Archive

Moved

Published on November 5, 2008 in Uncategorized. 4 Comments

Ok, so I am pretty sure I have been a Democrat since I vaguely knew what “defined” Democrats and Republicans.  My parents were basically Dems.  My Dad being mostly a Dem, though he voted for Reagan both times.  And my Mom a Dem, voting for Reagan once I believe.  My sis is a Dem and my bro…well, I can’t always figure him out politically.  He has voted for Ross Perot, Clinton, Bush 43…he is all over the map.

I grew up in a pretty smallish town in the center of North Dakota named Minot.  Population 35,000.  North Dakota is a very rural state.  Really there are only 4 towns that have more than 30,000 people in them.  Lots of farming there and a couple of very prominent Air Force Bases in Minot and Grand Forks.  It is barren, mosquito laden in the summer, and ridiculously cold in the winter (like 80 degrees below zero cold for 2 days in my senior year of high school….TOO frickin cold!)  I am not really sure why people choose to live there.  Sorry to all my buddies still living there!  :-)

The state of ND has voted Republican for president every election since I have been alive.  So you can imagine that I always felt in the minority to consider myself a Democrat.  My family was low-middle to low income and my dad managed to raise 3 kids on a salary that would make your head spin.  I have always felt deeply that government really should do what they can to help a family like the one my dad supported to succeed.  Not to give us a handout…but to make that kind of life liveable for a hardworking man trying to keep his wife at home and raise 3 kids. 

The first presidential election I could vote in was 1992.  I still lived in ND…I was in my senior year of college.  I knew my vote for President Clinton would be a “waste” because my state would go Republican, but I just didn’t care.  I felt so proud to cast that vote.  The only voting experience that has surpassed that was yesterday’s.  I went to my polling place and it was busy.  I knew the vote I was casting would probably help Barack Obama carry a state (Washington) that has gone blue for several elections now. 

The enormity of casting a vote for the first black presidential candidate felt amazing.  There are very few black people where I grew up, and all of them I knew only because I lived in one of the two military base towns.  Otherwise, I can say I would not have known any until at least college and maybe later.  I have heard a lot of racist attitudes growing up in a place like that.  I was heartened to hear that my 85 year old grandfather cast his vote for Barack Obama yesterday.  I was sincerely MOVED.  This is a man that has some racism in himself and yet, cast it aside because he honestly felt that Obama was the man for the job. 

Brandon and I watched the returns last night with Aidan and our dear friend Catherine.  When the clock hit 8pm (PST) we just knew it was coming.  Our state of Washington was one of the 3 that were called for Obama at 8pm and pushed him over the 270 electoral votes.  We were all in tears.  Watching the 200,000 people in Grant Park was inspiring.  It was wonderful to me that such a huge moment in the history of our country was witnessed by our 3 year old son.  He will not remember it, but I am so happy he was here to witness it all.

Obama’s speech was nothing short of inspirational.  Again we were moved to tears.  Instead of gloating, Obama reached out.  I am very proud to be in a country where anything is possible.  What a historic election.  For the first time, we can honestly tell all of our children that anything is possible for them.  And that is change we can believe in.  :-)  

The first vote for my child’s future

Published on November 4, 2008 in Aidan. 2 Comments

Today I cast my first vote for my son’s future.  I have voted in every election since I was eligible, but this was the first where I took a whole new set of priorities with me when I darkened in the circles on my ballot.  Today was the first time I voted in the interests of a child and not just my interests.  It really felt wonderful and patriotic.  I can honestly say that the excitement of voting today beat out my excitement of the first presidential election in which I could vote—1992. 

We are having a very small election night gathering here this evening and I hope to be going to bed with a feeling of peace in my heart and hope in my mind.  Cross your fingers, everybody. 

Cutest little firefighter ever

Published on November 4, 2008 in Aidan, Parenting and Toddlerhood. 1 Comment

This was really Aidan’s first Halloween that he seemed to fully grasp the idea of trick or treating.  The day started off with a Halloween lunch at Brandon’s office.  They wanted the families and kids to come in, share lunch, and trick or treat around the office.

Daddy's building lobby on HalloweenDaddy with his lil' firefighterShowing James Bond my trick or treat bagMe and the mermaidEating some of the lootHitting on girls already

It was a cold, rainy day here in the Seattle area and we opted to do the Halloween Trick or Treat Event at the local mall (Bellevue Square).  We spent some time trick or treating.  Aidan was much more interested in looking at everybody else’s costumes than getting candy.  At the end of the evening, we went up to the children’s play area where he got to wear himself out.

The Dow Family Halloween 2008Aunt Catherine trick or treating with meHe thought this one was so funnyPlaying up in the kids play areaI love climbingKing of the hill

Then we finished up at Red Robin.  He loves french fries and ranch…just like Dad.  At one point we ran out of fries and used his finger as a “Ranch Delivery Device.”  It was too cute.

