Pass the Band-Aids

(Warning: Minorly graphic pictures of bumps and scrapes in this post. It's really not bad but I feel like you are supposed to advise about these things.)

So as I remind everyone constantly, most of my time is spent taking care of a 31 pound picky eater with a fluctuating appetite, short attention span, ever-changing moods and a huge, monster love for climbing, jumping, and you know, any kind of physical activity really. Now that the weather has finally turned nice, we are outside a lot a lot a lot. (Sunny days + warm air) ± (shorts and Crocs) + running¹⁰ = BOO BOO SEASON. 

Since the last time I posted, there have been a few major incidences, only one of which landed us in the emergency room. About 10 days ago, Ashton was outside playing with a toy firetruck, pushing it way too fast and those damned Crocs...he tripped and fell and sliced the bottom corner of his lip open.

It doesn't look that big, but then, Ashton's not that big so size is all relative. That's an authentic teardrop too. Anyway, it was really deep in person blah blah and I had one of those moments where I felt totally frozen. Jason was at work and of course it was a Sunday so the pediatrician wasn't open. Do I take him to the ER? Do I not? Sigh. I packed up and went. Luckily it was not the 6 hour affair it was the last time. They told me that if it were any other spot, they'd stitch, but with toddlers they do not have success with sutures holding in that area. Home we went and by 2 pm Ashton was asleep in his crib. Don't worry, we went for another walk that afternoon, Ashton fell again and got more scrapes on his face. Oh the joy.

OVERALL OUCH FACTOR: 6+
(+ stands for ERVN - emergency room visit needed)
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We are 2 for 2 with his knees. They actually look worse right now - this picture is a few days old.

OVERALL OUCH FACTOR: 4

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And then, last night. Ohhhh, last night. I picked Ashton up, we went to the grocery store and then took a walk around the block before dinner. There is some road construction nearby and he is obsessed with tractors, trucks, bulldozers and backhoes. So we went to take a look.

Then we collected a few pebbles and fed them to the sewer.

We were having a nice walk, full of adventure ;) And then, ugh. He stood up on the curb and was walking along it. I took out my iPhone to get his picture but realized my camera roll was full (as it often is). So I flipped through and was quickly deleting to make space for new ones and that's when he fell. :( Right off the curb and faceplanted into the street. He split his forehead up by his hairline, scratched the side of his nose and blood was going everywhere. I could not believe how fast it flowed! I stripped his t-shirt and used it to try to apply pressure and get the gravel out of his mouth and nose...he was screaming. It was awful. We were two streets from home and I ran back with a shirtless, bloody toddler in my arms and called Jason no less than 6 times. He ended up coming home from work for 20 minutes to help me clean out the cut (I couldn't see how bad it was because his hair was matted and he wouldn't let me near it). Luckily, I did not see his skull gaping through which is what I had braced myself for (I can be, as they say, a bit dramatic). I was praying not to have to go to the emergency room for stitches and aside for the monstrous egg on his forehead, he seemed to be ok. I, on the other hand, was still crying long after Ashton had stopped.

OVERALL OUCH FACTOR: 7.5
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Yes, I know kids get hurt. Yes, I know little boys especially. It still doesn't make it any easier. Twice in the past ten days (three times actually, he fell and bit his lower lip that resulted in bleeding too), Ashton has fallen on his face and started crying. There is literally that moment of dread, like Oh my god, right before you pick them up when you wonder what you are going to find: where the cut is, how deep is it, if all his teeth will be there, etc. It's hard :-/

But for Ashton, nothing above compares to the worst pain of all. Not one of his injuries in the last couple of weeks can compare to the dreaded haircut. This event warranted a very public pacifier both before and after. That's when you know it's bad. That awful salon! And all those poor hairs, cut within an inch of their lives...I didn't get a "during" picture, you can imagine why.

OVERALL OUCH FACTOR: 10. It's been a tough couple of weeks.

