The New Floodgates of the Mind

Here I was thinking that today would have been the start of the “easy” days… and it turned out to be quite frustrating. It’s crazy how much a SCREECHING child can really make a person flip out. And yet, that’s what it felt like. Charlize, my little high-maintenance daughter, decided that every moment NOT spent in my arms would be SCREECHING time. oh lord… Anyhow, let’s do a quick Picture Diary to make things easier to read 🙂

6am – Wake up Daddy!
I thought it was later than that… but no. He had not gotten up all night which means I actually got over 6 hours of sleep in a row!! I managed to convince him to snuggle in bed with me but it lasted all of 15 minutes (of non-stop moving, of course). Finally, demanding breakfast, I got out of bed and started him off…
Banana and Peanut-Butter! I can do it myself!
Soon, I hear giggling and babbling and so head upstairs to see…
Hey! I’m up already!
She came down, drank her milk, and they played for a bit until Charlize started testing out her vocal chords. Seriously. One minute all smiles and giggles, next minute SCREEEEECH. Since she had also started chasing me and grabbing onto my legs, I figured it was time for breakfast. Once that was taken care of, I ran around preparing everything we’d need for our morning trip and then packed them and the JSA packages into the car and headed out to Quebecor. Sure enough, Charlize fell asleep and woke up just as we got there… while Kyle fell asleep just as we were about to get there. Sheesh. Anyhow, packages dropped off and Kyle was all happy to have gone inside and seen all the “trucks” rolling around including the one that came to pick up the skid we had packed…
All gone! Let’s go see Nonna and Nonno!
Before long (and a milk tummy later), we were enjoying our visit with my parents…
Silly Nonno blinded me with the light trick!
Every time we go over, the first thing Kyle does is ask my father for my old cars and the slide to make them fall off the table with. Today, with no prompting whatsoever, little miss genius decided to show us all that SHE knew exactly how to play the same way!!
Take cars, put on slide, go boom… no problem!
Lunchtime came pretty quickly and the kids were spoiled as Nonna made Gnocci!
You’d be smiling in my place, too! Mmmm!
Yup, Charlize also very happily partook of the homemade gnocci. Plus, lots of cucumbers and strawberries! I had brought food along for her but I think the gnocci was much tastier 😉 On the drive home, Charlize napped and Kyle (again) fell asleep just as we were getting home. Kyle continued to nap at home but Charlize was up and done. So, we played for a while until Kyle woke up and then we headed outside to enjoy some fresh air (although it was quite windy and getting dark with a hint of rain in the air…). It was long enough to pick up all the toys, brace the swing from the wind, and do a little weeding…
I can do this – you can watch me!
(That has got to be my favorite pic so far!!) Supper went well and I got a huge cleaning-bug afterwards so while the kids played in the living room, I started twirling around the kitchen picking things up, storing stuff, and generally trying to bring some symmetry to the insanity that the kitchen had turned into the last couple of days. Again, by 645pm, Charlize was miserable and begging to go to sleep. As usual, I wrap her up, give her her milk, and she falls asleep while Kyle plays in his room. The last few nights have been difficult as Kyle just won’t stay still and jumps around a lot. Tonight, he was very quite (after an initial run downstairs). So, I managed to put her to bed relatively easily and quietly, and then walk into Kyle’s room…
uhm… the carpet was itchy?
I caught him sitting on the floor, his hands deep into the tub of cortisone cream we use to control his eczema. Cream was on his face, neck, arms, ankles, and all around him on the carpet. You know what? With the amount of time he’s been around his creams, etc, I never expected him to pull this kind of stunt. I was quite upset, actually. I literally needed a moment to myself (after cleaning everything up) in order to calm down. Finally, two quick books and 3 short songs later, and he was in bed. I was a little stern warning him to stay in his bed and not to get up pretending to need to go to the bathroom but it seems to have worked because he hasn’t gotten up (by now he would have done so twice)…. Damn. I had to open my “mouth”. I hear him coming down the stairs…

…okay, I’m back. *sigh* I need some unwinding. I think I’ll go settle back and watch the “Justice League: The New Frontier” DVD and see how faithful it is to Darwyn Cooke’s masterpiece.

