broccoli and brussels sprouts) to pot stickers, chicken tenders and onion rings.  The kids and I made chocolate donuts in the oven, homemade baked mac and cheese, parmesan chicken tenders, chicken romano and lemon pasta, broccoli cheese soup, champagne cupcakes with champagne buttercream, the yummiest vanilla cake, and circus cupcakes.  There were also brownies and sugar cookies.  You can find our updates and recipes here on our Cooking/Baking Instagram page, @A4MinimalEffort.

Trouble

Separately, Little Miss has been having conversations with Husband and me.  Husband asked if she would like see the New York Rangers again.  She said yes.  He said maybe next time they can bring Captain and me to the game.  She said that it sounded like fun except I may be home with the baby.  

Two days later, we were playing a word game but used names.  (A is for April, B is for Bob, C is for Cortney...)  We got to T and she named her future brother.  For those interesting, his name will be Turtle.  No lie.  It is funny that this imaginary third baby is a boy when she so much wanted a sister last time.

I told her no more babies.  She told me she knew plenty of people who had three (or more) kids.  I told her that's fine, but we are not.  She countered with "you don't know that."  

I have no idea where this is coming from.  In the meantime, I don't know where she thinks this imaginary baby will sleep.  

The Terrible Twos

This will be the first of many Terrible Two posts, I'm sure. Captain has embraced the Terrible Twos like you wouldn't believe. He isn't an epic tantrum thrower, but he will fall to the floor and cry at the drop of a hat. He has a bit of a temper. He's branching out to hitting (more like swatting). We're trying to combat the bratty behavior in addition to teaching him manners. It's a work in progress. Below is video of what happened when we asked him to say "Please". (He has since said "Please" and "Thank you", but it's definitely far from automatic.)

I asked him to say please. #inappropriateresponse #whymytoddleriscrying

A video posted by @princessapr on Mar 16, 2016 at 4:19pm PDT

Kid Update

I promise to be better at updating!  Truthfully, it's more for me.  I use this blog a lot to see what we did the year before.

Let's see, I'll update with Little Miss.  Below is the photo I took of the three of us while watching the Oscars.  Little Miss is doing great in school.  We just came from her parent/teacher conference.  She is being taught to her level which is well into the third grade.  Her teachers love her.  She's motivated, applying her lessons across the board, listens well, and is very social.  She doesn't get caught up in classroom drama and loves to help other children learn.

Little Miss may not be a future hockey player, but she is loving the fact that she gets to play this year and wear pads.  She's motivated enough to get up at 6AM.  She's been doing well with her swimming, and I believe she'll be swimming by this summer.  Plus, this is the most we've used our indoor pool since we've moved her a zillion years ago.

@theellenshow has nothing on our #Oscar selfie #academyawards (@Rob_Sawicki)

A photo posted by @princessapr on Feb 28, 2016 at 5:31pm PST

Captain is coming into his own.  He adds new words to his vocabulary everyday (finally).  He could still be a little clearer when he talks, but he's getting there.  He loves singing and dancing.  He has gotten way into Frozen and Little Einsteins and, as we found out last night, Bubble Guppies.  He can climb up a step stool - but can't climb down.  He is not a great sleeper, but he will.  I think his rough phase is over at least.  

He still has some issues with constipation, but we are careful with his diet.  Plus, if needed, he gets a laxative with his juice.  Otherwise, he's a great eater and has gotten really good at using utensils and feeding himself.  He loves playing with big kids because he really only has big kids around him.  He plays with the big nephew and some of Little Miss's friends.  He spends most of his time trying to use the computer or our phones or a tablet.  He's obsessed with electronics (only because he's not allowed to touch them), but he also loves Brown Bear, Brown Bear and cars and trains and music.  

Blowing kisses to you!

A video posted by @princessapr on Mar 2, 2016 at 3:32pm PST

Christmas Pictures

So, they went about as well as can be expected.  

Christmas

So, it turns out, Captain doesn't need toys for Christmas. He loves to sit in the bathroom and play with a box of tampons. So, for $20, I can keep him entertained for a year. He takes them out, puts them back in, puts the box back on the shelf, passes them out to the family. Stocking stuffers!

Happy Halloween!

For Halloween, my office building had a pumpkin carving contest.  At the last minute (like 10PM the night before), I decided to enter.  They provided the pumpkin and carving kit which was super nice.  This is actually my second attempt as my first was a gigantic failure.  I drew the sketch freehand based on a photo on Google and then used that sketch as a stencil.  Then, Husband couldn't tell what it was so I highlighted the sweater and dog ears in black marker.  Just for kicks, I painted it all.  The next morning, I added the zig zag.  Transferring to work was the most difficult part.  The pumpkin was still wet and fragile.  So, I held it in my hands and got a little yellow all over everything.  It's kid paint so it's all water soluble and will come out, but it was still messy.

 Anyway, it was all worth it!  I came in third.  I came in after a patriotic, Washington DC pumpkin and Bernie Sanders.  Despite your politics, Bernie was carved beautifully.  I would have voted for that for first.  I was happy with third.  For my big win, I got a trophy which is kind of awesome and Wizards/Magic basketball tickets for next weekend with parking pass.  I'm less excited about that, but we may actually go because why not?

JUDY BLUME!

So, yesterday, my awesome county library hosted a conversation with Judy Blume. Judy Blume came to town earlier this year, but I couldn't make it because I was out of town. So, I was pleased as punch to see she was coming back AND coming back for free a couple blocks from my house.

We're not worthy! #judyblume

A photo posted by @princessapr on Oct 22, 2015 at 5:16pm PDT

Earlier in the day, I tweeted to my local library that I was overcoming crowd anxiety to go because I hate crowds and going into the unknown especially by myself. Then, Judy Blume herself chimed in and said, if I had difficulties, to see one of the staff to be seated up front. I actually sat in row 4 so all was well, but you know, Judy Blume contacted me (SQUEE!!!)

