Aug 2006
I'll take another shot of that!
Working the evening shifts has it's ups and downs.
The upside for me:
I don't have to commute home to rush in the house , only to start dinner with zero down time between.
I don't have to worry about what Im gonna cook for dinner, although I still do the shopping, and tell him what to cook
I don't drive during the "Rush" hours, which makes my commute only 25 minutes instead of the insane 1hour/10 minutes of stop and go.
I can wake up at 7:30 am instead of 5:30 am
I get to spend time with Cady in the mornings, relish in her funny morning smiles, and watch at least a half hour of
Little Einsteins or Backyardigans both of which, Cady adores!!
Cady doesn't have to be rushed to school by 6:30 am, breakfast in hand and crying through groggy eyes (mine or hers).
The downside for me:
My little girl is growing up. At night is when she recalls (as only a 22 month old can) all the interesting things that she's learned for that day/week/month...I'm at work, and I'm missing it.
I listen to Doctor Laura on my 20 minute drive home at 9pm, and KNOW if I called her she would tell me to STOP the evening shift at once.
My little girl is growing up..did I mention that?
When I drop her off at school, even though she is now delighted to go there because it's less hours for her, she usually stares at me from her chair, and gives me a sad good-bye look.
My little girl is growing up.
I don't GET TO make dinner for her, and sit by her when she eats.
The upside for Scott:
He now has a little more empathy for being the one in charge of making dinner with a kid under foot.
He now has a general idea of how to MAKE dinner.
He appreciates the concept of cleaning up messes he makes while making dinner...and I must say he is doing very good at both.
He gets quality time with Cady, rocking her to sleep with her bottle and singing to/with her and talking to/with her during their down time
He gets to watch his little girl grow up
His bond with her was already something to be envied, but now it is even stronger.
The downside for Scott:
He doesn't even get to take a shower unless it's after she goes to bed, or he wakes up by 330am to do it because usually he is out of the house by 430am
He doesn't get any alone time after work. He picks up Cady at 3:30 pm and they spend the rest of the day together. He could leave her there longer, but the main criteria for me working evenings is so that she feels safe and comfortable in daycare while she waits for one of us to take her home.
The upside for Cady:
She can now easily understand that daycare/preschool is consistent, with consistent friends, and regulated hours of play. And that we come back soon enough to take her home.
She doesn't have to be dragged out of bed at an hour before the rooster crows.
She can spend some down time in the mornings with mama, and I know she enjoys that time.
She is always the one to come in to preschool the latest, at 9-930, ready for circle time, or snack time...The other children enjoy seeing her as she walks in, and she enjoys walking directly into a room full of children that are not crying (their parents usually have dropped them off an hour earlier)
She gets to sit and have afternoon snack with Baba, at her school when he picks her up, before their drive home at 3:30
She calls me nightly, and seems to look forward to hearing me on the phone, knowing that I will be home and waking her the next morning.
The downside for Cady:
She skips a lot of napping at preschool now, either because now she sleeps longer at night....or because she's anxious for Baba to show up "after nap time" to get her, causing her not to sleep at, all in anticipation of his arrival.
My little girl is growing up...and I've not been there in the evenings with her this month.
She misses me, as much as I miss her...maybe more.
After weighing all the pros and cons, we've made the decision though, to do this for one more month. Her preschool is beyond excellence, but the cost has set us back financially from where we want to be. One more month of shift differential pay will get us back on track again.
Sometimes I wonder if I can take it one more month. Regardless, September will definitely be the second and final month of split shifts. It's good for a short while because of all the upsides listed, but it can get old and lonely fast for all of us if we do it for more than the short term.
The upside for our family is that she talks to me on the phone daily. Oh my goodness, the messages she leaves on my cell phone are sooo cute! It brings smiles to my face while I'm at work....And with only 5 or so hours in preschool, she's really grasping the idea that even though we leave, we always come back, soon enough, with love in our hearts for her.
We are working as a family unit to achieve a more fulfilled life style. Cady is doing her part. She can't express herself verbally as much as she can comprehend, so we have to show her daily, by example, what to expect.
Now more than ever, I think all three of us grasp the idea of family and what it means to each other. Cady will sometimes be in Scott's arms, then reach to me as if she wants me to hold her instead. When I go to grab for her, she holds tight to Scott's neck, then latches on to mine as well...A very tight triangle forms between the three of us as Cady looks at each of us in admiration and proclaims....."MOMMY!?!? BABA!?!?! CAKY!!!! " (her latest version of Cady), then grins and nods her head with utmost approval at her proclamation. She obtains a look of delight, in the way that she turns her physical actions into emotional response, and vise versa, as if her actions are saying, "We are a family!"