Mother's Day 2013

So we had our second annual Mother's Day yesterday and Ashton and I had a great time together. Besides the fact that he scowled in virtually every picture. The one thing I wanted was a cute smiling-family photo and after a lot of tickly poking:

I got this:

Ashton "Stone Face" Nill. Ah well. It was a pretty low-key day. Jason's family was visiting from Long Island for the weekend so Ashton got to spend Mother's Day with his grandma too! Look how excited he was about it:

 It wasn't you Grandma! He just wasn't into pictures. But then Chera and Owen came over for brunch and he pepped up slightly:

We ate and played with some toys and then, it was just me and Ashton. Everyone left and Jason went to work so after his nap, we hit Home Goods (my pick) and then went for a walk (his pick) and enjoyed my gorgeous flowers. It's often just the two of us after 4:30 pm so we are used to entertaining ourselves. 

And that was Mother's Day part deux. What a difference a year makes...

 The question is, do I look better or worse? Wait. Don't answer that.

21 months

That's one and three quarters, for the layperson.

Usually at the nice round numbers of age, we have a pediatrician appointment and I can report all the new stats. But not this time folks - go ahead and lean back in those seats. We are on a long stretch without any well-visits and Ashton doesn't go again until 24 months (two, for the layperson). I'm no expert, but I think this is pretty accurate:

Height: tall
Weight: heavy
Teeth: lots
Head: hard

That about sums it up. Oh, and if anyone wants to buy him anything, he's a 2T (3T pajama) and size 7 shoe.

Here's what else 21 months looks like around here:

Biggest challenge: It's a tie, between being not quite counter height and staying awake during lunch.

Alias: Pigpen. This kid gets DIRTY (see cheeks above right) and has ripped two pairs of pants in the past week. He also likes to use his hair as a napkin during mealtimes.

Favorite word: TITS. He means, of course, "grapes".

Most improved skill: teeth brushing. He used to thrash, whine and jerk his head away when I tried to do it. Now he goes and gets the stool, climbs on, and holds the toothbrush under the water before putting in his mouth and chewing on it licking it "brushing". In another couple of weeks he will have all his teeth in except for his 2 year molars. Pearly whites!

Obsession: belly buttons. His, mine, yours. They are fascinating.

Most likely found at: the top of the slide.

Record number of "Buh byes": 5. Now, when a little toddler tells you "Buh bye!" you can't not echo the sentiment. You have to say it back otherwise you're just rude. The problem is, Ashton will keep repeating it and he trapped our poor neighbor last night into saying it FIVE times. I dragged him from the sidewalk, up the front steps and then through the door and it was like this the entire way:

Ashton: "Buh bye!" (waving)
Neighbor: "Bye Ashton!" (waving back)
Ashton: "Bye!"
Neighbor: "Goodbye!"
Ashton: "mmmm bye!"
Neighbor: "Bye! Good night!"
Ashton: "Buh byyyye..."
Neighbor: "Bye bye."
Ashton: "BYE! Buh bye!"
Neighbor: "[haha] Okay! Buh bye, yes! Buh bye." (still waving, by the way)
Ashton: "Bye..." (ALSO still waving until I finally shut the door behind us and cut him off. Phew. He said it one more time when I put him down and then ran off to find his cars. Longest goodbye ever.

Versions of the word "No": 8. (Most popular: "NOOOOOOoo" with a gradual descent in tone. I don't know if you've heard, but things are rarely satisfactory around here.)

Biggest "When did you get so big?" moment: It's time to get a potty. In the last month, when he goes, 75% of the time he will come find you and say "Poo-poo!" and he knows it is time for a diaper change. Earlier this week we were getting ready for his tubby and he kept tugging at his diaper and saying it. I said, "But Ashton, you haven't gone yet - there isn't any poo-poo in there." He persisted, pulling his diaper and then:

"Ashton, do you have to GO poo-poo?? Right now? OMG!" So I stripped him and perched him on the toilet like as fast as I could. He smiled. I held him there for a full minute, waiting and literally composing my text to Jason in my head that Ashton had gone on the potty and then, obviously, he didn't go. Oh well. But he looked so proud to be up there. This has happened one more time since then and you can tell he thinks sitting on the toilet is a HUGE adventure. The joke might be on me. But I still can't believe that we are approaching such a big kid thing.

