Maybe leaving

I'm supposed to fly into Boston tomorrow and then drive to Portland Maine. It's 8:37, less than 12 hours before I need to leave. I haven't finished packing. I still need to do all of my stuff, diapers, and misc stuff like the camera. The fridge and trash are emptied, the house is a half mess, and Bohdin and Nyla are still awake and playing haunted house in the closet. They should have been asleep an hour ago. I may have to wait until Thursday to fly. Luckily I also haven't made a car rental reservation. If I wait until Thursday I may be able to fly directly to Portland. That would save a 2 hour car drive and give me more time to prepare. That's sounding pretty good. That may be my new plan. I'll have to check the flights again but that is sounding like a good plan to me. Bohdin will be tired in the morning anyway. He was up before 6 this morning and he won't be asleep until 9. I guess I need to put them to sleep now. He doesn't usually wake me up in the morning luckily.


Here are Bohdin and Nyla playing in a fort a few days ago.
 
 
 

Still tired

I woke up in a really bad mood Friday morning and unfortunately Bohdin bore the brunt of it. I had breakfast, took a shower, and then got on the computer for something. Bohdin came in with a bowl of cereal for me and a hug. He also made breakfast for Nyla. It was so sweet. He did waste almost an entire box of cereal but it didn't matter.

We went to a LLL meeting Friday morning in the continuing hope to meet a boy Bohdin's age. That didn't work out but I did meet somebody who runs a playgroup in Annapolis. She invited me to join the group. There is nobody Bohdin's age but there are kids Nyla's age and possible friends for me. We'll go to one soon. While we were at the meeting which was in a conference room in the library, Bohdin wandered out to get a video and some books. Sometimes he seems so grown up. Friday morning was one of those days. Of course when he was done checking out his books he came in whining asking when we would go.

Yesterday we were able to check out the birth center near Annapolis. It seems like a good fit. I talked to a midwife and several past patients. It sounds a lot like our experience in Colorado with Nyla. I was a little surprised to learn how far some people travel to deliver a baby there. People drive 2.5 hours from surrounding states. I guess I'm lucky we live pretty close. The hospitals around here are not very friendly so it shouldn't have surprised me too much. People in Colorado may not know how spoiled they are to have so many wonderful options in maternity care. I still haven't switched my insurance plan.

Last night the Preakness was on tv. There is such a huge difference between Louisville prior to the Derby and Baltimore prior to the Preakness. Louisville loves the derby and celebrates it for weeks. Baltimore hardly cares about the Preakness. Bohdin picked horse #1 which was Big Drama. I was rooting for Rachel Alexandra. In a very fun race she barely won. Bohdin cried that he picked the wrong horse again. I didn't place a bet on my horse because there wasn't much of a payout but maybe I should have just for bragging rights. Buddy was one horse away from a winning superfecta. He did win a bit on Musket Man's 3rd place finish.

Buddy left for Maine this morning. I hadn't planned on joining him. I thought we could go out to Texas instead. Bohdin wants to visit Nana. The flights say no so I'm considering Maine again. I spoke with him briefly and he thought I should come but we'll see. It means driving down to DC and renting a car. I can't carry two car seats by myself so at least one car seat would need to be rented. It's all a bit of a hassle. I shouldn't turn down a cheap trip opportunity though. I'm tired now so I'll decide later. Right now Nyla is sleeping and I'm going to join her.

Tired

I've been trying to attend more events this week in another effort to find a playmate for Bohdin. On Tuesday we went to the children's museum in Annapolis. That morning they had a craft time for homeschooled kids Bohdin's age. There weren't that many kids there and nobody looked promising. Bohdin and Nyla both enjoyed doing the craft and then playing upstairs in the museum. The museum looks like a house that has been turned into a giant playroom. There is a room with costumes, a room with a play kitchen and grocery stuff, some aquariums, a train table, blocks, and that sort of thing. They also had a small replica of a boat and dock. There were some boys about 5 years old playing on the boat. They left to do something else so Nyla tried to climb on the boat. One of the boys came over, poked Nyla in the chest and told her to go away. She was pretty surprised and a little leery of the boat after that. After Bohdin played with the train table and some other vehicles for a while we went into the doll/kitchen/grocery room. Nyla immediately spotted two dolls in car seat carriers. She grabbed both and moved them to the other side of the room. She decided she was going to put them in the shopping basket and grabbed the shopping basket. While she did, two older girls (about 5 again), grabbed the dolls she was playing with. Actually one girl grabbed one and told the other girl to get the other. She didn't want to and that gave Nyla a chance to reclaim one of the dolls. Bohdin was busy putting all of the fruit and vegetables into his shopping cart. We ended staying there for about 1.5 hours. I told Bohdin that we would come back sometime. Both the kids enjoyed it

