Zoo Dates

(Post dated)

We've gotten good use of our zoo passes lately, which is a good thing because Breeley can't get enough of the zoo! First we went with Brian's sister and her family when they were visiting over July 4th weekend. Then Breeley and I went two weeks in a row, first for the Members' Night and then a week later when I chaperoned for her daycare class.

The zoo season passes are an excellent deal. The family membership comes with unlimited admission for our family, plus 6 guest passes, which are worth the total cost of the season membership. It also comes with other discounts and perks, including four "Members Only" nights where there are special deals and programs. We'd never gone to a Members' Night before, but it seemed like something fun for Breeley and me to do while Brian was on an overnight canoe trip. I got Amy and Andrew to babysit Zack so Breeley and I could have a special date.

I definitely recommend the Members' Nights to my Columbia friends with zoo passes! If I'd have realized all the cool things they had going on, I would have made more of a point to arrive right at 6:00. We ended up only having an hour, so by the time we ate, we didn't have time to enjoy all the events. We took advantage of $1 hot dogs, $1 pretzels, and free fountain drinks, then took a ride on the children's train and two spins on the carousel. (It's normally $2/person/ride for these.) I think Breeley would be in heaven if we just spent the entire two hours on the carousel! This night's theme was focused on cool-blooded animals, but we missed the alligator training sessions, the galapagos and various fish feedings, the dive demonstration, and Ray the Magician. We also missed out on the $1 ICEEs, but we both enjoyed some $1 ice cream! (Smaller portions than normal.) It was a great deal, and I'll definitely make more of a point to go the the Members' Nights next year! (It also wasn't nearly as crowded as I expected.) 

A week later, we went again, this time with Breeley's daycare class and a chaperone/teacher for every two students! It was very fun to see the zoo through the eyes of 15 2-year-olds, and to see Breeley interact with her classmates.

Breeley has a new favorite animal every time we visit, and this time it was the tortoises. One of them was doing laps around the yard, and I literally had to pry her away and run to catch up with everyone else.

A cool thing about going first-thing in the morning (and no, it was not cooler temps, it was HOT), was that the animals seemed more active. We usually go later in the day and most of the animals are just laying around, but the bears were actually playing and the lions were roaming around their exhibit. Also, we were able to feed the giraffes. Breeley was much more hesitant than some of her classmates, but she eventually did give a little to the smallest giraffe.

Going on this trip reminded me how blessed we are that I can work part-time and have Fridays off. I hope more field trips are in Breeley's future, and I look forward to experiencing fun things with her and my other kids.

Chatterbox

Breeley is talking more and more and stringing more words and thoughts together. It's so neat to see how language develops. I know she is saying much more than we can understand, and the untrained ear probably only understands about 20% of what she's saying. We understand about 70%. Her main speech issues are that she often leaves off the first or last sound of a word (ex. "mil" for milk and "baa" for bath); she often subsitutes another sound for sounds she can't make (ex. "appeeda" is applesauce); she gets the correct inflection but completely makes up the sounds ("bobby" became paci long ago); she often adds a "ya" to the end of words; and she tends to overuse "d"s, which is definitely her go-to letter. These issues cause her to create her own homonyms, and some words sound the exact same such as "appy" for Pappy and happy, "shoosh" for juice and shoes, "why" for fly and cry, and "deedee" is both Reesey (our dog) and sleeping. I'm not sure if we should be concerned about any of these issues at this point. Some kids her age seem to be way ahead of her, but others seem either similar or farther behind. I tend to lean toward the "my kid is completely normal" (or better than normal--she's amazing!) and want to let things play out, but I don't want her to end up behind when we should have sought help sooner.