Oh and just in case anyone is wondering,.....this is Cady's "Say CHEEEESSSSSSE" face.... Scott or I will tell her to say "Cheese" before taking her picture, and this is the result....with the word "Cheeeeeeeese" tossed in with the cheesy smile. But with the look she gives, maybe in our family we should start to say, "Say HAAAAAAAM"
The upside for me:
I don't have to commute home to rush in the house , only to start dinner with zero down time between.
I don't have to worry about what Im gonna cook for dinner, although I still do the shopping, and tell him what to cook
I don't drive during the "Rush" hours, which makes my commute only 25 minutes instead of the insane 1hour/10 minutes of stop and go.
I can wake up at 7:30 am instead of 5:30 am
I get to spend time with Cady in the mornings, relish in her funny morning smiles, and watch at least a half hour of
Little Einsteins or Backyardigans both of which, Cady adores!!
Cady doesn't have to be rushed to school by 6:30 am, breakfast in hand and crying through groggy eyes (mine or hers).
The downside for me:
My little girl is growing up. At night is when she recalls (as only a 22 month old can) all the interesting things that she's learned for that day/week/month...I'm at work, and I'm missing it.
I listen to Doctor Laura on my 20 minute drive home at 9pm, and KNOW if I called her she would tell me to STOP the evening shift at once.
My little girl is growing up..did I mention that?
When I drop her off at school, even though she is now delighted to go there because it's less hours for her, she usually stares at me from her chair, and gives me a sad good-bye look.
My little girl is growing up.
I don't GET TO make dinner for her, and sit by her when she eats.
The upside for Scott:
He now has a little more empathy for being the one in charge of making dinner with a kid under foot.
He now has a general idea of how to MAKE dinner.
He appreciates the concept of cleaning up messes he makes while making dinner...and I must say he is doing very good at both.
He gets quality time with Cady, rocking her to sleep with her bottle and singing to/with her and talking to/with her during their down time
He gets to watch his little girl grow up
His bond with her was already something to be envied, but now it is even stronger.
The downside for Scott:
He doesn't even get to take a shower unless it's after she goes to bed, or he wakes up by 330am to do it because usually he is out of the house by 430am
He doesn't get any alone time after work. He picks up Cady at 3:30 pm and they spend the rest of the day together. He could leave her there longer, but the main criteria for me working evenings is so that she feels safe and comfortable in daycare while she waits for one of us to take her home.
The upside for Cady:
She can now easily understand that daycare/preschool is consistent, with consistent friends, and regulated hours of play. And that we come back soon enough to take her home.
She doesn't have to be dragged out of bed at an hour before the rooster crows.
She can spend some down time in the mornings with mama, and I know she enjoys that time.
She is always the one to come in to preschool the latest, at 9-930, ready for circle time, or snack time...The other children enjoy seeing her as she walks in, and she enjoys walking directly into a room full of children that are not crying (their parents usually have dropped them off an hour earlier)
She gets to sit and have afternoon snack with Baba, at her school when he picks her up, before their drive home at 3:30
She calls me nightly, and seems to look forward to hearing me on the phone, knowing that I will be home and waking her the next morning.
The downside for Cady:
She skips a lot of napping at preschool now, either because now she sleeps longer at night....or because she's anxious for Baba to show up "after nap time" to get her, causing her not to sleep at, all in anticipation of his arrival.
My little girl is growing up...and I've not been there in the evenings with her this month.
She misses me, as much as I miss her...maybe more.
After weighing all the pros and cons, we've made the decision though, to do this for one more month. Her preschool is beyond excellence, but the cost has set us back financially from where we want to be. One more month of shift differential pay will get us back on track again.
Sometimes I wonder if I can take it one more month. Regardless, September will definitely be the second and final month of split shifts. It's good for a short while because of all the upsides listed, but it can get old and lonely fast for all of us if we do it for more than the short term.
The upside for our family is that she talks to me on the phone daily. Oh my goodness, the messages she leaves on my cell phone are sooo cute! It brings smiles to my face while I'm at work....And with only 5 or so hours in preschool, she's really grasping the idea that even though we leave, we always come back, soon enough, with love in our hearts for her.
We are working as a family unit to achieve a more fulfilled life style. Cady is doing her part. She can't express herself verbally as much as she can comprehend, so we have to show her daily, by example, what to expect.