Afterward we stopped at the new Whole Foods that opened in Annapolis. It is by far the largest one in the state although I think there are only 3 so it's not stiff competition. It was pretty nice, not huge by regular standards but huge by Maryland standards. There is now parking, lighting, and room for a shopping cart inside the store. I don't know how often we'll go but I won't go out of my way to avoid it like the previous cave location. They had gelato on sale so I decided to get some. Bohdin picked blood orange but I wanted a different one. I grabbed one for "Nyla" and then checked to make sure it was on sale since only selected flavors had a lower price. I told Bohdin what I was doing and he told Nyla "If something is not on sale that means we can't buy it."

Pregnancy symptoms finally appeared on Tuesday and I was exhausted in the afternoon. Nyla had a really short nap so I didn't have my usual break. I had to take a break in the middle of cooking dinner so I could lay down. When I told Bohdin I was really tired he thought I should lay down and have a rest. He played quietly while I tried to get some sleep. I think I did manage about 5 minutes between Nyla coming to check on me by crawling on me and saying "shh". I assume she was also signing sleep but opening my eyes to check would have blown my cover. I didn't feel so tired on Wednesday or today luckily.

On Wednesday I had planned to take Bohdin to the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center south of here. I called in the morning to make sure Nyla could tag along but the two classes were already filled. Maybe next month.

Today was the second to last story time at the library before summer hiatus. I wish they did it more often. The demand is there. I counted 40 kids without trying hard. Bohdin took his position in the front while Nyla stayed with me on the side. once the stories started two girls, about 4, started acting up in front of Nyla and me. They were rolling around the floor and talking. Nyla immediately latched on to the fun girls and joined them. The mothers talked to the girls so the antics became a little quieter. One layed on her belly with her chin resting in her hand. Nyla layed down next to her and copied. I glanced up at Bohdin and he is standing up amid the sea of seated kids with his hand down his pants touching his butt. Not my proudest moment as a parent.

I can't just end on that so I'll mention all the hugs I've been receiving. Last Mother's Day I asked Bohdin for a hug. He declined because he wasn't sad. The past couple of days he has been offering lots of hugs. I'll take every one I can get.

Opposite Day

The rain was threatening to fall at any minute but we went to Kinder Farm Park anyway. The last time we went was a year ago. Since Nyla likes animals so much I thought she would enjoy seeing some of the farm animals. The first stop after the playground was the goats. One of the goats had jumped two fences to get at the young tree with delicious leaves. We offered it some of the grass and weeds at our feet. Nyla went first. I'm not sure if I even offerred Bohdin some of the weeds I pulled. He does not like to touch animals. He ended up giving the goat some grass and enjoyed it. He picked everything he could find near us to give to the goat. I finally dragged him away to see the other animals. It turned out that Nyla wasn't very interested in the animals but Bohdin couldn't get enough. Even after a second stop to feed the goats I had to drag him back to the playground. He could have stayed there all day with them. nyla on the other hand kept signing done. She lost interest in those goats pretty fast.

 
 
 
 

I was cleaning the house yesterday afternoon wearing sweats and a tank top. After taking the trash out with Nyla I told Bohdin we would take his bike outside. I didn't bother to change. Bohdin ended up going much further than before. We were near the playground so we stopped despite the fact that I wasn't dressed very nicely. One of the moms there asked if I was pregnant. I was surprised she could tell. I came home and looked in the mirror. She just made a lucky guess. That outfit was so unflattering it made me look pregnant. I'm never wearing those sweats again.

Nyla slept well for the first time last night in longer than I can remember. She didn't wake up the first time until after 3am. She usually wakes up by 10 and wakes up every 10 minutes I think until morning. I wish I knew what was different about yesterday because I sure would like to repeat that more often. As a newborn Nyla was a good sleeper but she's gone way way downhill recently.

Bike and Art

Saturday we went to REI and bought the bike that Bohdin liked. He tried other bikes but never was as comfortable on those. Riding in the store is easier than riding outside. Now he has to deal with uneven terrain and rougher surfaces. Between his perfectionism and his cautiousness we are pushing him to go out there and ride. Soon he'll gain more confidence and have more fun. The training wheels on the bike are set up properly with only one touching the ground at a time and I think that is a little unnerving for him also. He'll get it in time. In the meantime, Nyla is jealous. She wishes she could ride the bike. Her legs are too short for even a 12" bike. We'll get her a bike as soon as she grows longer legs. I know having Nyla riding beside him will help Bohdin with his confidence.

