Three...that's the magic number

Laszlo, Lily, Robert and I went to the park the other day. I saw a mom that was in one of our Gymboree classes and who I've seen around town a few times since. We never really talked at length, but we got a chance to chat at the park while Lily was playing with her son Jake in the sand box and Robert was watching Laszlo climb.

She started telling me that she's ready for another baby but that Jake is a horrible sleeper. Then she told me she's tried "everything" - Babywise, The Baby Whisperer, etc. I told her not to use those books. She was telling me now horrible it was to let him cry and that he cried for an hour and forty five minutes to fall asleep. I told her about NCSS, she had never heard about it. I told her that I used it and that I heard about it from the breastfeeding newsgroups I frequent online. She shrugged and looked down and said self-consciously, "I just weaned him." She went on to say how heartbroken she was and how much she missed it, but I was too excited to meet someone who breastfeeds at all, let alone a whole 17 months that I couldn't pay too much attention. I told her that Lily's still a total boobaholic. She told me that nobody other than her husband supported her breastfeeding and that her parents thought she was totally nuts. As she was leaving she took my number. I hope she calls.

Then today at Laszlo's therapy, there was a mom with a newborn and she was nursing. I told her how nice it was to see someone nursing. She wasn't that friendly. I feel like sometimes when I say that to people they think I'm a pervert or something, since it is really SO rare to see it around here.


In even better news, Laszlo started therapy again yesterday and today was his second speech session. His speech therapist, who was initially in favor of sending him to special ed preschool (per the neurologist's recommendation) said, "You know, I don't think he'd do any better in a program. He's doing so well. And he's just delicious." I said, "You say that about all the kids you see." She said, "No, I don't. Because they are not all delicious. But Laszlo *is* delicious." Plus I was so happy that she said that about the schooling. I have thought for a while now that he didn't need the special ed. school, so it was nice for someone who's really unbiased to say so, especially a professional who originally thought he should go.

Laszlo's school starts Monday. I'm nervous but really excited about him going. I'm looking forward to all he will gain there, mostly socialization...and I'm also looking forward to 3 hours alone with Lily. She naps during that time, so another benefit will be some ALONE quiet time for me, which is so rare. Maybe I'll actually have a relatively clean house a few days a week or get some sewing done?!??

I have heaps of pictures I need to upload to my computer and then photobucket and then LJ, so in the next few days beware of a photo post.

At Gymboree on Monday, a mom came in wearing a mei tai carrier. I was so excited. I approached her and she said, "Yeah, my mother said people would make fun of me, but it's the only way I can carry her without hurting my back." We got to talking with a few other moms about breastfeeding, and of course, still nobody does it. That mom (the one with the carrier) actually had an "excuse" that didn't infuriate me. She said her milk never came in...so at first I was shooting her daggers. Then she said she had a C-section, then was unconscious for close to 24 hours...then was in severe pain, then her daughter had to be admitted to the NICU for 2 weeks because she was premature. Ok, she probably *could* have nursed, but there were odds against her and she was a first time mom. She gets a pass in my book. At least she was using a carrier.

Then today I went to a community pool with friends and saw a mom nursing a baby about 6 months old. I stopped her and told her how nice it was to see another mom nursing since so few people around here do. She probably thought I was a freak, but I thought it was my local duty to say something positive to her.

In other news, Laszlo has started asking me questions like I ask him. He asks me all day long, "Mommy, how many ballies are on top of that toy?" Now he's really into drawing balloons (a circle with a wiggly line hanging down) and then asking me, "Mommy, how many balloons I just drew?" It's so cute, but he asks me like a zillion times a day and I find myself just making up numbers when he asks me things like, "How many letters are on this page, Mommy?" He also asks about colors and shapes of things. It's really cute, but a tad tedious.

Lily's a full fledged walker. It's so cute. She still looks a bit like Frankentein, but she's getting the hang of it. She prefers to walk without shoes, which is fine with me, until she wants to walk outside. She's still scootching a bit, which I'll miss a lot once it's totally gone. I have to remember to get some more last minute scootching video for good measure.

I had a minor scare last week. I had a blood test for life insurance and the results came back that my liver enzymes were all messed up. I had a retest and they were normal, so it was either lab error or the fact that I had worked out strenuously that week (damaged muscle tissue can cause the same results).

I've been tie dyeing whenever I have some time and am not completely exhausted. I've given out my cards a handful of times in the last few weeks and I left some on the bulletin board at Gymboree as well. I put in bold letters, "Host a party, get free clothes" right on the front - but still NO responses. It's really frustrating, especially when people get really excited about something Lily's wearing and then say they want me to make them something and then never call or email. I guess I'm doing something wrong here. In any case, my kid's really well dressed. :-)

That's all for now.

So I joined a gym. I used to go to a gym religiously, for like 2 years. I was a maniac. That was a *long* time ago and since then I haven't had any regular exercise routine.

Robert used to work out at his old job since there was a gym in the building. Since he left that job, he needed a new place to work out, because he's getting quite thick around the middle.

He went yesterday to a gym about a mile from here that I never knew existed. I went later on to check out the day care they have there. I was impressed. I had a trail personal training session this morning - which was mostly a trial to see how the kids did in the day care.

I worked out with this little madman named Roger. He was about 65 years old and reminded me of Jack LaLane. Like exactly.

Ok, we're getting to the good part.

First of all, the kids did GREAT. I walked by the day care room only when I was done, but before I did the paperwork to join. Both my kids were happy, playing with toys and not looking for me. It was such a good feeling. Then Lily spotted me, so I had to go in and grab her, which was fine at that point. Now I know not to walk by the window if there's a chance she can see me.

As soon as I had Lily in my arms, she was dive bombing for my boobs. She was trying to rip my shirt off. Finally, I said to this very cute and YOUNG guy who was signing me up that I had to nurse her or she was going to have a complete meltdown. I was sorta testing him to see how they were about it. He was going to set me up on the couch when you first walk in the place, then thought it was better if I had a desk to lean on so took me into an office. I thought he was going to leave the room, but he just sat right down across the desk while I nursed - and miss Lily was nuts, so she was exposing entire boobage (lil bitch). The guy didn't flinch. He's like 20, a student a community college and a kickboxer. I thought for sure he'd be all embarrassed or be like, "Oh, I'll be back when you're done" type of thing. But nope. Totally comfortable. Scored major points with me. I was even going to say something, but then I'd be the one calling attention to it and that's exactly what I was appreciating about him.

This may not seem strange to some of you, but I swear, NOBODY here breastfeeds their kids. It's insane. I mean, like maybe 50% nurse their babies until the kids are 3 months old, then come all the usual excuses. I've mentioned before how infuriating this is to me. So this was just such a nice refreshing experience.

I'm really excited about the gym membership and that I can take the kids and they actually have fun while I'm getting healthy. The day care is free for members, which is another bonus...but "gratuities are appreciated." I gave the girl $5 today since it was our first time and there are 2 kids. I'll probably give her less than that on a daily basis and if I get into some routine of going regularly, I'll tip her weekly. Does that sound right?

The boobie monster is on me again, she's getting 4 molars at once and she's not her usual chipper self. Poor thing.