Now more than ever, I think all three of us grasp the idea of family and what it means to each other. Cady will sometimes be in Scott's arms, then reach to me as if she wants me to hold her instead. When I go to grab for her, she holds tight to Scott's neck, then latches on to mine as well...A very tight triangle forms between the three of us as Cady looks at each of us in admiration and proclaims....."MOMMY!?!? BABA!?!?! CAKY!!!! " (her latest version of Cady), then grins and nods her head with utmost approval at her proclamation. She obtains a look of delight, in the way that she turns her physical actions into emotional response, and vise versa, as if her actions are saying, "We are a family!"
Oh and just in case anyone is wondering,.....this is Cady's "Say CHEEEESSSSSSE" face.... Scott or I will tell her to say "Cheese" before taking her picture, and this is the result....with the word "Cheeeeeeeese" tossed in with the cheesy smile. But with the look she gives, maybe in our family we should start to say, "Say HAAAAAAAM"
|
One lump or two, Goggie?
Cady received a tea set
as a gift a few months ago, and it's been in the back
of her closet. We weren't sure at what age she would
want to participate in "real" imaginary play. So, out
of curiosity, the other night, Scott got the tea set
out of the closet, and they had a tea party. The
results were overwhelmingly obvious that she has a
vivid imagination, and she adores her tea set. So, Mr
Wabit, and Beaaaar were invited out of their box/home
near the love seat, and they all seemed to enjoy the
company. After all, Cady's spent many times inside of
their house too, and she was allowed to win more than
one wrestling match with them, while in their home,
so it was about time she invited them over for tea.
On the other hand, Keegan wasn't quite as sure about this thing called a tea party. Or, perhaps he was unaware of the fact that his new name is Goggie. And when Cady crawled to him, then clapped her hands together twice while commanding, "Goggie! M'ere Goggie!" that was his que to enter stage left. But it seems also, that he'd heard about the empress's new tea and cookies party that she'd give for Mr. Wabit, and Beaaaar, so he played along for amusement, and seemed to enjoy the special attention from his friend. And after all, in the past she's left some fairly good treat trail behind, so he wasn't about to miss this one.
On the other hand, Keegan wasn't quite as sure about this thing called a tea party. Or, perhaps he was unaware of the fact that his new name is Goggie. And when Cady crawled to him, then clapped her hands together twice while commanding, "Goggie! M'ere Goggie!" that was his que to enter stage left. But it seems also, that he'd heard about the empress's new tea and cookies party that she'd give for Mr. Wabit, and Beaaaar, so he played along for amusement, and seemed to enjoy the special attention from his friend. And after all, in the past she's left some fairly good treat trail behind, so he wasn't about to miss this one.
Truly my daughter
Bubbly drinks...muahahaha!
Thanks to everyone who
responded about Cady's incident with strep. I just
thought I'd do a follow up about her recovery.
She's taking Benadryl and penicillin. The bumps on her body are cleared up. She still has some itching on her torso though, when she gets hot, so the Benadryl really isn't helping as much as we had hoped. Today I bought some Caladryl lotion and it seems to do good itch relief when the Benadryl wears off.
The medicine has been as difficult to get down that girl's throat as we first suspected it would be when we found out that we had to give it to her. We have, however come up with a few ingenious ways to get her to take it...Yes, that's right, we have out-smarted the Scorpio/Monkey girl-(Her Astrological Sun sign and her Chinese Animal sign) both of these signs detail witty and creative behaviors....And she lives up to both. So, we have to be on our feet if we're going to outwit her. Well, Scott created a couple of good ways to get her to take the meds. Ironically, he's also a witty Scorpio/Monkey.......hmmmmm.
He was, for the first couple of days, able to entice her with taking the meds by opening the bottle in front of her, sniffing the contents, and making yummy sounds at her. Then he would deny her the meds completely, holding the dropper away and telling her that it's his. She enjoyed the tease, and eventually would want the dropper of pink liquid herself, but it was both time consuming and seemed so "candy-man-ish". I mean, who really wants their daughter to be enticed by someone to take drugs?
Recently, however, he came up with a newer...and I might add...ingenious way to get her to take the meds. All you desperate parents of intelligent and wile toddlers, listen up. Your time might come all too soon, when you too find yourself using four arms and a big towel to saturate your own shirt with a sticky, pink, bubble gummy substance. And who doesn't look forward to that day?
