I know, I know, I haven't updated in WEEKS.
It's been a long couple of weeks. Nathan was a very good sleeper, going to bed in his crib every night and infrequently waking up in the middle of the night. He was really easy to put back to sleep - until randomly, he stopped sleeping in his crib, and will cry a lot at night even if we bring him into our bed.
We've finally gotten back to a point where most of the time, he does fall asleep in his crib. But he still won't stay there if he wakes up, and I've had a lot of near-sleepless nights. It's a lot like having a newborn again.
He's also going through a phase where he's very prone to tantrums, and also biting and hitting his head into mine as hard as possible. I love the kid, he's great, but oh man, this phase is one I can't wait to pass.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Tales of Gloucester: Angry Angry Shopper
I pulled into Market Basket on a Sunday afternoon at 3PM - prime shopping time. I usually try to avoid that like the plague, but we were desperately out of butter. BUTTER EMERGENCIES CAN HAPPEN AND THEY ARE NOT FUN.
So yeah, there aren't really that many spots, but I get one halfway down one of the rows. No biggie, right? Apparently, not for everyone.
This guy in a Jeep Cherokee with three small kids in back (the two biggest without booster seats when they were obviously too small for regular seats) got very, very angry that someone coming up the aisle towards him snagged a closer spot after he'd moved past another spot 10 feet further away. So he gave the little old lady the finger and sped off.
The next row, he started beeping at another lady for not pulling into her spot fast enough.
Seriously? Are you that angry with life because it took you 20 more seconds to park and another 20 to walk? So you're going to make obscene gestures at the elderly in front of your kids?
Oh, and bonus points to the squawky ladies bitching that "the city people" were up here buying our bottled water because there wasn't much left. I bet that destroyed your afternoon, didn't it? Compassion for others is such a pain in the ass.
So yeah, there aren't really that many spots, but I get one halfway down one of the rows. No biggie, right? Apparently, not for everyone.
This guy in a Jeep Cherokee with three small kids in back (the two biggest without booster seats when they were obviously too small for regular seats) got very, very angry that someone coming up the aisle towards him snagged a closer spot after he'd moved past another spot 10 feet further away. So he gave the little old lady the finger and sped off.
The next row, he started beeping at another lady for not pulling into her spot fast enough.
Seriously? Are you that angry with life because it took you 20 more seconds to park and another 20 to walk? So you're going to make obscene gestures at the elderly in front of your kids?
Oh, and bonus points to the squawky ladies bitching that "the city people" were up here buying our bottled water because there wasn't much left. I bet that destroyed your afternoon, didn't it? Compassion for others is such a pain in the ass.
Things No One Will Tell You About Parenting
The other day, Nathan had his first real bug. He looked fine besides being a little tired, until we decided to go to a local sub shop for lunch, where I bought him a chocolate milk because hey, chocolate milk is awesome, and doubly so if you're a small kid.
Yeah, until we got home and he was clinging to me, and then PUKED ALL OVER ME AND MY SHIRT. Pasta salad, sub roll, and chocolate milk. Stunning.
So because I'm the type of person who cannot stand the sight and smell of puke, I had to strip off my shirt while gagging, and run into the bathroom to puke in the toilet. All the while, Mike is laughing and telling me I sound like the guy from Crank Yankers. Always the helpful spouse.
It took a full 24 hours for me to get up the nerve to clean up the mess on the living room rug (plus, I had to hold the baby that entire time since he felt so very yucky). I had to clean all the blankets on the couch and all of our clothes plus some towels. Yeah, I retched while doing the laundry, too. I am a wuss.
Poor kid. He just sat listlessly on the couch for hours, and made me sit next to him. I was happy to oblige, because I know how nasty feeling sick can be.
Yeah, until we got home and he was clinging to me, and then PUKED ALL OVER ME AND MY SHIRT. Pasta salad, sub roll, and chocolate milk. Stunning.