No fries...I'll just use my fingerWhat are you looking at...I needed my ranch

He had a great time and I love that he is really going to be so much more into the holidays this year now that he is 3.  Every day brings something new and exciting through the eyes of a 3 year old.  I absolutely LOVE my job. 

I made Halloween cookiesThis one says Dad

Resources from “Preemieville”

Published on October 27, 2008 in Aidan, Parenting and Prematurity. 5 Comments

If you are a “regular” blogreader of mine, you might notice a new tab on the top of the page.  It is Resources from “Preemieville”.  This is something I have been meaning to work on for a long time.  I finally started today.  I only have 2 pages up, but it’s a start and I will continue to add as I find the time.

When moms or dads of new preemies find Aidan’s page, one of the things that happens most often is that I get questions from them about resources or what we have personally been through.  I LOVE talking to other parents of preemies, so please don’t stop sending emails.  But I realized it might be helpful to the shy passerby to really document the things I found helpful and what I have learned along the way.

Not all of the information I put up on the Resources page will apply to or help every parent of a preemie, but I’m hoping it might help some.

Let me know if you have any suggestions of other things I could put up.  I am planning at least the following:  Our experience with oral aversion and feeding therapy, resources on birth trauma and PTSD, information on HELLP and pre-e, information about RSV, and some others I am spacing at the moment.

And since I am completely incapable of posting without a cute picture.  Here they are.  One of Aidan in his new winter coat (he looks SO darn old sometimes), one of him figuring out how to take the bottom plug out of his piggy bank, an interesting angle from above when he was outside with Brandon over the weekend, and some of us at the pumpkin patch yesterday.

My new winter coatI emptied my piggy bankFall day outdoors

Mommy and Aidan out at the pumpkin patchI didn't know they made green pumpkinsFall sunshineIt makes a good seatI think the white ones are the coolestCan I have bothDidn't want to let go of his white pumpkin

Blooming

Published on October 16, 2008 in Aidan, Parenting, Prematurity and Toddlerhood. 2 Comments

I love being witness to the periodic leaps in development that Aidan encounters.  I never know when they are going to come, but BOOM! Suddenly he is doing a TON of new stuff…almost overnight.

The generally accepted rule for adjusting a premature child’s age, is that you go by their due date for the first two years.  But many medical professionals I have encountered (Aidan’s pediatrician included) are beginning to believe that you should adjust a preemie’s age for as many years as they were months early.  (So in Aidan’s case, he was 3 months early, allowing for age adjustment until age 3)  Still other experts believe that you do at least that, and if they were hospitalized past their due date you can adjust even beyong that. 

So it is so interesting to me to watch what Aidan has done socially as of late.  He turned 3 years old on August 30 of this year, but his “due date birthday” is coming up on November 23.  I felt like Aidan was caught up to his peers in pretty much every way by his second birthday except for social skills.  Aidan was certainly the right size for his age (err….downright big for his age).  His intellectual skills are above age in many areas.  For example,  he has known his phonics for many, many months and has had a dozen or so sight words.  He was caught up in his physical milestones save for one foot leaving the ground slightly before the other when he jumped.

Aidan spent a good deal of his first year and a half with not a lot of social contact.  We had immature lungs to deal with.  Oxygen, RSV shots, etc, etc.  So I wasn’t surprised that he progressed well socially but just seemed a few months behind.  It is with that knowledge that I decided no preschool this year.

But this kid has had a crazy developmental week!  Some of the highlights.

  • Just suddenly “got” the jumping.  Both feet leaving the ground at the same time.  It is all he wants to do.  Things are taking me 3 times as long because he wants to jump everywhere instead of walk.
  • I took him to the Pacific Science Center last Friday.  He was so behaved.  Very curious.  Asking me questions.  Exploring levers, wheels, dinosaur bones, etc.  We went into the Tropical Butterfly Room and he was a perfect angel.  There was a gorgeous blue butterfly that had landed on the ground.  I told him he could get close and watch but NO touching.  I stayed close, fully prepared to yank him away when he tried to touch the butterfly.  He sat there squatting and watching that butterfly for seriously 3-4 minutes.
  • He went to storytime at the library with me on Tuesday.  I had my doubts about this too.  The librarian who does the toddler/preschooler storytime is wonderful.  She always chooses a theme, sets out books, stuffed animals, pictures, etc.  She always reads 3 books but breaks up the in between time with interactive songs and the like.  Again, Aidan was an angel.  He loved the song where he got to use his hands to quack like a duck, flap his wings like a chicken, roll in the mud like a pig, hop like a bunny, and so on.  Then she did Ring Around The Rosey.  Aidan cheerfully looked at the little girl next to him and said, “Hold my hand?”  We have a huge fan of Ring Around The Rosey now.
  • Aidan went to dinner with Brandon and I and 4 of our friends on Friday.  He was the only little one and he was so well behaved.  He picked up on all the adults saying “Cheers” and clinking our wine glasses.  So Monday night, suddenly, Aidan lifts his sippy cup (looking at Brandon and I) and says “Cheers!!!”  Too cute.
  • Whenever he wants to try something by himself he says, “Mommy can watch!”  I love it.  A unique, Aidan way of saying “I’ll do it myself.”
  • He is hugging his playmates, giving high-5’s, chasing each other, etc.
  • And today at lunch as I was offering him a bite of my pizza, he really threw a curveball my way.  We work on using manners a lot, but with kids this age it takes time.  I could tell he didn’t really want a bite of my pizza and I expected the normal routine of shoving my hand away, but instead he said, “No thank you.”   You could have knocked me over with a feather!!!  I was so proud.