She's as fascinated with me as I am with her. (So I tell myself.) @judyblume

A photo posted by @princessapr on Oct 22, 2015 at 6:11pm PDT

The evening was great. She was so funny and down-to-earth. She was just delightful and everything you hoped she would be. She seemed to relate to everyone in the audience from the children to the grandparents there. As with her books, she treated everyone with respect and as equals.

It wasn't a dream.

A photo posted by @princessapr on Oct 23, 2015 at 4:31am PDT

When I got to meet her, the staff kept things moving even down to the picture-taking. The man taking pictures probably took about 15 which was very nice. The official line was that she wasn't signing older books or more than one book, but she did. Maybe the rule changed as the night went on, but I got two copies signed. It was memorable, right up there with the time I heard Walter Cronkite speak - because I had weird idols as a kid. My next obsession is going to see Tom Brokaw in December, and then I could probably die a happy girl.

Conversations with an almost-8-year-old

Backstory - K was in Little Miss's class in kindergarten and is in her second grade class as well. They were going to get married in kindergarten if she didn't marry this other boy. 

Little Miss: You know, K, right? Me: Aren't you going to marry him? Little Miss: Ugh, no. Hashtag fail. 

 Seriously. The girl just said "hashtag". Where does she come up with this stuff? I don't even know if she knows what it means, but she's always been good at figuring out correct context even if she didn't know the meaning of words. She's done that since she was learning to talk. She keeps us on our toes - and growing up too quickly.

First Day of School

I don't think I posted this!  Little Miss started the second grade.  She wanted to be a chef this year when asked.  She was nervous that she wouldn't know anyone this year, but that only lasted a short time.  Her good friend from first grade is in her classroom again.  Plus, it turned out she knows many of the kids - one of which is even at her bus stop.

She has two second grade teachers who switch depending on the day, but the kids seem to be ok with this.  The teachers both seem great.  they had nothing but awesome things to say about Little Miss at the conference.  

Little Miss is already at the upper end of her grade requirements if not testing above her grade level.  She's outstanding in reading and spelling, but she is pretty solid in math as well.  She loves Spanish and art.  

There was some drama with her friends, but it seems to be typical girl drama.  It seems to be over (for now).  It's just a little introduction to mean girls.  Little Miss knows how some people are just not for her.  She will separate herself from the drama if it becomes too much or find other friends to play with, but in this case, it was a little complicated.  Either way, it has resolved itself - as most playground things do at this age.  

I know she'll love second grade, and I love watching her grow - even if it means I'm not her favorite parent (which is what she told me last week).

Fingerpainting

Needless to say, fingerpainting was not a success.

So, #captain doesn't like fingerpainting and thinks I'm the worst thing ever. (@Rob_Sawicki)

A photo posted by @princessapr on Oct 11, 2015 at 3:41pm PDT

More Comparisons...

This is a picture of Little Miss sat 14 months and Captain at 16 months (almost 17 months). They're wearing the same outfit - which is a hand me down from Nephew. She is so much bigger than he is which is weird because he does nothing but eat but just don't put on the weight that corresponds with the quantity of food that he ingests. He's growing so there's no need to be concerned, but he's just a little guy. This will probably be the last of the matching clothes. He'll have more hand me downs from Nephew, but Little Miss didn't wear much of them after 2 or so.

Same outfit - 14 mo & 17 mo. (@Rob_Sawicki)

A photo posted by @princessapr on Sep 23, 2015 at 4:31pm PDT

You Can't Handle the Cute!

Seriously, how cute is this? I'm going to dress them to coordinate as long as possible. Just wait until Christmas. Somehow these two have two sets of matching pjs.

Positively adorable (@Rob_Sawicki)

A photo posted by @princessapr on Sep 23, 2015 at 4:59pm PDT

TEETH!

Captain has 8 teeth.  He got them all at once when he originally cut them.  It was rough on him.  Because he got so many at once, it's been awhile since he cut anymore.  I've noticed he's been fussier than usual and, this morning, he was chewing on his fingers.  So, I stuck my hands in there.  He is growing 2 on the bottom right and one giant one on the bottom left.  Plus, he's growing 3-4 on the top.  It was hard to tell because, by then, he wasn't happy with my fingers in his mouth and was biting down pretty hard.  Poor little guy!  

Papal Visit

So, the pope came to Washington DC today. Most of the city stayed home. Metro was a mess, but it always is. This was actually unrelated to the pope but to a blown transformer. Traffic and Metro traffic were lighter than usual allegedly. Regardless, because my office window overlooks one of the pope's scheduled stops, I wanted to try to make it in. I'm glad I did! You can see more photos on my Instagram.

Hi! #popefrancis #popeindc #popewatch

A photo posted by @princessapr on Sep 23, 2015 at 8:49am PDT

Pope! #popefrancis #popeindc #popefrancis

A video posted by @princessapr on Sep 23, 2015 at 8:55am PDT

And so it begins...

Little Miss has always had questions about, well, everything.  So, following up baby talk with periods seemed natural.  Luckily, she hasn't bridged the gap between the cycle and birth and asked about that yet.  She is totally disgusted by the entire menstruation process.  She is also really angry that it seems that girls have to deal with this and boys do not.  I'm hoping that she forgets about it for awhile.  Otherwise, she'll waste these next few years being an angry emotional stress ball.  If I have to deal with all those emotions, there better be hormones attached to them and not just because the world is unjust.  She should start to work fighting gender inequality some other way.  I don't think she'll win a battle over Mother Nature.