Dreambox

I signed Bohdin up for a free trial of a math game online. He really liked it at first and played about an hour the first day and again the second day. Then it became harder and he started losing interest. Today is the last day and I don't think he'll care. I was surprised at how much he accomplished in the few hours that he played. He skipped/completed kindergarten and was about 1/3 of the way through 1st grade. Almost all of that was skipping again. They do a diagnostic and if you do well enough it just skips to something harder. I wasn't impressed with the game. It focused too much on efficiency of time and moves for my liking. I think if somebody is learning something there should be room for error and correcting mistakes. For instance several of the games involved an abacus. They would flash a card and Bohdin would have to recreate it, count up the beads, click on the correct number and then hit done. One time the mouse hovered over a bead and clicked it back to the right. He clicked it back into position but they made him redo the whole thing again because he used too many moves. I really don't like that. Even if our mouse wasn't so jumpy I think one should be able to manipulate it as much as necessary before hitting done. Bohdin also didn't learn the objective they thought he did. They said he mastered addition or subtraction involving the number 10. That wasn't true. He had the correct answer but he never made the connection they thought. He also didn't learn to count by fives as they thought. He just counted by ones. I wouldn't pay for that program but it was fun to try. He did gain some confidence in counting. Bohdin wasn't always a careful counter and he's more careful now about not skipping things or counting them twice. That's the only thing I noticed him learning.

Bohdin asked to learn how to spell several months ago. I finally found the program I want to use for spelling but it involves writing also. Bohdin is completely not ready for writing yet. He said he would wait on the spelling so we'll wait and reassess in 6 months or so when he's almost 5. He's a boy so I'm not surprised.
In the meantime we'll just keep reading a lot. Bohdin is very into science right now. He's learning about the planets and physics. He is also really interested in anatomy. We checked out I think a million books from the library yesterday. He picked out subjects ranging from Oregon to Native Americans to bathtub physics experiments.

Bohdin came down with a cold last Thursday night. He didn't seem that sick. A little coughing in the morning and a slight runny nose through the day. Nyla became sick a few days later and now Buddy is sick as well. Buddy was hit the worst. I still feel fine. Nyla is snotty when she lays down.

Bohdin asked me to tell him a story yesterday about Jerry getting frozen. I didn't want to and told him to wait until daddy got home. Buddy is the one around him who usually makes up stories. So Bohdin says "But you have such a nice voice. You must tell it." This was a better way to go about it than the usual whining. Later we told stories. I told him I would tell him one if he would tell me one. Here is one of his stories as best as I can remember. I should have written it down right away.

Once upon a time Bohdin was looking for three friends. Tyken lived in the first house. N- lived in the second house and Nyla lived in the third house. Bohdin went to the first house and saw Tyken. They became friends. Then he went to the next house and made friends with N-. Then they went to the other house and made friends with Nyla. The end.

He told me another story about a diver and treasure also but I can't remember it. Next time I'll have to write down the stories.

When we went to pick up may car last week we were able to squeeze the carseats into Buddy's truck. His truck is much wider than my car so Bohdin couldn't reach Nyla anymore. He didn't like that. When I told him later that we would be getting a new car soon, I asked him how close he wanted to be to Nyla. At first his hands were about six inches apart but throughout the day he kept changing his mind and his hands got closer together. The last time he came running up to us and said I want my seat to be this close to Nyla. His hands were touching. I don't think Nyla feels the same way.

Win Some Lose Some

I drove to Bethesda Friday morning to pick up some playmobil toys I found through a craigslist ad. They were selling 3 items one of which was something Bohdin had wanted. It turns out he likes the two that weren't on his list better right now. The drive to Bethesda was longer than expected. It is certainly to far to go for maternity care. It took me over an hour and the hospital was still a little further. Nyla became cranky with the long drive.

Yesterday morning was the community yard sale. I gave each of the kids one dollar and Bohdin also took Nyla's change purse and wore it around his neck. We talked about saving his money if he didn't see anything he really liked. Buddy took the kids while I looked around. At one stall Bohdin payed one dollar for a lap chalkboard which was priced at $3.50. He found some train stuff at another table and managed to buy three trains and a lumber yard priced at $10 for $6. He did a better job negotiating than I did. Well he didn't negotiate as much as say he didn't have enough money. People take pity on a little kid I guess.