So because I'm the type of person who cannot stand the sight and smell of puke, I had to strip off my shirt while gagging, and run into the bathroom to puke in the toilet. All the while, Mike is laughing and telling me I sound like the guy from Crank Yankers. Always the helpful spouse.
It took a full 24 hours for me to get up the nerve to clean up the mess on the living room rug (plus, I had to hold the baby that entire time since he felt so very yucky). I had to clean all the blankets on the couch and all of our clothes plus some towels. Yeah, I retched while doing the laundry, too. I am a wuss.
Poor kid. He just sat listlessly on the couch for hours, and made me sit next to him. I was happy to oblige, because I know how nasty feeling sick can be.
Dear Boston Residents: Welcome to Hell
Yesterday afternoon while heading home from the Bruins game, we heard on the radio something about a boil water order east of Weston, but it was framed in the context of a joke (but this was sports radio, so lame jokes are the usual). Come to find out no, really, Boston and a bunch of surrounding cities and towns have to boil water after a large pipe burst in the aquaduct between the Quabbin reservoir and Boston.
We here in Gloucester know your pain, metro-Boston. We had a 20-day boil water order last summer, in the dead of August no less. With a 6 month old baby.
Obviously, there was a run on bottled water in Boston, and now tales of people fighting over bottles of Dasani or Cambridge residents screaming at Bostonites for taking water from their public drinking fountains are showing up on Twitter.
You can, however, survive without buying entirely bottled water. If you managed to get a gallon or so of spring water, word. But honestly? We only bought one or two gallons for the entire 20-day period. We boiled water as a daily routine, let it cool, and refrigerated it until we needed it. The real key is getting ahead of yourself and not waiting until you're out to boil more. We also kept a big stockpot of unrefrigerated boiled water for hand washing or cleaning.
If you're going to brave the stores, get bleach. Bleach will allow you to wash dishes more easily. 1/8tsp bleach to 1 gallon of water will kill the bacteria. So if you're still running the diswasher, just fill up your sink or a bucket with the treated water and let the clean dishes sit in it for 10 minutes or so, then dry. I assure you it won't hurt you, if you've ever eaten at a restaurant or gotten deli meat, you've ingested minute amounts of bleach (sanitizer solution is just bleach and water).
I remember it being an inconvenience, but it wasn't too bad - I really felt for the bars and restaurants in the area who had to close, and the people who didn't get their paychecks for three weeks. Mike just drove to work in foodservice in one of the towns affected - I'd love to hear how it is over there.
We here in Gloucester know your pain, metro-Boston. We had a 20-day boil water order last summer, in the dead of August no less. With a 6 month old baby.
Obviously, there was a run on bottled water in Boston, and now tales of people fighting over bottles of Dasani or Cambridge residents screaming at Bostonites for taking water from their public drinking fountains are showing up on Twitter.
You can, however, survive without buying entirely bottled water. If you managed to get a gallon or so of spring water, word. But honestly? We only bought one or two gallons for the entire 20-day period. We boiled water as a daily routine, let it cool, and refrigerated it until we needed it. The real key is getting ahead of yourself and not waiting until you're out to boil more. We also kept a big stockpot of unrefrigerated boiled water for hand washing or cleaning.
If you're going to brave the stores, get bleach. Bleach will allow you to wash dishes more easily. 1/8tsp bleach to 1 gallon of water will kill the bacteria. So if you're still running the diswasher, just fill up your sink or a bucket with the treated water and let the clean dishes sit in it for 10 minutes or so, then dry. I assure you it won't hurt you, if you've ever eaten at a restaurant or gotten deli meat, you've ingested minute amounts of bleach (sanitizer solution is just bleach and water).
I remember it being an inconvenience, but it wasn't too bad - I really felt for the bars and restaurants in the area who had to close, and the people who didn't get their paychecks for three weeks. Mike just drove to work in foodservice in one of the towns affected - I'd love to hear how it is over there.
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