Hap Birt Fen Go Ors

Fenton just recently celebrated his 1 1/2 birthday, and of course we celebrated by taking him to the doctor for a well visit (including shots).

Fenton is at that precious age of knowing all too well what's going on, but having no idea why it happens.   He happily played in the lobby.  He was charming to the nurses.  He pointed to the dogs on the TV and the fish in the tank.  But then he realized what was going on.  Once we were in our room, the nurse came in and he was a bit unsure.  When she brought out the measuring tape to measure his head, he was sure.  Sure he didn't want to be there.  Sure something bad, real bad, was about to happen.

After getting his height measured...

 

After a torturous height and weight measurement, she left and he calmed down, only to have the doctor come in and, get this, listen to his heart with a stethoscope!  And if you thought that was bad (he did), looking in his ears might as well have been removing his fingernails.  The poor guy was crying, clutching his Doodle Board as his only means of security (never mind that I am holding him), shaking and sobbing.

Finally, because no one could really talk over the screaming, the doctor left and Fenton started to regain his composure.  But then the nurse came back in for his one single shot (and last one until he is four), which even though it took 1.2 seconds, you might have thought he was being stuck with needles for hours.

Despite all the fuss, the resilient little guy was happily squeaking on his walk back to the car, pointing out birds and squirrels.

Happy once again...

Data-lover that I am, here are the stats:

80% for height / 50% for weight.  Yep...typical Orsetti spaghetti-monster kid.

Characterizing the kids

Today the kids got to dress up for school as their favorite book character. The school did not want any store-bought costumes or anything fancy.  The kids were to have to talk about their character, so it had to be from something they read.

Adelaide chose to be Junie B. Jones from Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus:

 

Kestian chose to be the fox from Do Like a Duck Does!

Don't make fun of me.  I didn't have much to work with and only a few days notice. I'm just glad Kestian happened to already have a pair of orange pants and an orange/grey shirt.

Creating a martyr

I just know I've told this story before, but I'll be dammed if I can find it on the blog.  I've written several posts on the kids' memory, and I feel like this story is a seminal piece to any memory/guilt discussion on the kids.  But neither this post, nor this post has any mention of it, nor can I find anything about it with some other searches.  Strange.  Very strange.

"Whatever are you talking about, Laura?" 

Oh, hi!  I didn't realize you were there!  What am I talking about?  Oh.  Computers.  I'm talking about computers.  Well, not "computers" but these Leap Frog things that Kestian thinks were computers.  These things:

It's a Leap Frog reading thing, where you have these books and cartridges and you, as the "reader," can read along by using the pen to select things.  I got these used at a consignment sale, and they were only moderately well-received by the kids.  I was annoyed with them because they ate batteries and we've never really liked Leap Frog things anyway.  So I put them out of sight and, since no one seemed to notice, a few months later I put them in a yard sale. 

You'll note from this post I did about the yard sale that it was September 29 2008.  At that time the kids were about 3 1/2.  In case you have been wondering lately whether someone can really have clear memories from when they were 3 1/2, I am here to tell you:  Yes.  Oh yes. 

So yes, we were having this yard sale and most of the stuff was clothes, a bunk bed, and whatever else.  But included were some kid's toys that I didn't want around any more.  Since no one seemed to miss the Leap Frog thingies, they were put in the sale too.

Everything was going swimmingly until someone started looking at the Leap Frog things just as Kestian, who up until that point was more interested in running up and down the driveway than anything else, noticed.  It was like the Perfect Storm. 

"Miss, how much is this?" 
"Mommy, are you selling that?" 
"Uh, 5 bucks for the two." 
"Mommy, why are you selling that?" 
"Sure, I'll take it." 
"Great!  Kestian, what's that over there?" 

Soon he was distracted by other things, but not too long after he started asking, "Where is my computer?  Did you sell my computer at the sale?"   (Did I mention that he had not seen this thing for months and not once asked for it? OK, good.  I need a witness.) 

When he wouldn't drop it, I looked him squarely in the eye and said, "Ha!  As if it was anything like a computer.  Son, don't you realize it was some crappy toy?  Go bug your father."

Ok, I never said that, but something more like "Well, we just didn't need them anymore and you can play on real computers.  Real computers!  Aren't real computers so much better?!"

"No, I want my computer...  You shouldn't have sold my computer."

And that's where it still stands today.  This conversation has been replayed now, every few months, for the last 3 years!  This child will not let it go.  I know deep down he holds this resentment towards me for selling the toy.  The toy he only occasionally played with.  The toy that wasn't a big deal until I tried to get rid of it. The toy that was not anything close to a computer. 