We found out a long time ago that Cady admires our soda cans as we drink from them. She seems to realize they're for "big people", so she's content with her juice in a sippy cup. We have though, on occasion, given her a bit of ginger-ale as a big-girl treat. Which leads us to our most recent success with getting her to take medication.....Scott put a dropper-full of meds into her sippy cup while she wasn't looking. Then, when it was obvious that she WAS looking, he added a few gulps of ginger-ale into the cup. The end result was a mixed drink that our Scorpio/Monkey girl actually gave kisses to her equally witty Baba, in order to receive.
The cocktail worked!!!
We have success at last. Tonight we did the same thing with a few gulps of caffeine free coke. It smells, and tastes like bubble gum flavored soda. And now, at least, we no longer feel as if we're torturing our daughter with an evil device called a "dropper" that crushes her will power with pink kryptonite. We're also free from feeling that the Candy Man arrives 3 times a day to entice our daughter with drugs. We can, instead, slip the drug into her drink when she's not looking. OK, it's still a really desperate, and somewhat evil sounding scenario, but at least we feel satisfied that she thinks she's just being a big girl and drinking the bubbly stuff that she's seen her parents and older kids drink.
Of course, it goes without saying that we don't want her drinking soda on a regular basis at this age, but sometimes ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do. And hopefully, the distribution of the meds in this manner, for the next few days, will serve two purposes for us. First off, we hope she'll continue to take the meds, in a civil manner, and maybe even give out more kisses for the cup of bubbly. But as a side benefit, we're also hoping that she might just wonder what all the fuss is about this bubbly stuff in a can, and learn to hate the taste of soda.
She's taking Benadryl and penicillin. The bumps on her body are cleared up. She still has some itching on her torso though, when she gets hot, so the Benadryl really isn't helping as much as we had hoped. Today I bought some Caladryl lotion and it seems to do good itch relief when the Benadryl wears off.
The medicine has been as difficult to get down that girl's throat as we first suspected it would be when we found out that we had to give it to her. We have, however come up with a few ingenious ways to get her to take it...Yes, that's right, we have out-smarted the Scorpio/Monkey girl-(Her Astrological Sun sign and her Chinese Animal sign) both of these signs detail witty and creative behaviors....And she lives up to both. So, we have to be on our feet if we're going to outwit her. Well, Scott created a couple of good ways to get her to take the meds. Ironically, he's also a witty Scorpio/Monkey.......hmmmmm.
He was, for the first couple of days, able to entice her with taking the meds by opening the bottle in front of her, sniffing the contents, and making yummy sounds at her. Then he would deny her the meds completely, holding the dropper away and telling her that it's his. She enjoyed the tease, and eventually would want the dropper of pink liquid herself, but it was both time consuming and seemed so "candy-man-ish". I mean, who really wants their daughter to be enticed by someone to take drugs?
Recently, however, he came up with a newer...and I might add...ingenious way to get her to take the meds. All you desperate parents of intelligent and wile toddlers, listen up. Your time might come all too soon, when you too find yourself using four arms and a big towel to saturate your own shirt with a sticky, pink, bubble gummy substance. And who doesn't look forward to that day?
We found out a long time ago that Cady admires our soda cans as we drink from them. She seems to realize they're for "big people", so she's content with her juice in a sippy cup. We have though, on occasion, given her a bit of ginger-ale as a big-girl treat. Which leads us to our most recent success with getting her to take medication.....Scott put a dropper-full of meds into her sippy cup while she wasn't looking. Then, when it was obvious that she WAS looking, he added a few gulps of ginger-ale into the cup. The end result was a mixed drink that our Scorpio/Monkey girl actually gave kisses to her equally witty Baba, in order to receive.
The cocktail worked!!!
We have success at last. Tonight we did the same thing with a few gulps of caffeine free coke. It smells, and tastes like bubble gum flavored soda. And now, at least, we no longer feel as if we're torturing our daughter with an evil device called a "dropper" that crushes her will power with pink kryptonite. We're also free from feeling that the Candy Man arrives 3 times a day to entice our daughter with drugs. We can, instead, slip the drug into her drink when she's not looking. OK, it's still a really desperate, and somewhat evil sounding scenario, but at least we feel satisfied that she thinks she's just being a big girl and drinking the bubbly stuff that she's seen her parents and older kids drink.
Of course, it goes without saying that we don't want her drinking soda on a regular basis at this age, but sometimes ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do. And hopefully, the distribution of the meds in this manner, for the next few days, will serve two purposes for us. First off, we hope she'll continue to take the meds, in a civil manner, and maybe even give out more kisses for the cup of bubbly. But as a side benefit, we're also hoping that she might just wonder what all the fuss is about this bubbly stuff in a can, and learn to hate the taste of soda.