Worst meal: Dinner. Conveniently the one that Jason misses 5 nights a week. I don't know what it is, but dinner isn't enough. This kid wants dinner and a show. Or some kind of entertainment. Unless his food is hidden in something, presented in a new container, grouped by color or in a sauce, he won't eat it. And his preferences change daily. Most days I throw the kitchen sink at him because I never know what will win him over.

If you asked me what Ashton ate for dinner, I'd say: "Well, some watermelon, but only after he stacked the halved grapes on top. A quarter of an avocado, but only when it was scooped directly out of the skin, and with a spoon NOT a fork. Cottage cheese, out of the original container, with a fork NOT a spoon. Some beef and cheese quesadilla - just the pieces that had salsa on them. The ones that touched the sour cream or were plain he threw on the floor. Oh, and a sharp piece of potato chip. That he used to spear the pieces of the quesadilla that only had salsa on them. No fork or spoon for that, JUST the chip. Lastly, some string cheese, that he ate as long as he had a piece in each hand. Always a piece for each hand. And water of course, in the blue sippy. Like I would consider the green one. Until tomorrow, when everything I just said will be reversed."

Sigh: He has now joined the 3 billion other males out there that know where their penis is. I'd say I'm so proud but they are the only ones that think they deserve a medal for this.

Ad Nauseum Book: Collection of Nursery Rhymes featuring Mickey Mouse. This will become Ashton's second book club book - stand by.

Biggest procrastination: I own this one. The great PACIFIER PHASEOUT PLAN has commenced. Pacis in cribs only, for sleepy time. But this kid can whine me to death and I have been known to break my own rules. This is going to be very tough, in all seriousness. Ashton goes to sleep and wakes up with a paci in his mouth and one in each hand. Yikes. My head keeps saying, "He's too big for a paci!" but my heart responds, "He's still a baby!" :-/

So, somewhere between a baby and a big kid, this has been the 21 month report. Busy as always. xo

My first pin

Honestly, I've stopped going on Pinterest. It makes me feel inadequate. Given the time, I'm pretty sure Pinterest could help me make everything in my life magazine-perfect, from my hair to my house, but I was spending too much time pinning and not enough time DOING. And I was developing a complex. All these great ideas, sooo many great ideas, and truthfully I have never brought even one of my pins to fruition.

[pause for dramatics] 

UNTIL NOW.

The lucky winner of my time was this pin. It promised me like-new, clean cookie sheets after years of abuse. You KNOW you have one that looks like this:

Or worse. I do, in fact, have worse but this is my favorite, half-sheet Sur la Table pan that I use every day so I decided to start here. In my case, this is night after night of cooking Ashton's chicken fingers, tater tots, and fish sticks and never properly cleaning it because there is simply too much other stuff that ALSO needs cleaning. Including but not limited to: the floors, the walls, the counters, the sink, the dishes, the highchair and Ashton himself. But I digress.

The pin is really simple. Put about 1/4 cup baking soda into a small bowl and add just enough hydrogen peroxide to make a paste. I smeared it on and, maybe a little too eagerly, immediately started scrubbing.

Hmmm. Let's just say I was afraid this post was going to be more like a before and...well, before. The pan was laughing at me. I double-checked the original website off of Pinterest- she had tested this method on a flat cookie sheet and specifically noted corners and grooves are the toughest. And of course, mine had grooves - 66 to be exact.

So I mixed more paste and let it sit for a few minutes...voila! You know those little wooden BBQ skewers? They are my all purpose cleaning tool for hard to reach spots and I scraped all 66 grooves out, plus the middle circle.

Welllll...

More or less my sentiments. A bit better but not the "MIRACLE" the pin had promised me. After pouring 30 whole minutes of my evening into this, I had had enough, so maybe it's my fault. I might try it with one of my flat pans. Maybe like a year from now. Last time I checked, Pinterest was not calling to photograph my cookie sheets so really, who cares. But I feel slightly productive having pinned something and then actually done it. That's the moral here.

The star of the show will be back in my next post. 21 months tomorrow!

p.s. this post is dedicated to my mom. Now she knows how poorly I have taken care of the pan she got me :-/