And believe you me, I've learned my lesson. These days, if I ever tell them that I'm getting ready for a sale, Kestian (and now Adelaide gets in on it too) makes me pinky swear that I am not going to sell any of their toys without their permission.  And they are serious too.  The only reason we don't have a notary present is because they are not yet aware of its existence.  And while I think Kestian remembers the yard sale and all that went down that day, because his memory is just that awesome, I also think a part of his "memory" is based on these repeated discussions, much like the way our ancestors would tell stories to keep memories and traditions alive.

Yeah.  Great tradition.  That is what we have now. A story firmly and completely locked into the Orsetti Family Lore, never to be forgotten.  A whole playroom of toys, but this is what he always brings up. Let me tell you, I break out in hives now every time I think about throwing away a crumpled piece of paper that they scribbled on.  "Mommy, why did you throw away my art?  Don't you love me?"

So the other day, as the kids were getting in to bed, I saw an old deteriorating toy. A toy that was mine long before the kids were ever thought of, thankyouverymuch!  A toy that I never see them play with!  A toy that is not a "computer."  Trying to stay true to my word of never getting rid of anything of theirs without talking to them first about it, I  casually mentioned that maybe it was time to let this one go. 

"What do you mean let it go?" 
"Well, you know, like get rid of it?" 
"Get rid of it?  Why should we get rid of it?" 
"Look at it.  It's really old and the stuff is falling off his jacket and hat." 
"No, we can't get rid of it.  Why would you do that?" 
"Well, just think about it.  We don't have to do anything right now."

I thought I ended the conversation well.  No tricks, no deception. Everyone was in the loop. We were working together.

Then last night, Kestian brought it up to Damon, who after comforting his nearly-in-tears-son, asked me "Did you say you were going to get rid of Kestian's toy?"  Oh God.  It seems that I forgot the other half of how things work around here.  That Kestian will think and think about something, long after no one else seems to be thinking about it, his mind brewing like an Owensboro burgoo. And also much like burgoo, once the notion is brought up, it will always exist somewhere in his mind to be brought up later, over and over, just to grind the guilt sword in a little bit deeper.  (Huh?  How is that like burgoo? Oh hush!  Go eat some burgoo.  Burgoo! Burgoo! Burgoo!)

And this is why I can now never get rid of Mr. Penguiny.

  aka Detective Penguin

Propensities

I don’t have hair hanging down in my eyes. I haven’t had it for most of my life, yet when I am stressed I will run my hands through the front part of my hair in a slight grasping way as if it was still falling down my forehead. Even now, with my hair probably no more than an inch and a half long, when I do it I feel like there should be much more there. But it isn’t. It hasn’t been for about half my life.

I would think I do this because of all of those years with horribly shaggy haircuts as a kid giving me the habit, but I’m not so sure now. Kestian does something similar by moving the hair off his forehead, and his hair has rarely been very long. Even with a fresh haircut he does that, and it is very obvious when he fusses over it when he lets me brush his hair (though he refuses any hair brushing anymore, even after a bath).

So I think my hair thing wasn’t due to my ragged mop of hair when I was a kid, but instead is just some propensity that I have and that I seem to have passed it on to Kestian.

I can see lots of the propensities that my kids have inherited from me. Little things that obviously they didn’t learn, and are not any OCD things (and I assure you, I can tell the difference). (Oh, Adelaide has taken to using “I assure you” in conversation lately, which undoubtedly is learned but is definitely from me).

I have never been a breakfast eater. Literally, never. As far back as I can remember, I just haven’t liked to eat much breakfast, and I can distinctly remember realizing this when I was in first grade (the kids’ age!). It is a combination of things, including probably some acid reflux issues (being on Zantac increases my ability to eat breakfast), but even then I just don’t like much in the morning. Heck, mostly I just get something to drink and skip it altogether.

So when Adelaide explains that she just doesn’t like eating in the morning, I totally understand. I mean, she has to eat something, but I am not going to force her to eat the ungodly huge meals that her brother eats (seriously kid, you’ve had three pieces of cinnamon toast, two bowls of serial sans milk, and a banana and you are still hungry?). The way she acts and the what she says makes me totally understand that she is just never going to be a breakfast person; she is just like her father.

Well, except for drinking. With Adelaide, having a cup of liquid with a meal is obstacle that is not usually ever tackled until after everything is eaten, and even then after we remind her. I cannot even FATHOM doing that! I drink a lot, and I do mean a LOT. No, not alcohol (sometimes, but I don’t drink alcohol a lot when I do drink it...screw you Paul!). I mean water, juice, soda, tea. I drink multiple cups with every meal, and I drink along with the meal (even though I don’t drink much wine, I totally get that it is part of the meal). All throughout the day, I always have a cup with me and I will refill it a lot. Today, for example, I peed five times before 10:00 NOT including my first pee of the morning, and that isn’t unusual since I probably drank 50 ounces of liquid in that time.