Regardless of those issues, we are certainly enjoying hearing all that she has to say. Here are a few of her recent or most frequent sentences:

• "Beebee bye Mommy's pee," as she flushed the toilet for me. This made me think, "Why'd we make this so complicated!?!" She's able to get her point across in much simpler terms than what is "correct."
• "Deedee, go pee-ya!" - She tends to be very bossy toward Reesey!
• "I see why" [I see fly], as she runs to get the fly-swatter. She is a master at spotting flies. Her daddy has taught her well. He is obsessed with killing flies (I think he got this from his mom). There is no catch-and-release of bugs at our house!
• "No Mommy. No boo, yeah-yo." [No blue, yellow.] - We've been working on colors a lot, but to her, everything is yellow!
• "Baby eat Mommy mil" [Baby eat Mommy's milk.]
• "Baby deedee" [Baby sleeping.] - She likes to announce what Zack is doing, often very dramatically and LOUDLY from the backseat.
• "I pee pee. Mommy, I pee pee." - Aaah, music to my ears. She's been having a lot of success on the potty these days, and she gets very proud of herself. (We are proud too.)
• "Mommy pee pee! Mommy pee pee!" - She also likes to LOUDLY announce my bathroom functions, which is making me avoid public restrooms when possible.

My favorite: (Spoken very quickly) "Beebee home. Baby home. Mommy home. Deedee home. Daddy no home." Very funny and out-of-the-blue when she said it.

She seems to notice the world around her more. Breeley has never been interested in TV (and still isn't unless it is constant singing and dancing), and she never even seemed interested in looking out the window in the car. (She usually looks at books or plays with something in her hands. She often takes off her shoes, and lately has been unlacing them, which is fun when we get to where we're going.) I think she may take after Brian and favor a kinesthetic learning style. But lately she has been commenting more on what she sees out her window. This may be because I bombard her with questions (to distract her from unlacing her shoes or taking her hair down), but either way, it's neat to hear her get excited about seeing cows, trucks, and trees. She also is familiar with our common travel routes and without fail shouts "hoooome!" as we get off our exit and then at every turn until we arrive. She also does this for the exit and turns for "koooool" [school]. It emphasizes that she is paying a lot more attention than we give her credit for.

She is also responding more to things we say and attempting to conversate. I often explain things that are going on, and lately she's been saying, "Oh" and nodding knowingly. She also says a drawn out "oooh taaay" [okay]. She also almost always uses "yes" and "no" correctly now. She used to say "no" for everything. Her forms of yes indicate that there's some slang being used in our house since she often says "yep" and "yeah." In addition to understanding almost everything we say, she tends to read how we are asking the question, and is able to articulate an appropriate response. 

My favorite: Responding to my calling for her because it was time to go, she said "Oooh tay. Wait." Apparently she can't be bothered with me.

One thing that shows her level of understanding is her ability to paraphrase or re-word things we say. Zack has been more distracted while eating, so the other day I was saying, "Eat, baby" and she said, "Baby. Eat. Mommy. Booboo. Mil." [Baby eat Mommy's booby milk.] I added the periods because, while it was a 5-word sentence, her "sentences" are often choppy and don't always flow. This is very apparent in some of her favorite phrases of late. "Dat (pause) my baby," "Dat (pause) my pizza," "Dat (pause) my mommy." You probably have to hear these to get the full effect of how funny it is, but it's cute enough that I have to keep reminding Brian to talk normal to her, and not like she talks!

She's using a lot more first-person with I, me, and mine. To her, everything is hers, as indicated in the previous examples of "Dat (pause) my daddy." I'm okay with phrasing it that way, but I really hate for her to say "Dat mine." I'm probably confusing her because I often say, "We don't say 'mine.' That's not a nice word." I think I may have some sort of repressed memory of bratty kids who claimed "That's MINE!" as they snatched a toy away, and I don't want that to be my kid!

My favorite first-person phrases: "Wait me." "Read me." "Ep me." [Help me.]

She's still not using a lot of connector/conjunction/determiner words like "for," "to," and "with" but she has been using "dat" [that] and "deeze" [these]. This is definitely increasing the frequency of 3+ word sentences.

I've been working on this post for about 3 weeks and I could probably add to it daily. It is AMAZING to follow her language development! She truly says new things every day! She's becoming quite the chatterbox. We can tell she loves practicing her growing vocabulary and she's even started making up songs to familiar tunes. (Sometimes she might be singing the actual song but I can't understand her.) I'm so excited to start posting funny conversations and things she says. Besides walking, this is one of my favorite developmental stages to experience with her, and it's just getting better!

In a hurry

I received this poem as an email forward the other day. Turns out it was not written by a teenager with terminal cancer, but it still prompted me to write this post, which I've been thinking about for a while.

