Now He's All Business

We gave John his first, long overdue, haircut last night. He had grown quite a mullet which was garnering frequent comments. So, we finally cut his hair last night and I surprised myself by becoming nostalgic and saying things like:

"John look at all your beautiful hair! We're cutting off all of John's beautiful hair!"

Now, post hair cut, he looks so old to me! Old meaning like a little boy and less like a baby. But he does look much more clean cut. I didn't quite realize the extent of the mullet until we had cut it off.

Party in the back

Post haircut

After a cut and style by Peter

Peter may have missed his calling as a barber. He does his own haircuts and they always look smashing. As does John's, as you can see.

This has nothing to do with mullets, but we babysat the other night for a friend's baby who is a week younger than John. Aren't they cute?


We had fun, but I'm definitely glad that I don't have twins. My mother in law had her oldest child and then a set of twins 17 months apart. She had 3 under 2! Now that I have one 16 month old who runs me ragged daily, I really think anyone who can make it through 3 under 2 should be President or get a Nobel prize or something, right?

The Trouble With Mom Hearing

Over Labor Day Weekend we visited our families in San Antonio. One of my goals was to sleep until I woke up naturally at least one day while Peter got up with John. This posed some challenges because Peter could sleep through a gun fight and will never hear John crying when he wakes up. I, on the other hand, will be aroused by the sound of air particles circulating through space.

I hear everything! I hear those O2 particles colliding! I may be exaggerating a little bit. But I've heard a few people talk about "mom hearing": the idea that after they've had kids they're attune to every little bump in the night (or day). I don't know if this phenomenon actually has to do with becoming a mother. It's possible that there just weren't nearly so many things to hear in the middle of the night before I had a baby. But I do feel like my sleep has gotten much lighter as I've grown older.

Anyways, our challenge in San Antonio wasn't resolved very successfully. One night I put ear plugs in hoping that when John cried loud enough in the morning Peter, or someone else in the house, would hear it and get up with him. This worked! Peter did hear John and I didn't! But then Peter said "John's awake," which I did hear since Peter was right next to me. Then after that, even with ear plugs in, I was awake and I could hear John squawking downstairs, which he customarily does when his food is not forthcoming at a pace he approves of. I could hear this despite the fact that John was at the other end of the house and I had earplugs in.

Has anyone else experienced the "mom hearing"? I suppose acute senses are something to be grateful for. Maybe one day it will save us from a disaster like a mudslide. I think I could probably hear mud creeping down a hill. I only wish that I had a portable soundproof booth for those moments when I really don't need to hear anything.

Poop All Day

John poops all day long. 3,4,5, times. Often it's a very small amount. But when he has these episodes, I'm washing his bottom and giving him "dry time" all day long in an effort to keep the diaper rash at bay. It's more of a nuisance than anything. But, if I could do something to avoid having to change that many dirty diapers, I'd say "bring it on!"

I mentioned this to our pediatrician who did not seem concerned. He asked about John's diet and seemed to think things were okay there. So, at the end of last week a friend of mine mentioned that her daughter was going all day long and that they'd taken her off dairy and that she seemed to improve. So, I tried it with John. This is only day three but there has been a marked decrease in poop. I'm giving him lactaid milk and I've cut out other dairy. But he has better days and worse days regarding BM's so it's too early to tell if no dairy is the solution.

I don't think he has a true lactose intolerance. He's never acted like his stomach is upset, or thrown up. It's just the poop. I'm hoping that this is a phase that he will grow out of. I understand that many children have trouble with whole milk and dairy initially but eventually become able to digest it. But that's my question: if you have kids, or have spent a lot of time with kids, is pooping all day a normal phase for some kids? Does it stop? Has anyone had my experience with cutting out dairy?

We're not thinking about potty training just yet but my mother-in-low pointed out that it would be very difficult to do with John's frequency. I agree! I'm hoping things slow down within the next 9 months to a year- intestines wise, that is!

I'll tell you what, I'm excited about having more kids. I've loved every phase John has been through from newborn sugar lump to never-stops-moving toddler. But I do look forward to the day, if it ever comes again, when the only behind I have to wipe is my own!

Mensa, here we come

John is technically speech delayed, I was informed at his 15 month appointment. Technically, but not really. Sort of but not exactly. He doesn't say any words (not even Mama, Dada). But he does signs which my pediatrician said some people count as words. Apparently some research has been done that suggests that the same parts of the brain are active when speaking as when signing.

Despite this, Peter and I (who are not biased) have decided that John is headed straight for Mensa. If fact, I'm surprised that they haven't called requesting his membership.

He can now do three animal sounds. He does his lion (which I posted a video of a few weeks ago), and now he can do snake and owl.

He also can correctly identify his head and belly. (Any other body part you ask him about, he will just point to his mouth.)

He's also started doing two more signs: "hot", and "thank you."

We are so impressed with our boy and truly believe he is a genius! Strangely enough, I briefly looked at the Mensa website and they didn't list animal sounds or correctly identifying body parts as part of their requirements. There must be some mistake.

Regarding the speech delay, I'm feeling pretty laid back about it. I know he's understanding things. I know of plenty of kids who didn't speak until closer to two who are now doing just fine for themselves (Peter being one example). The longer I'm a parent (which, admittedly hasn't been very long) the more skeptical I am of those milestone charts. They serve their purpose, I guess, but there's such a huge variety of normal that I think they can also plant little seeds of paranoia.

In my super-laid-back parenting attitude, I don't want to overlook an actual problem. So the plan is to wait until 18 months and then get an Early Childhood Intervention referral if we need it. Which, I will happily do. It's free and it can't hurt. And maybe it would help. I'm serious about getting him into Mensa.

Here, I should post a picture of John. But I've been remiss at taking photos lately because he never sits still!

International Literacy Day: August Books

So, apparently today is International Literacy Day. In honor, I'm going to review my August books. Oddly enough, I meant to post about August books a few days ago on National Read A Book Day. I promise I don't make a habit of memorizing all of these National/International Days on the calendar, somehow I just happen to notice them! Anyways, how apropos to discuss books today! Though, literacy is en vogue everyday, no? Here goes:

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear

This was okay, not great. I didn't really get into it. It's a mystery detective series set between WWI and WWII, Maisie Dobbs is the detective. I just didn't find the ending very believable or the mystery super absorbing.

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua- Audiobook

This was a book club book and, sadly, I did not get to attend the meeting. I was disappointed because this book certainly sparks discussion. It's a memoir about the superiority of Chinese parenting. The writer is a little over-the-top and, at times, I found her to be downright cruel in her parenting. But I loved this book because she had some very valid criticisms of Western Parenting, I thought. Very interesting perspective!

The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer

I read this in college and remembered really liking it. I read it again last month for my church's book club. I still really liked it, though it was more brain-muddling than I remembered. There was a lot of profound stuff that I'm still mulling over. It's a short read but not necessarily easy or quick!