Thursday, July 28, 2022

June 2022 Thoughts

6/4 - Regarding stepstools... We have a Bright Starts one but it has been discontinued so I can't find a link to it. My only complaints are that it is too low for kiddo to wash his hands in the bathroom sink AND when I used it, it collapsed so I'm sure the weight limit is more appropriate for a toddler. 

We also have a taller IKEA bekvam but it is unfinished wood so I don't use it in the bathroom or kitchen. I bought it for reaching books in our library because I'm not very tall.

6/5 - Kiddo is so aware now. Tried to do a 7pm bedtime and he said "it's not night" and "it's not dark." So I put back up the blackout curtains that I had taken down and problem solved! I was enjoying a thin curtain that let in diffuse natural light. I prefer to wake with the sunrise rather than the alarm clock. But if it is disruptive to bedtime now that the days are getting longer, I'm willing to give them up. 

I'm living the SAHM life now for the entire summer. Trying to maintain roughly the daycare schedule so it won't be a hard transition back in late August. We have lots of stuff we could go out and do, but we have been sick for a bit so staying at home until we all feel better.

Got kiddo assessed for speech therapy. California offers it free under age 3. Supposed to hear back within 4 weeks. Felt really grateful that I am a scientist and I record audio and video "interviews" of kiddo with filenames that correspond to the date of the recording. Had to send those to the caseworkers, who said they were very helpful. Feels sad to admit we are delayed, but they also said he's not *too* far behind. So I'm hoping he can catch up before he rejoins daycare.

The Speech Therapy was on the recommendation of his daycare. He is behind his classmates. I know it sounds crazy but he doesn't talk often. That moment had me in awe. Seems he can be persuasive if he really wants to. But generally he communicates in grunts, screams and gestures.

6/8 - I have been sick and my employer refused to administer a COVID test. The campus health center said they needed me to do a telehealth screening first. It's like COVID is over but it isn't. They used to have a free kiosk open 11am-7pm, 7 days per week. Now it's only open 2 days per week and you must have a notification about an exposure from someone else who tested positive. They won't test vaccinated people who are sick. I am so angry. I ordered the free tests through the postal service but they haven't arrived yet. The campus referred me to off campus free testing locations but I just didn't have the bandwidth to figure them out. 

6/13 - Milestone Monday. We did our first 5k. Kiddo is doing gymnastics and swim classes. I looked for library story time but alas due to COVID, there are still none in person. I'm so proud of how much he is growing in terms of his interpersonal skills. Sharing, taking turns, participating in group activities... so much growth. Also he got his first haircut in a salon and he looks like a jarhead.

6/14 - know it's a small thing but I'm mildly annoyed that McDonald's Play Spaces are still closed due to COVID. It's a little thing I was looking forward to because I remember trips to McDonald's being a big deal when I was a kid. I know the virus is still out there. I know my kid isn't vaccinated. But there are so many things we can do now. It's the incongruity and shifting rules of it all that are so unsettling. I am speaking as a mom of a kid who didn't nap today and is a very picky eater and he already yanked out a chunk of my hair and I'm just at my wits' end. And Happy Meals are one thing he does eat and I would like to spend an hour here playing in the air conditioning while we wait for his gymnastics class. It's in the 90s F here and playing outside is just not gonna happen without water. Also we lost the key to our community pool.

6/19 - Self-Care Sunday - Deleted or unfollowed baby, breastfeeding groups, postpartum bounce back fitness, and companies pushing products I don't want or need. One maternal mental health podcast I listened to mentioned limiting scrolling to 2 x 20 minute sessions per day and I was definitely doing way more. Similarly when I get a chance I'm gonna hit that unsubscribe button on a bunch of emails in my inbox.

6/22 - WTF Wednesday. When DH says things like: do you want to go to bed or do you want to keep cleaning? Dude I want to go to bed. I am exhausted. But if I don't constantly tidy up, we will be buried under a mountain of garbage and toys. How about helping?

Also, it was randomly picture day at LO's gym class. We came straight from the beach and I was looking rough. A two-day old French braid and some serious sunblock face. Can't wait to see those pics. Why couldn't they let us know in advance?

6/27 - Milestone Monday - Kiddo is all about doing dramatic falls. Like walking halfway across the balance beam and then falling dramatically on purpose. Today he was pretending that he hit his head when he clearly did not.

Found out yesterday that DH is diabetic. I know nothing about how to deal with this. I do feel grateful to know the cause of DH's low energy. I am hopeful that this revelation will have positive effects on DH's willingness to participate in diet and exercise that I've been doing to keep up with a busy toddler. I feel now I have so much to learn about this disease.

6/29 - Wondering Wednesday - How often do you do laundry each week and how many people are in your family? We do laundry every other day. We have 2 adults + 1 toddler. With the adults exercising and kiddo loving water play, that seems like the way it goes. DH puts it in the wash when he leaves for work. Our laundry is in the detached garage. Then I put it in the dryer when I wake up, make coffee and breakfast for me and LO.

Summer Soul-stice

I have always loved summer. I love the long days.