SLOW DANCE

Have you ever watched kids
On a merry-go-round?

Or listened to the rain
Slapping on the ground?

Ever followed a
butterfly's erratic flight?

Or gazed at the sun into the
fading night?

You better slow down.
Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

Do you run through each day
On the fly?

When you ask How are you?

Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done
Do you lie in your bed

With the next hundred chores

Running through your head?

You'd better slow down

Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last.

Ever told your child,

We'll do it tomorrow?

And in your haste,

Not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die

Cause you never had time

To call and say,'Hi'

You'd better slow down.

Don't dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won't last..

When you run

so fast to get somewhere

You miss half the fun
of getting there.

When you worry and hurry

through your day,

It is like an unopened
gift....

Thrown away.

Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.

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I know the phrases "As we rushed out the door..." and "...in a hurry to..." are used far too often in my writing. Sometimes after finally settling into the car on our way to whereever we are in a hurry to, the chorus from the song "I'm in a Hurry (and Don't Know Why)," from the great Alabama, runs through my mind:

"I'm in a hurry to get things done
Oh I rush and rush until life's no fun
All I really gotta do is live and die
But I'm in a hurry and don't know why"

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Kids don't get in a hurry. Sometimes this is a cause of major frustration for me. Breeley does not understand "hurry" or "quick" or "rush" or "late." And why should she? I remember thinking about this months ago when Breeley seemed fascinated by some obscure object that I wouldn't have paid any attention to. I didn't write about it then, and now I don't remember what it was, but I remember thinking it was something I should have noticed. How much do I miss because I'm in a hurry? And, how does constant rushing affect my children?

Last week I caught a glimpse in the windows as we rushed into storytime at the library. I was pushing the stroller and holding Breeley's hand as she practically ran beside me, trying to keep up. She wasn't complaining and was being completely cooperative, but when I saw how fast her little legs were moving, I couldn't help but wonder, "What am I doing??"

I thought about that throughout the week. I didn't make any changes--in fact, yesterday Breeley fell in the parking lot on the way into storytime because I was rushing her (she's also quite clumsy and had on sandals), which shows how things often end up taking longer when you try to hurry. So, again, I thought, "Why am I always in a hurry?" Here are my thoughts on reasons why:

• A complete inablilty to judge time and how long things will take. Getting up 15 minutes earlier doesn't work. I'm pretty much always rushing out the door whether I get up at 5:00 or 6:15.
• Having a lot of things to remember in the morning. I could write a whole post about my morning routine, but I'll just say I have enough stuff to take two trips to the car each morning, and that's only after getting both kids up, fed, and ready (including a 2-yr-old who is not always cooperative); taking Reesey out twice and waiting for her to pee/poop (also not always cooperative); adjusting the thermostat; packing my lunch; thawing milk and making bottles; double/triple-checking to make sure I have everything the kids need for daycare and I have all my pumping supplies and everything I need for work; among other things. A few of these things are cut out if I'm not heading to daycare/work, but then there is usually a whole separate list of things to remember!
• Being thorough, a trait that serves me well in other areas of my life. With all the stuff I have to remember, I actually rarely forget anything. I'm a double/triple checker, but that contributes to making me in a hurry later. Vicious cycle.  
• Kids (mostly the 2-yr-old at this point) who do not understand "hurry" or "quick" or "rush" or "late," and instead take time to notice the world around them, develop/exert their independence, and refuse to be hurried through childhood.

I searched the Internet to see what was out there about "being in a hurry." The overall consensus was that it can actually endanger children in these ways:

1. Reckless behavior, e.g. driving too fast, forgetting to turn off the stove
2. Irritability
3. Inability to concentrate and forgetfulness
4. Development of anxiety disorder, including OCD

Irritability hit me the hardest. One article noted that a person under stress often lashes out at others or at the least is abrupt and rude. It said children tend to believe that they are to blame when parents act this way, which can cut deeply into their psyche. See my "Bad Mommy" post from 5/27/10 and you'll see why this hit home.

