Multi-tasking. I realized this morning that I've become better at multi-tasking since Esme was born. I used to have to balance Max along with whatever else I was trying to do. Now I find myself constantly juggling at least three things at once. This morning, for example, we had a meeting at the house with our architect and a potential contractor. The discussion took place with Esme on one hip demanding food, and Max constantly interrupting the adults wanting attention. And Peter and I talking to the architect, the contractor, Max and Esme, and each other all at once. You'd think it would have been crazy, but it wasn't. Huh.
Posts
The new food network. The kids and I arrive home around 6pm on a regular workday. Max's new habit is to go to into the living room, use the stool to reach the remote control and turn on the TV to channel 29 - the Food Network. When he was younger (around Esme's age) I used to serve him dinner in his feeding chair while Rachel Ray was preparing a 30 minute meal. In fact, her name was among Max's first picture/word recognitions. Now Max tunes in for a few minutes each evening to tell me what Rachel Ray is cooking. He's also a big fan of Alton Brown (who happens to come on at bedtime and is better known here as Alton Brownie - not a coincidence I'm sure.) Esme also seems to be picking up on Max's interest in food and cooking. Last night she headed straight to the bookshelf and removed all the cookbooks that she could reach. I think she was looking for a recipe for cassoulet...
Friends. Last night Max and Esme and I were outside playing soccer (kicking a ball) when our neighbor Jason came home. He called out hello to Max and asked him what he was doing. Max immediately looked sad and said "I don't have any friends." What he meant, of course, was that Jason's daughter Emily had not come out to play that evening. About 30 minutes later we were back inside and there was a knock on the screen door. It was Emily hollering "Maxie!" (She's the only other person who ever calls him that.) When Max and I went to open the door she said "I'll be your friend Max." They spent the rest of the evening playing outdoors together.
New skills. Max wanted to play on the computer again last night, so I told him we could play after Esme went to bed. When I came downstairs after putting her down Max had moved the laptop from the side table in the living room onto the couch, opened it and turned it on. I very carefully told him that he wasn't to touch the very expensive and heavy computer without help, and was told proudly that he knew how to do it himself. We set the machine back into the docking station at the desk so he could use the mouse and he proceeded to work his way through the Charlie and Lola stories with me merely looking on. Esme is beginning to pull herself up and loves to 'walk' with help. She likes to practice her pull-ups in the bathroom where she tries to lift herself high enough to see the running water while her bath is filling. (With mommy hovering protecively near, of course.)
Rewards. The kids were home with me yesterday as I tried to balance work and play. Max was kept amused during work-related phone calls by playhousedisney.com. I'm not sure exactly where he learned it, but he knows how to use the mouse and was able to navigate himself around the site with surprising ease to play the various games on offer. He was immensely pleased with himself as well. After a pizza party with the neighbor girls I did a quick bath for Esme and Max and then we picked up Pete from the train station. As a reward for being so cooperative all day, we stopped at the ice cream parlor on the way home. Max had pink ice cream (strawberry) in a cone while Peter popped across the street to Starbucks for grown-up treats. Poor Esme was left wondering why she didn't get anything special. Soon little girl... p.s. I keep forgetting to recharge the camera, hence the lack of pictures lately. Will aim to get some this weekend before my trip to the UK next week.
Traveling. I'm heading to Washington DC this afternoon for a two-day conference, leaving Pete with full-time parent duty. As expected, Max did a 15 minute dramatic crying jag when told that I was going away for a couple of days. Once he got over it he was more interested in the fact that I was taking an Amtrak train, and thought he might like to come along too. I wish you could, kid.
A helping hand. Max and Peter mowed the lawn yesterday afternoon, a manly activity that they've been doing together since Max was learning how to walk. Peter used to carry Max on his shoulders while pushing the lawn mower. More recently Max prefers to "chase" his dad around the yard while Pete goes up and down the rows. Yesterday Max actually helped with the mowing, walking along between Peter's legs and helping to push. I expect the novelty will wear off long before Max is old enough to mow the lawn by himself, but for now he's lending a helping hand. (In case you were wondering, Esme and I sat on the bench and watched in a lady-like manner.)
Summer. We arrived home from South Lake on Monday to find that summer has arrived. Hot and humid - it's time to get out the sprinkler! Unfortunately we discovered on this trip that Esme gets car sick on windy bumpy roads - she vomitted on the way in and on the way out of camp. So that meant lots of cleaning up when we got here and a reason to get out the hose. Max and the neighbor girls have been enjoying the 'ball sprinkler' (a gift from Grandma and Grandpa last year) for the past couple of days.