Bohdin was excited to see his horse Chocolate Candy race in the derby. I was hoping he would win since we placed some money on him. If we won we would give the money to Bohdin. I didn't like that horse but others did. I chose four horses that I liked which Buddy chose even more and place a large bet through an office pool. Prior to the race we were reading somebody's thoughts on the horses. One horse named Mine That Bird was thought to be mentally challenged by some. He was also ridiculously slow. His 50-1 odds were generous. We laughed at Paul since he placed a $2 bet on the horse to win. That horse decimated the competition and won the race. It was a stunning upset. It turns out that I or many people for that matter can't pick horses. Picking the winner of the Derby is a crapshoot. Next year I'll pick based on jockey. Congratulations to Paul though. Bohdin was upset that Chocolate Candy didn't win but he got over it pretty quickly. Maybe next time.

Red Tape

I have spent too much time trying to figure out the healthcare system. After being told earlier in the week that an appt wasn't available until mid May, I called again yesterday morning. This time I was told I didn't need an appt at all. I could just walk in and get a blood test done. So I did. The paper they gave me told me that in the event of a positive result I would need to contact either Andrews Air Force Base on the southeast side of DC or the Bethesda Naval Medical Center on the northwest side of DC. We are far far far north east. I don't particularly want to drive across DC especially if I am in labor. Buddy (and me too I guess) don't want a birth experience like we had with Bohdin. He wants it to be like Nyla where we had more respect and authority. It's too tiring to explain the runaround I've been given. My primary care provider says I can get a referrel for civilian care but I need to make an appt. I call the appt line but they can't make me an appt because I have a referrel for OB care already at a military hospital. Tricare (the insurance) says no problem, it can't be done, or here is the procedure depending on whom I speak with. I've talked to the benefits advisor who said I have to switch insurance to be able to use civilian care. On the way out of the hospital at Ft. Meade I asked a lady with a newborn where she delivered. It was in Annapolis at a civilian hospital. We have the same insurance and she had zero problems getting care. I then asked another lady with a newborn. She went to Bethesda and said it took about 45 minutes to get there without traffic. Her husband suggested I don't go into labor during rush hour. No kidding. Next I called the midwife's office again. I talked to their insurance person and I finally talked to somebody who knew something. She clearly outlined my options which nobody in the system was able to do. Now I just have to figure out which is best.

On our last hot day before the cold front came through we walked to the store for popsicles. Bohdin licked the juice off Nyla's hands.
 

It could be worse

After the police report yesterday Buddy called to have a tow truck take my car to the mechanic. Nyla woke up early because Bohdin was a punk for the first time yesterday. Nyla was tired after waiting for the police and couldn't wait to get to sleep. I didn't make Bohdin lunch before she fell asleep. Nyla would not let me leave her side yesterday while she was sleeping. Bohdin had to find his own snack. He found the chocolate chips. He came into the bedroom with chocolate covering his face. I told him to bring me the chocolate chips. He ran away. The next time he came in I asked him to bring me the chocolate chips again. He ran away. At some point I became so mad that I didn't care if Nyla woke up. I got up quickly and went into the bedroom. There was a bag of chocolate chips and a small pile in the center. I quickly grabbed as many as I could while Bohdin was doing the same. I ended up leaving some because I wanted to get back to Nyla quickly and see if she would fall asleep. As I walked out of the room Bohdin said in a sing-song voice "You didn't get them all". He ended up not eating the ones I left behind. Interestingly enough the same thing happened as I was typing this. Nyla is asleep and Bohdin became hungry. This time he came in and asked if he could have a hamburger. I was able to get up and reheat the hamburger from yesterday.