Tomorrow should be a complete “stay at home” day. I’m hoping/ expecting a quiet one.

Definitely not as much time to keep notes today as I had yesterday! 🙂 The night went very nicely with Kyle only getting up once at 4am (I was dreaming that I was grocery shopping! sheesh!). Then, at 640am, I hear giggling and realize Charlize was up. I went to see her and boy was she ever in a happy mood! I changed her and got her dressed then came downstairs. At 7am, Kyle’s at the top of the stairs -also in a good mood- wishing us a good morning 🙂 Breakfast shortly thereafter with milk for Charlize and Blueberry Eggos for Kyle (he picked them out during yesterday’s outing 😉 ).

Unfortunately, the happiness didn’t last long as Charlize soon enough showed us how cranky she truly was (after breakfast)! I noticed how much her new tooth had sprouted but there must still be the ever-unpresent one trying to make its way out because she keeps sticking her tongue out (in a blowing-bubbles kind of way) and chewing on her thumb.

So, we made a quick Maxi run to get some food (and of course forgot a number of items – hard to concentrate when one child is constantly “daddy! daddy!” -ing and the other one’s so cranky she’s kicking at the grocery cart from the inside!! 🙂 Another thing she started doing but I hadn’t noted it before: when she’s upset and stuck in the car, she’ll throw away whatever toys, pacifier, etc, that she’s holding -just to have something else to scream about!! 🙂 But, we got home quickly enough and then it was milk time again followed by a nap. While Charlize slept, Kyle and I played outside…

Hi Mommy!

Yup. I thought long and hard about it, but finally realized that I could not spend an entire week at home with the kids -especially with Charlize on the brink of walking!- without a camera. And so, I gave myself an early birthday present. I’m not really big on the “bling” of things. I just want what I need. In this case, decent digital pictures and video capabilities. And, seriously… isn’t he handsome? 🙂

Anyhow, I went in at 11am to get lunch started and Kyle immediately asked for Vegetable Soup 🙂 He just loves soup! I prepared him a couple of the nuggets from last night while the soup warmed up and he gobbled everything up. Dessert was a tiny caramel bar and strawberries. As expected, he finished just as Charlize woke up. So, he busied himself for a bit while I gave Charlize her lunch. The thing she did last night with the pasta? She did this afternoon with strawberries! She would practically open her mouth and “AAHH!” at me to keep feeding her!! It was funny and always reminds me of a baby bird screeching for food 😉

Naptime went… not well. Kyle would just not sleep. He literally stayed in his bed for 2 hours babbling away. Charlize, tired again, ended up taking a 30minute nap. Finally, at 3pm, I packed them up again as we had to return some items to the Sears counter and then headed to IGA for a few more food items. A good run… except I once again forgot her food! Sheesh!!

We got home, chill-axed for a bit, and then the supper routine started. Charlize ate very well once again showing a very healthy appetite. Kyle… had three servings of meat pie! After initially stating how he didn’t like it (he wanted his strawberries and yogurt first – of course ;)) With everyone having eaten (myself included! I only had coffee for lunch) we set about our evening routine which included…

Animal Train

I wasn’t fast enough to catch but just prior to this, Charlize had spent a few minutes trying to touch Casey’s tongue while the poor dog lay in the sun warming herself! 🙂

As expected, Charlize didn’t hold out too long and by 6:45pm she was way too tired. So, regular evening routine and she was asleep at 7pm. For the next 30 minutes or so, I continued packing the Joe Shuster Awards Retailer Packages while Kyle colored on the floor next to me. And then… long distance phone call!! My darling wife decided to go ahead and spend a fortune just to be able to talk to me (and Kyle) for 5 minutes 🙂 I tried to give her a quick recap but it’s tough to be complete in that amount of time! But at least if she manages to make it online she’ll be able to see these notes! 🙂

Nothing else to really add for tonight, though. Kyle knew it was late and he was tired, so after playing “shadows” with his new Lightning McQueen flashlight, we sang a few songs and down he went. He got up twice so far, but I think that was it. So, for me, right now, it’ll be to catch up on LJ as I haven’t read anything since about friday morning, and then go continue to decompress! Either with a short movie or with some reading!! 🙂

Tomorrow morning it’s back to Quebecor to drop off the packages, and then a morning visit with my folks!