New Pictures
So I've brought in some
new images from the recent past, some from the beach
trip to Bodega Bay a few weeks ago, and some others
that I took while playing with the camera and getting
some close-up shots of Cady after a bath.
You can access from the menu at the top, the pictures below, or the navigation bar on the left side.
Just a quick note to Tina.. Karen and I (mostly me) are sad for your loss. We all know what it's like to lose a trusted friend.. err.. computer. We hope all will be well in time.
You can access from the menu at the top, the pictures below, or the navigation bar on the left side.
Just a quick note to Tina.. Karen and I (mostly me) are sad for your loss. We all know what it's like to lose a trusted friend.. err.. computer. We hope all will be well in time.
Guilty!
I feel soooo guilty!
Cady's been getting a gradual rash. She's had bumps starting on her torso, and then moved to her sides, her back, and eventually today they have moved to her legs. We knew that Chinese children can sometimes have sensitive skin, so we've always used Eucerin lotion and paste on her skin. The stuff works magic, by the way, and never feels layered on the skin.
I've been adding more of the paste to her body daily, thinking that the rash would be cleared up by now. For the past week and a half we've been assuming that it's just a rash caused by any number of things...chlorine in the pools she'd been in, detergent that didn't get thoroughly rinsed out of her clothes in the washing machine, an allergy to a newly introduced fruit.
Nope, none of the above.
We took her to the doctor today because the rash had seemed to be spreading further, with red bumps. The girl has strep throat. The variety she has also exhibits itself on the skin tissue, which is also termed as scarlet fever.
YIKES!
My first thoughts of scarlet fever made me think of something incurable...like bubonic plague. Apparently, scarlet fever was something horrible in the past, but today it's commonly seen on kids with strep throat and is easily cured with medication.
The doctor listed signs of strep throat that Cady never displayed.....fever, diarrhea, irritability, lack of appetite, vomiting. We also know, though, that Cady will usually not complain about ailments or pains. If she bumps her head on the coffee table, she rubs her head and moves on. That's just how she is.
I had no idea she was sick. Poor girl! She is now on penicillin for the next 10 days. That's going to be fun. Ya see, in addition to being resilient she is also stubborn when it comes to taking meds. I recall the last time we had to get medication down her for giardia, she kept the liquid medication in her mouth for half hour at a time, and refused to swallow it.
Cady's been getting a gradual rash. She's had bumps starting on her torso, and then moved to her sides, her back, and eventually today they have moved to her legs. We knew that Chinese children can sometimes have sensitive skin, so we've always used Eucerin lotion and paste on her skin. The stuff works magic, by the way, and never feels layered on the skin.
I've been adding more of the paste to her body daily, thinking that the rash would be cleared up by now. For the past week and a half we've been assuming that it's just a rash caused by any number of things...chlorine in the pools she'd been in, detergent that didn't get thoroughly rinsed out of her clothes in the washing machine, an allergy to a newly introduced fruit.
Nope, none of the above.
We took her to the doctor today because the rash had seemed to be spreading further, with red bumps. The girl has strep throat. The variety she has also exhibits itself on the skin tissue, which is also termed as scarlet fever.
YIKES!
My first thoughts of scarlet fever made me think of something incurable...like bubonic plague. Apparently, scarlet fever was something horrible in the past, but today it's commonly seen on kids with strep throat and is easily cured with medication.
The doctor listed signs of strep throat that Cady never displayed.....fever, diarrhea, irritability, lack of appetite, vomiting. We also know, though, that Cady will usually not complain about ailments or pains. If she bumps her head on the coffee table, she rubs her head and moves on. That's just how she is.
I had no idea she was sick. Poor girl! She is now on penicillin for the next 10 days. That's going to be fun. Ya see, in addition to being resilient she is also stubborn when it comes to taking meds. I recall the last time we had to get medication down her for giardia, she kept the liquid medication in her mouth for half hour at a time, and refused to swallow it.
For Mommy
Karen is working her
first swing shift, and thankfully only has to do this
for a very short time. I know she's gonna miss her
baby (and might miss Cady too) so I clipped a few
movie shots from the night just for her goodnight, as
Cady will be sleeping when she gets home.
Goodnight Honey.
sub note: The ravioli served tonight is not some canned thing. It's only the good stuff for Cady.
Goodnight Honey.
sub note: The ravioli served tonight is not some canned thing. It's only the good stuff for Cady.