So, in a way, I am convinced that there are aspects of a preemie’s development that really do follow his/her adjusted age.  Aidan is coming up on his “adjusted 3rd birthday” next month and his social behaviors are really falling into line with your average 3 year old.

At this moment in time, I am in awe of my child.  He impresses me so much.  He always finds a way to surprise me with something new he is learning.  He has come so very far from such a rough beginning.  There is no other way to say it….He is my hero.

Some Aidan cuteness from the Science Center….

Figuring out how levers workAnything a boy can crank is funAidan loves anything that seems like a drumOperating the excavatorDiggin the giant zipperDinosaur exhibitPatiently watching like a big boy

And last night in the tub.

Goofy little manFace down in the bubblesEwww! Bubbles on my face!This kid smiles A LOT

Cuteness from the mouth of a 3 year old

Published on October 9, 2008 in Aidan, Funny, Parenting, Prematurity and Toddlerhood. 3 Comments

Recently out of the mouth of Mr. Aidan:

“I wanna go up the esca-elevator!”  Pointing to the escalator at the mall.

“Mommy WATCH! Aidan do it with teacher Dana!”  grabbing my hand and sitting me  down on the sidelines in Little Gym because he wanted to be a big kid and do his warmup without mommy’s help. 

“I love you forever” after reading the book before bed with Daddy.

“Let’s go pay for this” after picking up pretty much anything that catches his eye in any store lately.

“Maybe for Christmas” which is what I have been telling him with pretty much every toy he wants recently.

 Below are a couple of cute shots in the last week or so.  We took him to the Mariners’ last game of the season and he fell asleep on Brandon near the end of the game. 

Too much excitement

And here he is out at the driving range with Dad.  Brandon says he is getting pretty good.  :-)

Nice shot buddy!

A visit to the zoo with Aidan’s friend Jaymin.  Jaymin is also an almost 28 weeker almost exactly 1 year younger.  They really enjoyed each other as you can see by the game of chase that ensued.

Lori, Aidan and Jaymin at the zooCan we swing from theseA game of chase...blurry but still cute

Potty Mommy training

Published on September 30, 2008 in Aidan, Parenting and Toddlerhood. 4 Comments

Cross your fingers folks! I have been hesitant to post about this, lest I jinx myself. But…I think our dear boy, Aidan is getting the hang of potty training. Well, really at this point, it is more like Mommy training.

I really want to instill a sense of self confidence in Aidan surrounding this issue, so I don’t want to be too pushy. But I was getting the sense that perhaps Aidan needed a gentle nudge in the right direction.

I felt lost as to what to do. It seems there are a million different methods of potty training with no one method being right for every child. I decided to start with the easiest thing to deal with. Going peepee at home while awake.

I have tried Pull-ups on him a few times and he seems to think they are just a diaper. So, last Monday I went to the store and just bought some “big boy underwear”. I put them on him while he is awake and at home. On the first afternoon (last Monday), he just wet them every time and didn’t even seem distressed. Ugh. Did I really have a child who just doesn’t care if he feels wet?

The next day, I set up more of a schedule…or mommy training as I have heard it called. He goes as soon as he wakes up in the morning or from a nap, before meals, and at set intervals in between. I am surprised to say this has been going pretty well. We have had very few accidents in that 8 days time. Maybe 4 peepee accidents and 2 poop incidents. He is elated to put a Disney Cars sticker on his potty chart every time he goes peepee.

I attempted to have him do a bowel movement on his potty, but he got scared. It seems he is not ready for this step yet. I can’t believe his ability to understand things sometimes. I told him, “Mommy understands you’re scared about pooping in the potty. Just go peepee, Mommy will put on a diaper for you to poop in, and then we can clean you up and put your big boy underwear back on.” He looked relieved and that’s exactly how it went.