So… moments after I posted my entry earlier today, Kyle woke up crying/ screaming – I had not gotten to bed yet! I went to see him but couldn’t console him. So, I picked him up and brought him to my room, wrapping him up in my sheets. Within minutes he was asleep and I joined him soon thereafter. At 330pm, I hear Charlize yelling from her bed, asking to be picked up. I get up, change her, and go downstairs. Kyle joins us 🙂

We settle down for our afternoon snack and Kyle happily shares his Froot Loops with me -holding out the purple ones and saying, “For YOU!!” 🙂 Genie keeps him happy and I play with Charlize on the floor. Kyle is extremely affectionate, coming over often for hugs and kisses and tell me, “I love you, Daddy” 🙂

At 5pm, the baby and the puppy both start begging me for supper at the same time! 🙂 I settle Charlize in her chair and get her supper ready (leftover chicken, green beans, apple sauce, and cereal biscuit). As I’m feeding her, I’m also preparing supper for Kyle. I had decided on some chicken nuggets and corn for supper while also making some rigatoni for tomorrow’s lunch. What happens instead? Kyle asks for the pasta and I give him a bit telling him the rest is coming soon. He asks for seconds… thirds… fourths! Not only that, but Charlize started screeching at me as well and after I gave her a cut-up piece… she demanded another… and another… and more!! Ah, the best laid plans… 🙂 But I’m sure Nona’s going to love hearing about how the kids adored her sauce! 🙂

By 600pm supper was over and done with and I put on Baby Einstein while I took the 20 minutes to clear the kitchen (empty dishwasher, fill it up again, prepare Charlize’s last bottle for later, boil more water for tomorrow, etc, etc) and eat! At 630pm it was tub time followed by playtime in Kyle’s room plus book reading (tonight’s choices were: Prince and Pauper, Monsters Inc, and Sleeping Beauty). By 730pm Charlize was past her limit so I took a few minutes to give her milk and put her down to sleep.

Then, back in Kyle’s room singing our bedtime songs (tonight’s repertoire included: Blackbird, Leaving on a Jet Plane, and Talking to my Angels). He went down relatively well, getting up once for hugs and once to go to the bathroom. He had started crying again asking for Chantale to give him hugs and kisses and I gently reminded him that she had given him “lots and lots” last night to last him the week. Again with the “Me don’t want Mommy leaving on a jet plane!” and I explained that the same way we get into a car to go somewhere, shop, go back in the car, and come home, Mommy had to do the same thing. She got on the airplane to go to a bus that brought her to the hotel – and then she’ll go back on the bus to get to the plane that will take her home. “Tomorrow?” he asked. “Soon,” I replied. When he again asked for hugs and kisses, I told him that later, Mommy would come with his Angel and kiss him and hug him goodnight when he was sleeping. That made him feel better 🙂

He did get up one last time and came to see me in the kitchen where I was busy assembling the Comics Retailer packages containing the Joe Shuster Awards posters and postcards (I stuffed 250 envelopes with 250 JSA posters, 250 Constellation Awards posters, and 4,500 postcards before needing a break. I’ll finish the rest tomorrow). He crouched down beside me and said, “Me watch?” 🙂 I told him that I appreciated him wanting to help, but it was really late and he needed to get some rest. Then, I scooped him up like I usually do and took him back to his bed 🙂

That’s pretty much all the action for today. I was going to give my overall impressions of things but am just too tired right now. I will admit that when I woke from my nap at 330pm, I was seriously missing my wife & best friend. *sigh* I’m going to go take advantage of my fatigue since the morning gets here rather quickly 🙂

g’night!