 
 

My mom sent Bohdin and Nyla some money to pick out a mother's day gift for me. We stopped at the mall in the afternoon so Buddy could take the kids shopping. Buddy says that Bohdin took his task very seriously and went into several different stores trying to find something for me. He eventually settled on cups and plates that can be painted with markers. I thought it was a wonderful gift. On the cup Bohdin painted a dragon with one eye, wings, three legs, a fireball, and a long stream of fire coming from its mouth. He says the plate is also a dragon but I think he was really just scribbling there. That's his preferred method of art. The other side of the cup has four flowers. It was a neat idea for a present. He did perfectly.

 
 

On the way back from REI Saturday we stopped at a Honda dealership briefly. I was hesitant to consider a minivan because of the image. Now that I've been in one though I'm sold. They're so roomy and functional. Bohdin's favorite part was the sunshade the car came equipped with and the darker windows. He is always bothered by the sun shining in his eyes. He wears his sunglasses when he remembers. Another option would be to keep my car and get 3 narrow car seats. With the right car seats it should be possible to get three across in the back. I love the fuel efficiency in my car and hate to give that up.

Nyla has a new favorite word and we're not 100% sure what it is. I think she's saying switch and about half the time she says the word, switch would make sense. But then there are the other times. Last night she closed the door and couldn't open it again so she said *itch. Buddy is not convinced that she is saying switch.

Sweaty

The sun has finally returned but Bohdin doesn't like it. When we go outside, Bohdin says "It's too hot. I'm sweaty.". It's in the upper 70s and humid. He is really going to suffer when summer rolls along. He says he likes it medium which to him is about the temperature of an air conditioned building. Despite the oppressive heat we went outside for a little while. Caterpillar season is upon us and we found lots and lots of caterpillars. Nyla did not try to pick one up. In the past she has picked up a worm and earlier in the week she caught a frog. She was very excited to catch the frog after many tries. It was a pretty cool achievment. That frog jumped pretty fast.

Bohdin is excited to watch our plants grow. Our peas and squash are coming up nicely. Here is Bohdin a few days ago pointing to the seedlings.
 

We came home Thursday afternoon and saw a lady with her dog near our building. We went to go look at the dog and I fell in conversation with her. Bohdin and Nyla ran off to play with her 6 year old daughter nearby. They seemed to click really well for some reason. Bohdin was trying to race her and tell her all sorts of things. He asked her if she wanted to see his stick collection but she declined. It's weird how every once in a while he'll find somebody and talk their ear off. Other times he won't even look at them.

Somebody made a comment that Nyla always looks so happy in the pictures. That's a result of selective picture posting. In reality she cries a lot. She is quite expressive and when things don't go her way she cries. Things don't go her way often. Here she is mad after I told her she can't pull the seedlings up.
 

I don't remember what caused this crying incident. It could have been anything. Nyla cries at least a dozen times per day.
 

Every once in a while there is tandem crying. Nyla was standing on the chair looking out the window and was interfering with Bohdin's ability to do the splits on the chair. Bohdin was interfering with Nyla's ability to look out the window n peace. I like the picture better without the explanation but I know somebody will ask.
 

Squishy butt

We happened to be at the library last week during preschool story time so we joined in. Bohdin was at the very front during story time but left to go look at books druing the song/dance part. To my surprise he wanted to do the craft afterward. He has never wanted to participate in one of those in the past. In fact when we bought the tomato plants they had some craft and coloring stuff set up for the kids and we had to drag him over there to do it. Both he and Nyla made flowering trees with little pieces of tissue paper. This week we made it to the story time after a dentist appointment. Bohdin walked in and sat at the edge of a large group of kids. This is not a big deal for most kids but it was for Bohdin. He doesn't like large groups. Some of the other kids even touched him and he didn't move away. I stayed in the back with Nyla. She joined the group when it was time for the song portion. Bohdin came to the back at that point. Once again he was excited to do the craft. Today they made flowers with pipe cleaners and two pieces of paper. Nyla made one also. We had to redo Bohdin's flower because Nyla took it apart.

We have been stuck indoor forever because of the never ending rain. I can't remember the last time I saw the sun. They're predicting some sun for the weekend which will be nice. Bohdin and Nyla have tried to occupy themselves indoors. Here is Nyla riding on Bohdin's back.
 

Nyla tickling Bohdin
 

Bohidn grabbing Nyla's butt and calling her "Nyla squishy butt".
 

Bohdin wants us to play together now. He has glass stones which he is pretnding is treasure. I think I'm supposed to be the pirate that steals the treasure. He's going to attack my pirate with the cannon. I wish he had a friend to play with.