Now I am looking for advice. How long might it take Aidan to start coming to me to tell me he needs to go potty instead of me scheduling him more or less? Or is this how it works for a while? Does anybody have any ideas for getting over the poopy fears other than the 3 books we already have? ;-) Other general helpful ideas about this….I feel like I am flying blind! :-)

And since I have a hard time posting without including a cute Aidan pic, here are a couple from a couple of Saturdays ago when he heard me blowdrying my hair and came in to try it. He said, “Aidan do it. Mommy watch.” Toooo darn cute!

Let's see...how does Mommy do thisHis technique is better than mine!

It’s inevitable

Published on September 19, 2008 in Aidan, Parenting and Toddlerhood. 5 Comments

We’ll be getting a dog someday.  Not right now.  We are still in the hunt to relocate to Phoenix in the next year or so, and I don’t want to move us, a toddler/preschooler, two cats, AND a dog across country.  But Aidan LOVES dogs.  Big breeds seem to be his preference.  He seems drawn to hunting dogs, sporting dogs, etc.  Our dear friend Catherine has a beautiful 9 year old Viszla, Bela.  Aidan and Bela have become very good friends over about the past 9 months or so. 

Aidan has NO fear of dogs whatsoever.  He wants to pet every dog we see.  He loves it when his face gets licked.  Most kids are annoyed or scared by this, but not our boy.  I am trying to instill respect for dogs he doesn’t know, but not fear.  So we are working on him asking the owner of the dog if the dog likes to be petted.

Last Sunday, Catherine and Bela met up with Aidan and I at the park.  Catherine brought Bela’s ball thrower and Aidan was simply giddy. 

I have a feeling that 3 years old is going to be a ton of fun.  :-)

Mommy and Aidan watching the ducks.

Watching all the ducksI like hanging out with my Mommy at the park

Mommy and Aidan getting ready to play fetch with Bela.  “Come on girl!”

Us with Catherine's Viszla, BelaCome on Bela, let's go!

“How exactly does this work, Mommy?  Show me.”

Aidan is loving throwing the ball to BelaMommy showing Aidan how it works

This is one of my favorite pictures of the whole summer!  Doesn’t he look like he is having a blast?

One of my favorite shots of Aidan...holding Bela's ball thrower

Overheard at the playground

Published on September 13, 2008 in Aidan, Family, Parenting and Toddlerhood. 1 Comment

I am painfully aware that I am far from a perfect parent, but I am always a little sad when I see a parent who doesn’t seem to know how to let loose and have fun with their child. Story upcoming. Let me set the stage.

We have had a great week here in Seattle as far as the weather goes.  It was in the high 70’s and it was perfect weather for sneaking in a few more glorious days outside at the park.  I went online and found some parks we had not yet been to in the area.  I get bored going to the same ones time after time.

We went to one park on Thursday afternoon and then different ones on Friday morning and then Friday evening when Brandon got home.  Aidan is in his element outside.  He loves to have the freedom to run freely.  He really seems to love the open space.  I have heard that children learn differently just from playing outside and I don’t doubt it a bit.

On Friday morning, we found a park with a sandbox.  Wow, does Aidan love sandboxes!  Here comes the thing I can’t believe I heard at a playground.

Mom to boy about 2 years old who is picking up bark and scooping sand with his hands, “Eww!!!  Don’t do that!  That is dirty!  Come over to the swings.”

Ummm…SERIOUSLY?   I had to exercise a lot of self restraint not to blurt out, “You do know you brought him to a playground, don’t you?”  Yikes.  I feel sorry for a kid who is not allowed to explore and get dirty when he is playing outside.  Isn’t that part of the point?

Here are some cute pictures from our recent outdoor adventures.

A peekaboo through a tunnel on the playground equipment.

Peekaboo at the playground

A really tall slide he LOVED.

On a REALLY big slide

I loved this picture because he was going back and forth on this little “bridge” several times letting both his hands graze the bars and listening to the musical noise he made while going across. I love watching children explore and learn like that.

Listening to the clanging noise the bars make

Showing Dad some of his climbing skills.

My climbing skills are good

Fun in the sandbox.

I love the sandbox!Drawing a road in the sand

He gets such grownup looks sometimes when he is thinking. Brandon captured this gem.

What should I do next

We ended the Friday of park outings with a trip to Red Robin. By the end, Aidan was resting on Brandon and telling me “I’m so tired.” I actually managed to tire him out! Pat me on the back! :-)

Tired after a long day out at the parks

I’m 3 years old!

Published on September 1, 2008 in Aidan and Toddlerhood. 4 Comments

A longer catchup post to come.  We have had two trips away in two weekends and I have not had the chance to download all of the pictures and put together a proper blog post in honor of Aidan’s 3rd birthday.

My brother and sister-in-law threw a wonderful birthday party for Aidan and once he figured out we were singing Happy Birthday to him, he was so delighted!  Check out the excitement on this kid’s face. 

Life is so good it hurts.  :-)

Happy Birthday to ME!