So after Nyla woke up we went outside to wait for the tow truck that was supposed to be there any minute. After two hours I was hungry and had to come in for a snack. In the meantime the tow truck company had been called again and a new time estimate was given. After I ate a quick snack (Nyla and Bohdin didn't want any) we went outside again. At this point we had been outside waiting for hours. One and half hours in the morning and another two in the afternoon. Bohdin was hot, grumpy, tired, and hungry. Soon he started crying. That made Nyla cry. She pushed him away from me and clung onto me. I turned on the garden hose they had outside and that bought us a few more minutes of peaceful waiting. At 4 we came in. Our initial pickup time was no later than 1:30. Bohdin was still an emotional mess when we came inside. I found Tom and Jerry for him on YouTube while Nyla and I took a bath. A new tow company was called out. I called them and asked to be notified when they were close. No problem they said. The tow truck would be there within 45 minutes. I gave Bohdin the potato and vegetables I made earlier and he devoured them. He then ate another potato and a hamburger. Fifteen minutes past the deadline I called the tow company again. "He's close. I told him to call you. It will be 10-15 more minutes." Twenty minutes pass and no tow truck. I call again. No answer. I call one more time. It clicks. I feel like he is not taking my calls so I go to the neighbor and ask to use their phone. The same guy picks up. He tells me he is on the line right now with the driver and then hangs up on me. So we have to call and request a third tow company. They are scheduled to arrive between 6 and 7 am. Now I know why there are so many abandoned vehicles on the side of the road around here. One could wait days for a tow truck to show up. The tow truck did show up this morning so my car is now at the mechanic.

Buddy was really mad after the second tow company didn't show up as promised. He dropped off some books at the library and ran into someone who had driven up from Annapolis to get a car part. The car died and she had no way to get back to the homeless shelter where she was living. Buddy called me and said he would be home later since he was dropping somebody off in Annapolis. Instead of driving her though he just sat with her and listened while the social workers drove up to give her a hand. Buddy gave her all the cash he had in his wallet. I hope it was enough. Buddy came home not mad anymore since he saw things could be much worse.

Bohdin has been waking up early ever since the time change. Almost every morning he is up before 7 and it is usually well before 7, like just after 6. It doesn't matter what time he goes to sleep he still wakes up early. Last night he went to sleep at 6 and hopefully caught up on some much needed sleep.

In the late afternoon I was able to call one of the midwife groups to interview them. The receptionist told me they do tours every Monday at 7pm. That time doesn't really work for me though. I asked if there was any way I could just speak to one on the phone. You would think I was asking for something really difficult and unreasonable. I never was able to talk to anybody on the phone but the receptionist did mention that my insurance require a referral. Well that's pretty dumb but I called for an appointment with my primary care manager. I was told an appointment was available today at 11:30. That might have been fine if I had a vehicle. The next available appointment is May 15th. It will be a lot of work to go see a midwife before June.

I forgot to mention something yesterday. The paperwork for Buddy's extension is still sitting on somebody's desk. It's still waiting for approval. As of right now his military commitment will be over in November. We'll be exploring our options in the coming weeks. Buddy is interested in looking at a Civil Affairs job in the military. He also has the job at United waiting for him in Denver. We may also stay here like we intended last month. Also we are still waiting to hear back on that rental house. Maybe it's a good thing that the paperwork was never signed and we couldn't find a place to rent. It let's us think about what would be best now that our family situation is changing.

Lots of news

I kid Bohdin around all the time about having another baby. He always says we shouldn't have a baby because I only have two breasts. There just isn't enough room. I can't remember if we had this conversation Friday morning. Bohdin, Nyla, and I were sitting on the bed talking about her stuffed dog and doll when Bohdin turned excitedly to Nyla and told her "We're going to have a baby! You're going to have a sister." I told him that we were not going to have a baby. These things take a long time and stuff along that line. His comment stuck with me throughout the day so I pulled out a pregnancy test just to prove him wrong. The test was positive. I was stunned. I thought it must be a false positive. I didn't think I was pregnant. Another test the following day confirmed it. I guess. I'm still having a hard time believing it. I guess around Christmas we'll have anther baby. Throughout the weekend Bohdin changed from sister to twins to brother.

We called to break the news to several people on Sunday. The best reaction came from my dad who matter of factly stated that three is a minimum. He also went on to say that 3 wouldn't be any harder than 2. There are people out there who feel that more than two children is a crime against the planet. If this is true, I have more crimes to confess:

1. I buy Tyson chicken. Not only are the chickens treated poorly but the poop is a serious contributor to the pollution of the Chesapeake Bay.
2. I don't always recycle. I throw stuff away that will be in a landfill for centuries. I buy stuff with bulky packaging. I use plastic sandwich bags.
3. I use fossil fuels. I dry my clothes in the dryer. I use air conditioning. I drive.