So the articles did a good job of making me feel terrible about being in a hurry, but what they didn't do as well was tell me ways to deal with it. Most of them treat it like stress and give you tips for dealing with stress: relax, take a step back, breathe deeply, exercise. However, overall stress is not my problem. It's the day-to-day hecticness of our schedule and routine. Adding exercise and a bubble bath to my already 3-hour morning routine is not going to help! Given the reasons I listed above, I don't know that there is a fix. In some ways, it's who I am, and it's where my life is right now. I do a lot of things the night before, but I can't not feed the kids in the morning. And I refuse to man-handle a 2-year-old who wants to put on her own socks, but then not put on her own socks, and then asks me for help, but then tries again to do it herself. And I can't/won't shut ourselves up and not go anywhere.

So, reluctantly, I conclude that I will most likely continue to be in a hurry at times. But I know why. And I CAN deal with it. I can keep my reactions in check. I can be patient with my children. I can count to 10 before responding. I can continue to appreciate children who want to learn about their world and have some control over it. I can, occasionally, stop and learn things with them. Stop to smell the roses. Dance slower. Hear the music.

...and I guess I should get Breeley some knee pads!

The Man Who Never Sleeps (In)

Before we had kids, Brian and I both enjoyed sleeping well into the morning on weekends. I love that, unless we need to be somewhere, my kids often let me sleep until 8, 8:30, even 9:00 on my days off. I'm a "night owl," and getting up at 4:45 a.m. three days/week takes its toll. Brian gets up at 4:30 M-F (granted, he goes to bed much earlier than me), so I will never understand why he CHOOSES to get up at that same time on most Saturdays. (Ironically, on Sundays, our kids must be more rested, because they almost always get up earlier on Sundays!) Here is how he spends the time:

April 25, 2009: Turkey

November 4, 2009: 8-point Buck

April 17, 2010: 2 largemouth bass

May 1, 2010: 2 largemouth bass

July 10, 2010: 15 lb flathead "mud cat" catfish

I love that Brian has hobbies. I also love that he gets up early so that he can return around noon and not be away from us all day. He sacrifices sleep instead of time with his family so he can still enjoy his hobbies. Of course, hunting and fishing are usually better in the early hours, and most months it gets too hot to be out later in the day, so it's not just about us.

Since moving to South Carolina and getting a boat, Brian has gotten more into bass fishing than anything else. (He says this during fishing season anyway.) He would one day LOVE to be a professional fisherman (perhaps after her retires from a "real" job), so he tells me that his outings are not just leisure, but practice! He is constantly reading about the sport and watching tournaments and shows on TV. It has paid off because he's learned a lot and is getting better and better. He says I'll appreciate it once he starts winning $100K (or more!) in tournaments. I have to agree with him on that one. And maybe then I'll understand why he never sleeps in!

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This post is prompting me to make my blog private. I enjoy sharing information with friends and families, but don't want to make us vulnerable to predators. If you'd like me to add you, please send your email address to me at susanhhudson@gmail.com.

Warning to any would-be robbers or rapists: I HAVE A GUN AND I KNOW HOW TO USE IT!!!

Congaree

We were lucky to have visitors two weekends in a row! Breeley was thrilled to have Ma and Pappy down for the weekend after her cousins were here.

Brian and his dad went fishing on Sat morning. (This is getting to be a tradition for them.) Brian caught two whopper catfish!

When Breeley woke up, I told her that Daddy and Pappy had gone fishing. Next thing I knew, she was waiting at the window with her fishing pole over her shoulder! It was so cute watching her walk around like this, saying, "Daddy Pappy feesh." (The Barbie pole was a gift from Pappy when Zack was born; Zack got a Superman pole. She's never used it in the water, but we cast in the living room and she likes to reel it in. Brian can't wait for the day when the kids are old enough to go fishing with him.)

We wanted to go somewhere outdoors so I had the idea to go for a picnic at Congaree National Park. It's the largest remnant of old-growth floodplain forest remaining on the continent and has national and state champion trees, and it's about 30 minutes from our house! We'd never been there but had repeatedly talked about going.