Chantale took off this morning for the Dominican Republic for her sister’s Wedding on Wednesday.

I actually didn’t get to sleep until about 130am this morning and then at 430am it was up and get ready to go to the airport! Kyle and Charlize both woke up and were in good spirits as we got there although as we were approaching the parking lot, Kyle did start crying about not wanting Chantale and his grand parents to “leave on a jet plane” 🙂 We’d been prepping him for over a week and he’d been fine with it until about 2 days ago when he was also informed that it wasn’t just “Mommy” who was going to be “leaving on a jet plane” but many other of his family members.

Still, he calmed down and we went inside, checked-in, and chatted very, very briefly with the rest of the “crew” who were flying out. Again, all was well until we got to the security checkpoint and he started getting fussy again. See, he has this great “Airport” book I bought him about a year and a half ago, and we’ve gone through it often so he knows what to expect. In fact, earlier this week when I read it to him I explained how we would all be together at the check in and at the food court and up to the security. Then, “Mommy” would go through Security, the lounge to wait for the plane, a bus to take her to the plane, and eventually the plane would fly to a place with “sun” where she would take a bus to get her luggage, and then another bus to go to the hotel.

So, he knew the routine, and thus wasn’t too happy at the Security terminal. But, he was well composed as he said good-bye to everyone else. After lots of hugs and kisses to Chantale, I turned him away from her so I was the only one watching her get in line and go through. The entire time I was talking to Kyle taking his mind off of the fact that she was leaving. The first sleight-of-hand? After trying the card of the three of us (myself, him, Charlize) heading home for breakfast and it not working, I pulled the donut appeal 🙂 Yup. Asked him if he wanted to go to Timmy’s and get a donut. His eyes lit up and we discussed just which kind (and how many!) he was going to get 🙂

When Chantale went out of site, we headed home (after stopping in for some Timbits, of course). We ended up getting home at 7am and Kyle had a timbit and cereal (and milk) for breakfast. Charlize drank her milk and then at 8 she ahd Toast, Nutri-os, and Kiwi. She would get the funniest sour face whenever I put a piece of kiwi in her mouth – smacking her lips and pursing them together! LOL! 🙂

By 830am, she was sleeping and Kyle finished watching CARS while I rested my eyes a little. Seriously, our schedules were so out of whack! When the movie ended, I joined Kyle on the floor in the living room and we played cars ourselves. Then, we headed up to his room and played with his other cars, his garage, his train set, and other toys. At 10am, Charlize woke up and I packed them both in the car and headed out to WalMart. Within 3 minutes, Kyle was asleep. sigh.

It was a very quick trip and we were back home at 1120. Charlize had her milk while Kyle ate a burger (and cucumbers, and a kiwi (with some bribing) and one last timbit) 🙂 I got him in bed at 12pm and by 1230pm Charlize was having her lunch (chicken cacciatore and pears and nutri-os). Kyle got up a few times (including the first time crying for a “hug and a kiss from Mommy”), but he eventually did fall asleep peacefully. Charlize managed to hang around until 2pm by which point she was way too grumpy/ tired and fell asleep after her third bottle.

I wanted to come here and post this little recap before heading back to bed, too. I’m expecting all of us to be in better shape after our respective naps 🙂 I had started collating the Joe Shuster Awards posters/ postcards/ envelopes but I’m doing this completely alone this year. I’ve estimated that -when all is said and done and the envelopes are sealed and delivered back to Quebecor and Fichtre- that I’ll have spent over 12 hours on this. sheesh.

Anyhow, I did want to leave you all with a note or warning. This is the longest Chantale and the kids have ever been apart. Literally 8 days without contact and I know it’s going to be very hard on her – just as it is for Kyle. To that end, I promised that I would get online as often as possible to post what we’ve been doing in the off-chance that she’ll find a way online. So, be prepared for a lot of “family” time this week 🙂

Enough for now. Bed beckons.