The New Lu

Mothers and fathers who have kids older than 12 months will understand completely what I'm about to describe. It's a finite moment when suddenly, your once innocent and immobile baby, now seems to have batteries. Batteries that are completely charged and running at full power. Gone are the days when you buzz around the kitchen while your baby sits quietly with a basket full of toys. Everything in the house is a liability; the cat, the bunny...and nothing goes unnoticed from the emerging toddler-monster toddling the halls.

This is where we are with Luna. The cuddly, kissy, baby, who not to long ago would cling to me for dear life, now lunges from my arms in the direction of the floor, each time I pick her up.
However, this child is still not crawling. So, you're wondering how is she moving all around? Well, as the old saying goes, "where there's a will, there's a way". And Luna has certainly found hers. She scoots on her bum, from one end of the room to the next. (eventually I'll figure out how to post a video, so you may actually witness this for yourself), but for now, you'll just have to trust me. The funny thing about her scoot, is she doesn't use her arms. She sort of bounces on her bum from one end of the house to the other. It's truly hilarious.

Did I mention she's nothing like Sienna?

Sienna is cautious. And has been since she was a baby. She always talks about her Grandmother, and perhaps it's because she feels a connection to her: neither will walk on ice, and neither are particularly daring (at least physically). She's approaching three years old, and still she insists in clinging to my hip every time we venture out into the abnormally-cold-even-for-New Hampshire-climale.

Well, Luna, she is just the opposite. The most dangerous corners of the house are what fascinates her most. The heat register, "perfect! let me scoot over and try to put my fingers on the tiny blades behind the vent!"
An antique candle stand that is strong enough to hold a single stick..."Sure! let me try to pull myself up on this!" You can almost see the thoughts registering in her young mind.

The most fun are the places Luna goes that I can't get to. Case in point: yesterday I was blow drying my hair while she was playing on the rug in her room just across the hall. Her room is pretty-well child proofed...or so I thought...
With the shrill whistle of the hair dryer, I couldn't hear what was going on-but again, I had some big wooden puzzles on the floor and a few soft balls, so I thought I was safe for five minutes. I look over one minute and see Lu playing. Then I look over the next, and she is GONE. I thought she had managed to scoot under her crib (she has a penchant for getting trapped under large furniture..)
Then I noticed the bottom drawer of her armoire was opened. What I saw next was two chubby legs flailing from within.
Yes, Luna had opened a drawer and managed to topple inside.
No harm done. Though I wish I had grabbed a photo of this spectacle, but leaving her with her legs flailing seemed cruel, so I plucked tiny sweaters off her body and pulled her out.

But the fun didn't end there.

I plopped Luna back onto her new pretty rug (with flowers and dots, purple and pink that perfectly match her curtains, crib set and lamp shade) and this time tossed down a few toys that really aren't her toys like Candy Land; thinking that an un-toy would keep her interested. I got back to grooming, which is a luxury these days, and something I hadn't enjoyed in far too long.
Over the buzz of the dryer, I heard a slam. I looked across the hall to see Luna had shut the door.
From the yelps and chirps coming from the other side of the door, I could gather Luna was both pleased with herself but also a little annoyed that she couldn't get the door back open.
This was all great fun, until I realized I couldn't open the door more than a crack to get to her-because she was sitting not one inch away from the solid pine panel.
Each time I would crack the door an inch, Luna would try to push it shut. Squealing with delight each time. After several minutes of this exchange, where I have to admit I was a bit panicked thinking the pre-toddler monster would defeat me, I finally had to reach in and gently push her to the floor so I could sort of roll her away from the large swinging door.
Naturally Luna was furious the game was over and erupted in tears.

Later that night while sitting on the couch, I told Paul-who also happens to be an architect-of the incident. He simply responded with, "that's why in public restrooms, handicapped stalls always swing out".