It was hot and humid, but luckily the 2.5 mile boardwalk trail was mostly shaded. We enjoyed the self-guided tour that pointed out history and facts about nature, and also had fun finding wild hog tracks in the mud. We went off trail a little bit in search of the "lake," which looked more like a river because it is an oxbow lake formed by a bend in the Congaree River. Weston Lake ended up being on the main path and we ate our Bojangles lunch there. There were a ton of turtles swimming around the deck and we found out they really like fried chicken and biscuits! We also saw an owl in a tree not far off the path, which we would have completely missed if other people hadn't pointed it out. Unfortunately the picture turned out dark, but it was really cool to see it in person!

Breeley rode in a stroller part of the way but also wanted to walk some. Toward the end, someone (I'm guessing her daddy) gave her a sucker, so she was happy! It also made her walk slower, but she doesn't like to be behind everyone, so she kept shouting, "Mommy, wait me!"

Zack was a trouper too, despite the heat and humidity. He slept part of the time and was content in his stroller. Thankfully he didn't end up with any bug bites thanks to the Off blower thingy.  

It was fun to finally experience Congaree and we were glad to have Ma and Pappy there with us!

This is what sweat, sunscreen, and bug spray do to your hair!

After our nature outing, I had to rush to make myself presentable for my friend's Bachelorette Party that I was hosting that evening (at someone else's house). My friend, Elizabeth, is getting married in a few weeks and I'm a bridesmaid. It was fun to spend time hanging out with some girlfriends!

If all this wasn't enough to make a good weekend, while I was gone, Brian and his dad fixed our sliding glass door! It was sticking and hard to open for months, which was super annoying since we take Reesey out that door. They replaced the rollers and for $13 made it better than new! I think Ma and Pappy need to come more often! :)

July 4th Staycation

After changing plans multiple times and deciding not to go to VA for July 4th weekend, we ended up having a great stay-cation with Brian's sister and her family! They hadn't been down since their middle child, who will be 5 in September, was only a few months old, so we were excited to take them out on the town. I had a bunch of things planned, but we found that things take a bit longer with 5 kids in tow! Still, we were able to do something every day and we had a BLAST!

On Saturday we headed to the Gilbert Peach Festival with all things PEACH! The festival's Web site reads like Forrest Gump on peaches: ...peach ice cream, peach cobbler, peach slush, peach parfaits, peach zip, peach berry split, peach sundaes, peach tea, peach almond delights, fresh peaches... Ironically, we almost didn't even get anything peach, until Lindsay and Emma stopped for some ice cream on our way out. The kids enjoyed bounce houses and rides, and we browsed a few booths, but it was hot and we'd gotten there later than planned, so we were only there a few hours before heading home for naps.

That night, we planned to go to Frankie's Fun Park or Monkey Joe's, but again our late start and late naps thwarted our plans. We did enjoy deep dish pizza at Uno, which Emma had requested since she got her first taste when she visited last summer with Ma and Pappy. (Apparently that's where Pappy taught her to shoot spit balls.)

On Sunday we headed to Saluda Splash for some water fun and a picnic lunch.

At home, we enjoyed the unusual mild temps with a backyard cookout. Lindsay made a pineapple sauce for the burgers, which I thoroughly enjoyed but Brian and Brian wouldn't even try. For dessert we had Brian D's famous ice cream sandwich cake, which everyone enjoyed!

That night we drove to a shopping complex near Brian's work and Breeley experienced fireworks for the first time. She seemed impressed, especially after the finale when she started clapping and saying "more, more"!

For two moms, we hadn't gone very prepared and didn't have anything to sit on or drink. (We improvised with our slings and baby blankets, and Brian D bought water at a nearby grocery store.) Lindsay made up for it with her idea to bring the kids' pajamas. All the kids fell asleep during the 45-minute drive home, and we were able to take them straight to bed!

On Monday we headed to the zoo. I'd never gone in on the botanical gardens side, but that ended up being a hit because we got to ride the tram. Lindsay joked that they look like the Clampetts, and as we wrestled with 3 strollers and 5 kids getting on and off the tram, I'd say that was pretty accurate!

We were sad to see them go home to VA. Breeley LOVED having her cousins for 3 days of sleepovers and playtime, as well as the fun excursions. It ended up being the perfect way to spend our long weekend and celebrate July 4th! I hope it doesn't take another 5 years for them to come back!