Saturday morning we went to a plant sale to pick up some tomato plants. Bohdin chose Dino Egg and Chocolate Stripe. We only had room for one of his choices so we put back Chocolate Stripe. I chose a small tomato called Sweet Pea Currant. I hope they grow well for us. We planted spinach and lettuce seeds also (organic seeds - I'm not a total planet destroyer). Later Bohdin and Buddy went to the robot festival at the Electronics Museum while Nyla and I stayed home. Bohdin seemed to have a fun time. He talked about the fighting robots and playing with the Rockenbok stuff.

 

It was hot this weekend and on Sunday Bohdin was complaining about being sweaty, Nyla was too hot to nap, and we were all just withering in the heat. I had to turn the AC on. Nyla finally fell asleep while Bohdin and Buddy went to ChuckECheese. They were trying to go somewhere cooler. Bohdin said he won lots of tickets. He brought home plastic binoculars, two crazy straws, and some candy.

This morning we were planning a trip to the library and then a stop at the playground. After buckling the kids I opened my door and saw something amiss. Somebody had tried to steal my car. Except for the ignition stuff and steering column, nothing was touched. My GPS was sitting right there in plain sight. It seems like such a random car to try to steal. The car is worth less than $4000. The policeman said that a 2000 Honda Civic was stolen nearby. They were looking for my exact car but somehow bungled the theft of mine. Better to have damage than a stolen car especially since we did all of that maintenance last week. Now we'll have to get it towed to the mechanic and get it fixed. It should cost a few hundred dollars. I think Buddy left the car unlocked after he drove it yesterday. There weren't any signs of forced entry. That was a lucky break. It would suck to have to replace the window also.

 

Buddy came home from work and waited with me for the cop. We all began to wither in the heat eventually (it will be 90 today). The kids played outside a bit and were excited to see daddy during the day. I just finished the outfit that Nyla is wearing. There are a few things about it I don't like but overall it's okay.
 
 

Stick Collection

The weather has been so pleasant we have been to the playground several times this week. Yesterday I let Nyla go without a diaper for the first time. She peed in her pants but I had a backup pair. She's not quite ready to be in public without a diaper yet. Maybe this summer. She does pretty well around the house though.

 

Bohdin started a stick collection several months ago. Almost every time we go outside he finds a stick to add to the collection. Recently he has been picking some really big ones. Today he dragged home a stick that was twice as long as he was. He never goes out and plays with his collection or even really looks at it. He's not attached to any sticks. He just likes bringing them home. The hunting is the best part.
 

Bohdin wanted to put Nyla in the sling yesterday when she was super fussy. I didn't think that was a good idea but Nyla latched on to the idea and wanted to put her baby in the sling.
 

I've been without a car for a few days as our vehicles are gettin some maintainance done. Yesterday Bohdin wanted to play with the pool toy I bought for the summer. I told him I would get a bowl of water he could use after eating dinner. I thought they were done eating dinner and put the bowl outside. Instead Bohdin and Nyla were sitting next to each other eating their fried rice. They saw the bowl of water and put their food down to start playing. It would have been too difficult to take it back at that point so I let them play. Buddy called and said he was on his way. I changed a soaked Nyla so we could pick up Buddy's truck. As we're about to head out the door Bohdin asks if he can take some food because he is hungry. Bohdin devoured the food I packed for Buddy as if he hadn't eaten in days. I'll set up that bowl of water again. It was pretty popular.

Jump

Several weeks ago Buddy set up a jumping spot for Bohdin and Nyla. It has become a very popular spot that is used almost daily. It's a nice quiet way to use some energy wihout disturbing the neighbors. It's also a good activity since I don't need to be involved. Much better than spinning chair or pulling a wagon forever. Actually only Bohdin will pull Nyla in the wagon. I refuse. Her cries are louder and more insistent when she wants to keep going than for not starting.