Kestian does that too. Ok, maybe not the drinking as much as me during the day, but he definitely drinks during the meal and will often have seconds (or more) of drink. Is that because he likes the sugar? Nope, our kids drink water probably 75% of the time.

I love the weird amalgamation of food behaviors that they share with me. I would make a chart, but instead here is a little list!
-Morning Meal
-Kestian: Big morning appetite (not like me)
-Adelaide: Small/nonexistent morning appetite (like me!)
-Drinks at Meals
-Kestian: Drinks a lot (like me!) during meals (like me!)
-Adelaide: Drinks if reminded (not like me) after meal (not like me)

Come on kids, why can’t one of you be exactly like me in all things eating? Adelaide actually requested a pickle at dinner and ate it (pickles are great!), but she also likes tuna sandwiches (so much disgusting there). Kestian likes all kinds of cheese, and the other day wanted super extra Romano cheese on his pasta (like me!) but complained because the pasta sauce had meat in it (not at all like me!). They also have differing views of broccoli and cauliflower, with one wanting it steamed and the other wanting it raw, and I’ll be damned if I know which one wants what (I do know, A: steamed, K: fresh), but it is weird because I love them done either way but for different reasons. Even when we have the same tastes, we don’t.

These amazing miracles of little people are part me, sometimes in very different and almost complementing way with each other. I am reminded of this every time I am stressed and run my hand through my hair; there is not a better way to encapsulate this than with hair. Adelaide has my color but not my texture or thickness. Kestian has my texture and thickness, but not my color. Seriously, Adelaide’s hair color is pretty much a good match for mine, and Kestian’s everything else (swirls included) is EXACTLY like mine. Let us hope that is the extant of their similarities to my hair.

I say "Fenton," you say "The Ball"

Everyone always comments about how Fenton looks so much like his older brother.  I used to think so too, but more and more he looks less and less like him, especially when you look at pictures where they are the same age:

Kestian - 1 1/2

 Fenton - 1 1/2

Sure, there are similarities, but I think he looks more and more like Adelaide, except blonde...

Adelaide - 1 1/2

 

At least I think so.  I'm sure one day soon he will grow tired of these comparisons, but even he tries everything he can to be like his older siblings.

That being said, Damon has been going through the blog from when the kids were Fenton's age (holy crap! that's five years ago!) and it has been very interesting to see just how similar Fenton is to when Kestian and Adelaide were his age.  Here is a post from October 2006 where I talked about the words that the kids were saying.  Is Fenton right about where the kids were at his age?  Let's compare!

Words that K and A Were Saying	Words that F Says
Uh-oh	Uh-oh (more like "Uh-oooo")
Bobbee (bottle)	(Hmmm...I don't think he ever says "bottle."  He knows what it is if I say it, but usually if he wants something to drink he'll say "muh, muh" which I guess either means "milk" or "more" or something in between)
Puppy	(Amazingly, Fenton LOVES dogs but doesn't say "Puppy" when he sees one.  All he can get out is a high-pitched squeal with lots of finger pointing)
Ckkcckkcceeee (cookie)	Crkkrrr (He doesn't say "cookie" but does say "cracker")
Cccrrrccrrr (crayon)	(nope...nothing even close)
Moh (more)	Moh (more)
Bah (ball)	The Ball (No, not "Ball"  but "The Ball".  Being that it's his favorite toy, it's also one of his favorite words.  When he's not playing with one, he's usually calling for one)
Mommy/Mama [They say this, but don’t call me it]	Mama (I'd say that he sometimes calls me this, but sometimes I think he's referring to the shirt I am wearing)
Daddy/Papa [They say this, but don’t call Damon it. Interestingly, in our house we only use Papa, as that is Damon’s preference, but they still say Daddy fairly often. I notice it because when they do say it, Damon is always trying to correct them: “Daddy.” “Papa.” “Daddy.” “Papa.”…]	Papa (He'll sometimes say Papa, but still I don't think he's using it to refer to Damon, although he does often look at Damon when we say "Papa" to him)
No	No (this is a new one for him)
Uh-uh	(Not sure if he says this, but he does nod in the affirmative to just about anything you ask him)
Baby [Addy calls her teletubbie Laa-Laa this, without ANY prompting – her idea completely – and yes, she is still pretty attached to it]	Baby (more like "Bay-beeee")
Daghkaaaa! (Your guess is as good as mine. I'd say that this is actually probably Kes' first word, as he started saying it loooong before anything else. There are other strange words that they both use,but I just can’t figure out what they mean.)	(WTF?)

