Right before I turn 39/Aquarium with Robert
11:10pm
Ahhh… my home! I am looking around my home, and I’m feeling "safe and secure" (a term from work). I am so lucky to have my family and my home. I step out onto the back balcony, which is pretty cleared of stuff. (cuz the baby finds ways to make everything dangerous!) Even the chairs are put up (for my fear is that the baby will climb the chair and then climb over the balcony railing- which would lead to a very bad fall – sudden death!!) I thank Hashem that I am free and fortunate. I give my praises and then I come back inside. The kitchen is dimly lit cuz one of the lights is on a dimmer, and when it’s late, I take advantage of the dimmer! The floor is clean(ish). The counter is pretty clear. I have strategically placed the baby’s toys along the perimeter of the living room so it looks decent and fun. I have just recently turned off a dvd of the Twilight Zone series in which I’ve just watched a BUNCH of episodes.
Now I’m in the office. Roy has moved all his stuff out of here (minus his AFX collection which is still taking up the closet space.) We even got rid of the cabinet that held my beads. Since the bottom cabinet door was off its hinges, Robert learned how to open it up and find my beads. He SAYS "bead" and LOVES beads and if he can get one in his grubby little hente then he marches around with it and smiles smugly. He says bead over and over and will attempt to psych me out with putting the bead up to his teeth, but not really in his mouth. (cuz I keep freaking out saying NOT IN THE MOUTH) But then I caught him! He got out of my view in the living room and sure as sh*t he had that bead in his mouth like a candy!! I had to take it away!! Oh, how he cried and cried!! It was actually a fake pearl that was larger than average and once I showed him how to put the bead in this one shell I have. It disappears parially in the cener of the shell. It looks so cool in there. So of course he LOVES it and will go all out to get a hold of it, if he knows it’s there. One of my biggest fears is that the baby will choke on a bead – G-d forbid!!
Ok, but back to the office. And how it’s all my stuff now. And Robert’s bed. I’m thinking that maybe we could put his dresser in here. That would make perfect sense. It can go where my desk used to sit. Hmmm…. maybe tomorrow I’ll do it!! Then I could actually put up the jellyfish water light my parents got us for Chanukah. I had nowhere to put it, but that would be cool. He could watch it when he’s in bed going to sleep. Ah, that reminds me…
My mom told me it’s time to wean the baby. Whenever we Skype with her, or have a visit with her, Robert will inexplicably will demand the breast right in front of her. And I can see it makes her uncomfortable which in turn has me feeling uncomfortable!! Lovely, lovely!! I think I’ll wean him when it’s right for Robert. My mom said I was potty trained by 20 months. Sheesh. Robert’s nohere NEAR potty trained. He doesn’t WANT to get on the potty. He pretty much wants off as soon as he gets on. I really need to just make it a habit to put him on it daily. I guess. He has a potty seat that is supposed to play music when you pee in it. He flips it upside down and presses the cheater button to get the music. Then he happily dances in place till the music stops and he presses it again!! He’s never peed in it to get it to play. Maybe I’m keeping him immature by breastfeeding and not potty training!! ARGH!! It all happens so fast. I’m just letting him be a baby a bit longer, I guess.
Oh, and Robert. I wish I had time to journal all he does. All we do! We went to the Birch Aquarium with him for the first time on Saturday!! It was SO NICE!! Roy drove my car, and we went to La Jolla! What a NICE and LOVELY area that is, might I add!! each home is different and beautiful! Rustic homes and then homes with huge sheets of glass for walls – all overlooking the magnificent ocean!! Robert got to see some clownfish (Nemo) and then we hit the shark tank! He got CLOSE to sharks and a big sting ray!! He was trippin out!! His little pointer finger was moving all over the place and he was wanting to tell the other kids around him what was happening!! Then we saw the Seahorses and all the tropical fish. He found a couple of Dorys from Finding Nemo (can’t remember the name of the fish) and just some trippy underwater life the likes of which I’d NEVER seen!! Robert had a wonderful time and then on the way out we passed UNDER some very large sharks that were hanging from wires from the ceiling. (not real) There was a Jaw bone, tho, that may have been real… Anyway, Robert couldn’t get enough of those. He kept saying, "Touch!" cuz he wanted to touch them!! I tried to explain that we couldn’t reach, but we tried anyway!! There were also some very large whales upon the entrance to the aquarium. We took pictures by them! It was a very nice day. Then we returned to the car. In the parking lot they actually have a cop car parked way on the other end (where we were parked). At first glance you’d think there was someone actually in there patrolling the area. But when it was in the same spot as when we left when we returned, we got the idea that it wasn’t manned! And we were right!! So we took advantage of the safe zone that the cop car provided and had some snacks and kicked it in the car admiring the view for a while before we split.
Then we went to the La Jolla Cove. Roy was taking us for a fantastic drive along the beach in the midst of all the lovely homes, and then, by the grace of G-d, we find a spot to park – the very last spot – on this stretch of beach in the cove!! So we parked and hiked around a bit above the ocean. I’d say we had a bit of fun! the baby loved everything we did – especially if he could be up and out of the stroller/car seat, etc. I really need to stop calling him the baby as he is a little boy now. He can even count to TWO!! Well, I mean, he pointed to the sky the other day when I heard something fly by in the sky. So I looked up and he said, TWO, and sure enough there were two helicopters flying side by side!! He can put his shapes in his shape collector toys pretty well now. He sometimes still tries to jam one in clearly the wrong shape, but he does MUCH better than before. He can sign just about ALL THe signs from ALL the videos!! He remembers them, even if he doesn’t use them!!
OK, so that was the aquarium day. I haven’t even journalled about Chanukah yet. Sheesh. I’d really need to go thru my pictures to keep it all straight, but needless to say the baby knows what presents are now!! Pretty much after lighting the Chanukah candles, I’d ask who wants presents and Dylan was on it, but the baby was only interested in getting back behind the presents so he could reach Dylan’s ladder and climb up on his bed!! So it became a habit that I’d let him climb up onto Dylan’s bed after lighting candles. Then I’d have to force him to get down, and then entice him with a present to chill out afterwards!! Yikes!! I’m gonna raise a BRAT!! 🙂 ahh well. Chanukah is over now!! Robert got a black eye for the fourth night of Chanukah!! Here let me explain…
I was at work. On my way home I called Roy and he started by saying, the baby’s OK, but he had tripped over Dylan’s legs and fell onto his toy train which cut his eye and his nose pretty bad. (?!) He said the toy had sharp edges, and I was wondering what edges. I pictured the cheesy toy train I had previously given him that has really rounded edges. How could it cut him?! So when I get home I see my baby !!! and his face is pretty messed up! and then I see the "train!" it isn’t even a train, it’s the toy trolley that was from a gift that I hadn’t yet given him!! From what I can figure, is he reached his hand thru the fence that was blocking him from the presents. He got his video (Mr. Rogers Neighborhood) and he opened it. He found the toy trolley that came with the video and got it out and marched around with his new found gift!! I guess he even showed it to Roy, but Roy just thought it was something I had previously given to Robert.
Well, I know this seems trivial, but I really do want to have shiny purple nails tomorrow, so I must get in the bathroom so I can paint em!! Hey!! It’s officially my birthday…and my anniversary!! Yay me!! 😉 Whatever. Goodnight!