A visit from Sienna

I regret telling everyone I wouldn't be able to access this site. Strangely, this is one of the only sites I can post on. All my usual web haunts are blocked by these stinkin' HIPPA laws, leaving me alone, in a hospital, with a sleeping baby, no book, and about a dozen dog-eared magazines. If that's not bad enough no cell phones are allowed on the floor; and the cafeteria, the only other place I venture out to, is one big dead-zone. Oh, and for some reason, I can't even access the Comcast home page to log-on to my e-mail. So, my word of advice for those of you who have a child undergoing surgery...bring lots of reading material, crosswords, and whatever else excites you. One thing most parents don't even consider is how much down time you'll have during a week or two stay at a hospital-never mind a six week stay which is not all together uncommon for some of these heart kids.

However, the bigger picture is I can stop complaining about my boredom and relish the fact that Luna is doing spectacularly well. The rumor is she might be discharged TOMORROW as in the Sunday after her surgery she had on Wednesday(!!) Today she had her X-Ray which passed with flying colors. From there the nurses took out her pacing wire and then removed the dressing over her heart. After that bout of excitement she had to be put on the monitors for the rest of the afternoon. Her vitals remained the same solid numbers we've seen all along. Meanwhile the hospital tedium was interrupted by a visit from Daddy and Big Sister. Sienna came crashing into Luna's hospital room and wasted no time making herself at home. Luna's balloon, stuffed animals and books that had been bestowed upon her by generous friends now belonged to Sienna. And it only took a moment before our cramped quarters were converted in to a full day-care unit. (for this part of the story to make sense it helps the reader to understand that Sienna runs an at-home daycare. This consists of rotating her 1/2 dozen or so baby dolls in and out of Luna's equipment. Unfortunately, for Sienna the babies are not all on the same schedule so they are fed, burped, diapered and put to bed or into the swing, Bumbo or highchair though out the day, every day).

Finally, in a desperate plea to let Luna (and Daddy) sleep, we left the babies behind and I took Sienna into the hospital playroom. I gazed out of the vast floor to ceiling windows down at the rain-soaked city below while Sienna and a brother-sister duo played. They played nicely, all sharing each others toys. At one point during the afternoon, I heard the older sister say to Sienna as she stuffed a fist full of fake dollars into the toy cart heaped with naked dolls she was pushing, "here is some money, go out and get something nice for your babies."

Around 4pm Sienna and Daddy braced the torrential rain storm to make the drive home. Luna ate solids (applesauce) for the first time since before the surgery, then went to sleep where she's been ever since.

"My Bama"

With the election less than two months away it's hard for anyone to ignore the all-out media circus going on between the candidates. This includes my 2 1/2 year old as well.

Our morning ritual is this: Paul is up and out of bed at the crack of dawn. I sleep in ('sleep in' being used lightly, as in till maybe 7am) until Sienna wakes me up. And this is the dialog that I am awoken to. Every morning. Seven days a week.

"MAMA!"
"MOM!"
"MAAAAAAAMMMMMMMAAAAAHHHH!"

By now I'm rustled slowly from a dream and begin to realize that Sienna is not calling me from across a vast, grassy field; but in fact she is in the very next room and wants out from her crib.

"MAAAAAMAAAAHHHHH!"
Then a loud thud. And I know from past experience Elephant has been hurled across her room.

"MAAMMAAAAAHHHHHHH I need a diaper change!"
Yes, you would think that when a toddler tells you she needs a diaper change that it's time for the same toddler to lose the Pampers and hit the potty. Not this toddler. I'm pretty sure she'll be wearing her diaper well into the winter. And yes, she does turn three this February.

Finally I stumble into her room and pull Sienna up out of the crib, peel Elephant from off the floor, and change her diaper (Sienna's, not the Elephant's). I deposit Sienna onto my bed, then it's off to get her milk and on the re-bound retrieve her sister. Luna is typically awake in her crib, yet laying still and quiet as a mouse. When I lean over to reach for her, she gives me a big toothless smile and pounds the matress with her chubby leggies.

The three of us flop into bed together, and if Sienna lets me, I put on Good Morning America. Lately the story is about Obama, wife Michelle, Biden, McCain or Palin. Each time Obama flashes on the screen I say to Sienna, "that is Obama. He is running for president and Mommy and Daddy are voting for him"

So, this morning was no different. Us girls laid in bed, and each time Obama appeared on the screen, I would say, "That's Obama". and Sienna, in perfect two-year-old spirit, would fire back, "No, MY BAMA!".