There are some other words that Fenton says on a fairly regular basis too:

• Book (and he says this as well as you and I say it)
• Bye or Bye-Bye (including hand wave)
• Purple (more like "Prh-plll" usually in reference to one of two puzzle pieces he is always carrying around, the other being orange)
• Me or My (more like Meeeeeeeee or Myyyyyyyyyyy)
• KihKih (trying to say Kestian; he doesn't have anything for Adelaide yet)

There may be others, but I can't remember any more right now...


Signs
The kids also knew some sign language back then, and so does Feton...:

K and A	F
More	More
Eat	(He never does "eat" when he wants to eat, but instead goes to the pantry, gets a box of graham crackers out, and does "more")
Done	Done
Please	Please
	Baby
	Ball

So I guess Fenton is right about where the older kids were at his age.  I was starting to think that Fenton was behind in his speech, but kids develop speech at different rates and I shouldn't be comparing Fenton to other kids (only to Kestian and Adelaide!).

Now, according to family lore, we've always said that Kestian and Adelaide's first words were "Uh-Oh" and "Down" (for each of them).  It's true that early on those were some of the first things they would say ("Uh-oh" in reference to something falling or dropped, "Down" because they used to always stand on this toy and we'd always yell "Down!  Get down!").  I don't know what we'd say Fenton's official first words are.  We have this list above, and some words he was saying before others, but sometimes we can't tell it's a word until later on when we realize what's he been saying all along.  If I had to pick a few first words from the list, I'd have to go with: Bye, The Ball, More, Uh-Oh, and Baby, perhaps with The Ball and More being The First.

Interestingly, the same post five years ago refers to how we had just moved the kids out of our bed into their own beds.  Fenton still sleeps in our bed and I'm holding onto that as long as I can.  His babyness seems to be slipping away every day.

So ridiculous

As in ridiculously cute!

We just got Fenton's pictures back from picture day and I just love these.  I know, I am biased...but they turned out pretty well.  Why can't I get him to sit still when I want to take his picture? Oh, I mean, besides the fact that I don't have a good camera, I don't have some big shiny lights, I don't have some cool backdrop, and I don't have 100 other kids doing the exact same thing so as to add a little peer pressure to the situation.  Other than that....

 

"A Pumpkin Patch Post"

Another weekend, another pumpkin patch. Such is our life...

This round we went to Evan's Orchard. We've been a couple of times, but I guess we haven't been in a few years. This year it was packed and I swear they have doubled their playground. Here's a post from 2006 where we got a few pumpkins and played in the hay maze. Then we visited again in 2008, and they had built more slides and some others things and the kids happily played. Damn, they were so cute back then!

Ahh, but this year it was a madhouse. We wanted to pick some apples, but sadly all the good ones had been picked and we only came home with about a half-dozen. The rest of the time there was spent in the playground area. That may not seem like much, but we probably spent two hours just in the play area. Here are the remnants of my picture sifting...

"Don't Squish the Squash"

"Little Lady Adelaide-y"

"Ol' Sideways-Sitten' Kestian"

"God is a Scarecrow"

"Season Reflections"

"Trail Blazers"

"Slim Pickin'"

"There's Gold in Them Thar Hills"

"Bee Keen"

"I Got Nothin"

"An Ode to Georgia O'Keeffe"

"Queen of the Mountain"

"Does Your Mother Know You're On This?"

"Peek But No Boo"

"Bushels of Fun Playland"

"Crazy Maze"

"Any Which Way You Can"

"Bapple Fider Mider"

"One"

"Two"

"Whee"

"A Hill of Beans"

"Rat Racers"

"Ditto"

"This is Tiresome"

"The Apple of My Eye"

"I'll Begrudgingly Stand Here; Are You Happy Now?"

"Seriously, Mom"

"What, Dear Billy Goats, is a Gruff Anyway?"

"You Don't Have to Take a Picture of Everything I Do"

"Geez, I Have a Headache. How Many More of These do I Have to Think Up?

"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot"

"C'mon Buddy. We'll Take a Vacation. I'll Get us a Ticket at Pteranodon Station"

"A Room with a View"

"No Title. So There!"

"If Only Those People Weren't in the Background"

"Dazed in the Maze"

"Frick and Frack"

"Perhaps That Was Not the Best Place to Park the RV"

"Done. And Done"