Wanderlust

Suddenly I have that itch to get out of town, to explore, to see new things and to just be on the road. The last real vacation we took was our honeymoon almost three years ago, which is now just a distant memory. Unfortunately, the thought of traveling with a 15 month old just doesn't sound appealing. I can think of certain scenarios where this would work, but for the most part being out of a town with a toddler just seems like a lot work. Milo likes his routine and seems to do best when we don't deviate too far from the norm of expected nap and bed times. Traveling by definition gets you out of your norm and I'm just not sure how that would go. Still, I don't want to hold back on the traveling experience (for all of us) just because I am afraid of sleepless nights and tantruming baby.

Any thoughts on family travel with a little one? Any suggestions on where to go?

On a Brighter Note

I've come to the conclusion that summer is the golden time of being a stay at home. Summer means baby with a farmer's tan toddling toward a sprinkler. Summer is meeting friends at the park and taking long evening walks. Summer is climbing on playgrounds and going down the slide as many times as possible. Summer tastes like a popsicle melting in the warm sun. Summer is an icy drink to keep cool. Summer is weeds to pull, gardens to water and mud to play in. And all of these delightful activities result in long afternoon naps and mama reading a book in the back under a tree. Ah summer.

Sad News

We've been rather glum around these parts for the past few days. Milo's most recent allergy testing revealed what I was beginning to suspect: he is uber allergic to cats and it doesn't seem to be getting any better. I'm so sad about this because we are now looking to find Prada a new home. I feel like an awful person because I made a commitment to her to provide her with a good home and I am now negating that promise. We've been through an awful lot Prada and I have been and not having her around makes me tear up. It is also hard, because, well Prada isn't great with change and I know it is going to be really tough on her to be in a new place without me.

Still, I can't think of another way out of the situation. Milo is steadily marching into having full-blown asthma and that isn't acceptable to me. We've tried vacuuming more and keeping Prada out of Milo's room, but it doesn't seem to make a difference. So today I sent this message out to some Facebook friends and cried while pressing send:

As several of you know, we've been struggling with Milo's allergies (leading to asthma and itchy, ouchy eczema) for more than a year now. After the latest allergy test, we've come to the very sad conclusion we need to find Prada a new home. She is a great cat and deserves a loving home where she doesn't make one of the family members quite sick. Prada is on the shy side, but is very loving to her people. I've had her since 2002 when she was just a wee kitten and she is an important part of our family.

Needless to say, having to find her a new home is very difficult for all three of us. I am hoping to find her a great place to live - she likes to look out windows, but is an indoor cat through and through. She has back claws, but her front claws have been removed. I suspect she would do best with one other cat or being the only animal in the house, just because she has never been around other pets. She does quite well being patient with Milo, so I don't think kids would be an issue.

If you are interested in a new to you kitty, please let me know. Also, feel free to pass the word on to other animal lovers out there.

Thanks everyone.

15 Months

We have a walker! Well, at least 50% of the time, Milo now walks. It is the classic arms out front baby Frankenstein walk and it is adorable. When really needing to get somewhere fast, he will still crawl, but for the most part he walks. For the first time this week, if he falls while walking he will get back up and continue walking rather than just crawling. Walking is still a new skill and he is quite proud of it. I'll see him rounding the corner from our living room to the kitchen, smiling and clapping because he walked the whole way. Seeing him so proud of his accomplishments is such a thrill.

Milo continues to be a sweet little buddy. He has a nice hug for each and every stuffed animal (or live one for that matter) he sees. At the grocery store he waves and waves at the people walking by (if they don't wave back, he just smiles larger and waves harder). He smiles and flirts and he steals hearts wherever we go.

He is picking up words as we go along (door, GG, toast, hot), but mostly using the old stand bys (cat, dirt, mama, dada) along with the signs for eat, all done and more. Milo continues to use toys in different ways. He is quite good at the ring stacker now and sometimes can get the correct shapes into the sorter. We have several different sets of blocks and building toys (mainly because these are more interesting to Chris and me) which he is showing some interest in. Books are still a preferred way to wind down. His favorite game to play though is peek a boo or more commonly called at our house Where's Milo. He loves to hide and peek out from behind a wall, laundry basket or chair...repeatedly...and each time is cause for raucous giggles. I like it too, it's a fun game.

At his 15 month appointment he was a little below 26 pounds and 31 inches. With all his movement, he is starting to thin out and a little boy is emerging where our chubby baby was. I've really enjoyed this past month, with our toddler who is changing, learning and growing each day.

Dirty Laundry

We've been without a working washing machine here for a month. Four weeks of not being able to wash clothes, towels or sheets. And have I mentioned that we cloth diaper? We switched to disposables for the time being and are dealing with rashes and stinky trash. It's not been fun.

When we first noticed the problem with the washing machine, Chris took it apart and thought he could fix it. I had my doubts, but he ordered the part and we waited a week for it to come in. Then he realized he couldn't get the part on right. I scheduled an appointment with Sears and four days later the man came. Then we found out there were actually several things wrong with the machine and we had to order parts. The parts didn't come in time for the June 1 repair appointment and they told me they couldn't schedule the appointment until today, a week later. They were to be here between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. The morning dragged on with us sticking around the house waiting for them to get here until finally the phone rang at 11:45 saying they would be two hours late. Uh, what? Nope that wasn't going to work.

Which is how I found myself on the phone with customer "care" explaining how unacceptable the situation was and asking what we could do to make the situation right. I had to use my no-nonsense voice and speak in short, direct sentences. I got what I wanted (the first appointment tomorrow morning), but I also left the conversation with a strange feeling of unease. I don't like being harsh to another person and I'm fully aware the person on the other end of the phone wasn't personally withholding my washing machine repair. Still, I had to get a little insistent to get what I wanted and I don't like who I was in that moment.

However, if I would have just gone with the flow, I would be another week without a washing machine and that's just not acceptable. In the end, I think I did the right thing and soon I'll have clean clothes again.

Things Parents Say

The other day we were playing in the back yard and Milo looked up when he heard a siren from an emergency vehicle. I looked at him and said "do you hear the siren, they are going to help someone" and Milo satisfied with my answer returned to his dirt pile. I'm not sure where that explanation came from. Surely, it is the most simple and kid-friendly version of all the reasons a siren can be heard. I had to set aside my belief system (the police force is not always right) to provide the scenario of events he needed to learn (emergency forces are there to help people).

Now that Milo is a more effective communicator, I find I am measuring my words more carefully. Chris and I have fallen into the habit of just talking - about our days, our friends, our families - when we are in the car together or on walks. Most of it is not interesting to Milo, but some of it is probably not best for him to hear either. I think this will have to come to an end soon because Milo is starting to soak in a lot more of what we're saying.

It's an interesting position to be in, paying more attention to how I view the world and being more aware of how I communicate that to a little person just figuring this place out. There are so many ideas and facts and lessons for him to learn, but at the same time I want to protect him from a lot of the not so nice things. So I'm learning to put a positive spin on the sounds we hear and the ideas I communicate to him, hopefully giving him a fair view of the world and how people relate to it.