My playgroup mom friend Megan and I had a blast being pregnant together, swapping sick tales and comparing belly sizes. By the end, I was convinced that Megan - who was due two weeks after me - would have her baby first. Happy for me and my belly, Arden was born nine days before Helen. They made fast friends at playgroup last week, which wasn't hard because Helen was out like a light. (Why don't my kids ever pass out with their arms over their heads like that?)
I am constantly asked what Sawyer thinks of Arden. While I can't read his mind (sadly enough) I can attest that he seems to genuinely love her. It's amazing to me that it's just built-in like that. I mean, what has she done for him? So far, she has generally disrupted his life and constantly demanded his parents' attention. Yet, he doesn't hold it against her. He wants to be helpful. I've already mentioned how he brings me her burp clothes and pacifiers when I leave them lying carelessly about. He likes to push her in her swing, and he's very gentle about it (in a jerky, aggro sort of way). When she's crying in her room, and I seem to not be noticing, Sawyer will stand in the hall and wail - just passing the message along I guess. And, he likes to give her kisses, which is really just breathing on her really close to her face. (I cringe as he leans over her, the snot-cicle dangling from his nose).
Last weekend, she was playing on her mat and he crawled down on the floor and buried his head into her stomach. I was a little concerned at first, wondering if he was going to hurt her, and then I realized what he was doing. He was trying to get some "shuga." Belly Button Sugar. It's a high commodity in the Armstrong family. Just ask my Aunt Bonnie who used to chase my brother Ross around the house begging for "shuga." Gimme Some Shuga! she'd call, sweetness dripping from her southern accent.
The way you extract belly button sugar, in case it's not completely obvious, is with a sloppy wet zurburt directly to the stomach. Sawyer, of course, has given up more than his share of belly button sugar, and he's decided that it's his sister's turn.
Unfortunately, I didn't get the camera fast enough. This is Arden, having just given up her first dose of "shuga" to her big brother.
Sawyer's behavior has been getting increasingly worse over the past seven weeks (coincidence? i don't think so). But, it reached at all time low this week when we dropped him off at daycare. As soon as we let him go, he would run clear across the room and ATTACK the other children. They weren't taking his toys or getting in his way. He just wanted to maul them - grabbing their shirts in his fists, trying to throw them to the floor. So, I was a little relieved when he was diagnosed with a double ear infection and pneumonia on Wednesday (maybe my child really ISN'T the devil incarnate.)
I've set Sawyer up a little snack shelf in the pantry, and when he's hungry he'll toddle in there and pick himself out something to eat. It's all junk food, mind you - Goldfish, fruit chews, apple sauce, cheerios - stuff like that - no substitute for a hot breakfast or dinner. But, with Scott off this weekend on a man-cation, telemark skiing with a friend in West Virginia - Sideways meets Brokeback or something like that - I'm not feeling like fighting any big battles. (Please note what a GOOD WIFE I am - letting husband leave for weekend when toddler has pneumonia and ear infection. I want BIG bonus points.) So when he came out of the pantry with a bag of Goldfish this morning (ignoring the plate of french toast and banana I had made him for breakfast) I said, Okay. Whatever. And opened the bag for him. He walked over to his breakfast, dumped the Goldfish on the plate and THEN ate the French toast and bananas (now covered in a fine dusting of cheddar cheese) and left me with a plate full of sticky Goldfish to clean up.
Growing up, my parents often reminded me that the average American newspaper is written so that anyone with an 8th grade education can read it . . . it's all about keeping the masses informed. I doubt many eighth graders are reading the newspaper these days, and if they were to, say, pick up the Washington Post, I'm not sure how readable they would find it. But, fortunately, they can always follow along with the most exciting of events right here on my blog. My friend Maria found this website that calculates the "readability" of your website or blog. I have no idea how it works, but I had fun testing it out on a bunch of my friend's websites. Here is my result:
