Powder Room, Bath Room, Rest Room

When I'm out and about I don't, "powder my nose."  I have yet to take a bath in a restaurant, and there are far better places to "rest" when you're tired than a place with toilets.  I have friend named Jon, but I don't, "go to the Jon" unless I need the latest advice on some technology issue.  Suffice it to say, the euphemisms for, "going to use the toilet" are mostly plain silly.

But when I go and need to excuse myself or let someone know where I'm going, I don't feel the need to explain what the specific need is at that point.  There's just got to be a better name for the multi-purpose room that is the "bathroom."

Isaac Asimov postulated in some of his future history novels the name, "The Personal."  It's a perfect name.  Aside from very specific cases, the vast majority of the time my needs are indeed, personal.  I'm all for a rename.  But knowing how ensconced humans are at holding on to outmoded or outdated sayings and names, that is not likely to happen.  It's not even likely that I'll be able to drop the old names, which come so readily and easily, and change to a new term.

But I just might try...

The Big Boy Update:  Basketball.  He doesn't say "mama" or "dada" regularly or in the appropriate situations.  But he is fiercely working on saying "basketball."  He says ball a lot.  He started saying "buh ball" and now is saying "bass ball."  Apparently his speaking priorities are a little different than we would have expected.

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  Not a baby anymore.  My husband said the other night she moved around in the bed in such a way that she looked more like a little person than a baby. Our friend last night said, "she's not a baby, she's growing up." 

Right-size Countdown:  Ding, 0.0 pounds to go.  Well, ding sort of.  That was after the morning's run and at optimal weight for the past several days as I knew the Monday weigh-in was coming.  So, two more pounds to go and I'll feel more confident I've really reached my weight loss goal.  But still, HOORAY!

Electrical Hassles and Burn-out Bothers

We've had several things burn out, or just fail to work over the last year.  After the third low-voltage under-cabinet light went bad I spoke with our builder and said we needed to look into it from an overall house electrical perspective.

I had asked him before if there was an issue, or could possibly be an issue, but he said he didn't think there could be.  He is someone who will overdo a thing instead of underdoing it.  So I don't believe he was avoiding the issue.  With twenty five years of building fine homes, he has a lot of experience and I have trusted his knowledge many times and we have a beautiful home that we're very happy with as a result.

After this last last issue, where a light was working, but burned out on the low setting only, I asked him to have the electrician come and verify everything was in order.  After speaking with him, they decided to have the power company come first and look at the main house connections and verify we were getting both appropriate power and weren't having surges.

That appears to have been the problem all along.  The main connections to the house had several spots that weren't tightened down as well as they should have been.  They could have been causing arcing power which would affect low-voltage issue more commonly than high-voltage ones.  The power company's contractor didn't do a good job when installing it.

So, now that that's fixed I've been thinking back on the past fifteen months.  We have a new house, so everything in it is new and it's expected that some things will have an issue.  But when I think through the issues we had as a whole, there was ample evidence something was amiss.

We had a low-voltage jam switch in a closet burn out twice.  Three under-cabinet lights burned out in the same way.  Three parts (one twice) had to be replaced in the in-house vacuum unit.  The jacuzzi tub control panel malfunctioned and we had four calls to the alarm system company for faulty sensors.

In each case, we were assured by the warranty or service people that these things happened in new installations and to not worry because it was under warranty.  As a whole, I think we got the overriding message a bit later than I would have liked to.  But... it's fixed now.  And we learned something.  It's always good to learn something, even if experience is expensive.

The Big Boy Update:  Is he outgrowing the nap?  Some mornings I think so.  I think there's no way he's going to nap because he's got so much energy.  And some mornings he doesn't nap.  But most days, like today, when he gets cranky and we put him in his crib, he lies down and we don't hear a sound from him for over an hour.  Nap time is good time.

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  Sitting up on her own...sort of.  She can sit up now.  She balances well...for a bit.  Then she falls over and investigates the floor on her stomach.   Then, she gets annoyed because she wants to be sitting.  Soon I predict she'll "tripod" and be able to hold herself in a sitting position for longer by using one hand to balance.

Right-size Countdown:  0.6 pounds to go

She Laughed at Me

Medical professionals aren't usually suppose to laugh at you when they're taking your medical history.  I had one do just that the other day.  I had to admit it was funny though, so I laughed back.

I have upcoming vision correction surgery and she had called for the pre-op medical history questionnaire.  When I took the call, she asked if I had time to to answer some questions and I said yes, if she didn't mind the noise of two small children in the background and potential, "stop that, don't maim your sister." interruptions.

When she got to the "what current medications are you on?" portion of the questionnaire I said "prenatal vitamins and birth control pills."  That's when she laughed.  She said, "aren't those two a little contradictory?"  She was right, and I got to laughing too.  I explained the prenatal vitamins had been prescribed for longer than I needed them, but I didn't want to let a good daily multivitamin go to waste.  She said, "Hey, I would use them up too."

The Big Boy Update:  He sat still for several books today.  He likes books, but mostly to flip over and roughly handle.  He's still figuring out the books have meaning.  But today he was interested in letting me read several books to him before his nap.

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  Smiling at strangers.  She was endearing to multiple people while we were out at the farmer's market this morning.  She's going to have the most friends in her class if she keeps up her sunny disposition.

Right-size Countdown:  1.0 pounds to go

Less Explaining, Just the Facts.

I'm a teacher.  I'm from a family of teachers.  I believe I always enjoyed what I did because I like to help people understand.  But I'm not sure that's always the best way to be in all situations. 

More and more I feel like I'm trying to explain something, because if it was me, I'd want to understand instead of being just told.  But it doesn't resonate.  I get the feeling I'm boring family members, that the friend I'm telling isn't that interested in the details, or that people I interact with regularly don't want to know whatever it is in detail. 

So I'm trying to just say what, not how or why, and let it go at that.  I'm usually working on improving lots of things about myself.  Some I'm successful with, others not so much.  I'll have to see how it goes with this.

The Big Boy Update:  Standing on the chair.  He's sitting in my father's baby chair lately.  It's a wooden rocking chair that's over seventy years old.  We have pictures of my father in it as a child.  Only he likes to stand in it... and rock.  I predict a disaster in the near future.

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  Teeth?  Well, something is bothering her.  She wouldn't eat her bottle for dinner because she was so uncomfortable.  After a lot of trying different bottle-based options I just gave up and fed her yogurt, which she devoured.  In the next few days hopefully the bothersome tooth (teeth?) will erupt and she'll be okay with the bottle again.

Right-size Countdown:  1.6 pounds to go.

The Perception and The Reality

The Perception:  One size fits all. The Reality:  No, it doesn't.

I weighed a lot more just before I had my daughter.  It was mostly baby weight and the weight gain associated with being pregnant.  But I also was a bit overweight before I got pregnant the first time.  I'd spent two years in pregnancy clothes, so my main clothes were in the closet lying wait for me to get un-pregnant.

Even though I weighed a lot more, significantly more even, than the size of my clothes, I didn't really think I was that different in size.  I'm not sure where I thought the extra weight was going dimensionally, but I didn't think the pounds could amount to that much physical size difference.

I found out the hard way that even though I saw myself as the same size as I had been before babies, I wasn't.  I was unexpectedly surprised that my legs were just too blooming fat to fit into my jeans.  And I didn't expect my chest to be enough difference that I wouldn't be able to button the buttons in the front.  I was wrong. 

And even now, you'd think I would have learned my lesson, but no.  I needed new shorts.  I knew I had another five pounds or so to go, but I didn't fathom they'd make enough of a difference in my waist to need a smaller size.  So now I need another new pair of shorts.

The Big Boy Update:  There are balls on my pants.  The spaceship and planet-themed pants he slept in he discovered were covered in balls this morning.  He was pulling the material all around and pointing out the balls to me.  It's all about the balls right now.

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  Sitting up with a pillow.  She's sitting up well with a pillow.  She's able to balance on her torso for much longer than she could last week.  She still falls forward eventually, but soon she'll be sitting up under control and she'll have a whole new world to interact with from this new perspective.

Right-size Countdown:  2.2 pounds to go

Freezing Hot

I went running today before the children were up.  There was no time the rest of the day because of existing scheduled items.  I wasn't looking forward to it though.  Well, that's not exactly true.  I do look forward to running because it gives me a sense of accomplishment and I always feel better about myself when I've done some exercising.

But it was cold.  And it was drizzling.  Forty-eight and wet isn't my idea of a fun run.  You get warm when you run, but you still don't want to be out in shorts and a t-shirt if you run like I do, which isn't for that long and is definitely not that fast. 

I am thankful though that it wasn't 88 degrees.  That would have been, no doubt worse.  So the run went fine, but in any cool weather I run into a body temperature range issue.  My trunk is hot.  I'm sweating and it's working hard.  My hands and feet are freezing.  I can't work the phone to determine how much longer I need to run, because all the blood is busy trying to grab oxygen from my lungs.

It's a strange sensation to be so hot in some areas and so cold in others.  As soon as I stop running the temperatures equalize and I'm sweaty all over.  I can tell this is going to be fun come July and August in the crazy hot summer months.  At least my hands won't be cold.  Maybe they'll be too sweaty to work the phone then?

The Big Boy Update:  I do not perform.  He has words, I swear.  And he does cute things.  All the time, really.  But if someone is around and we ask him what something is, or to wave bye bye or do the sign for "more," he is just going to stare at you like he has no clue what you're talking about.  My cousin was over yesterday and she said, "oh they never perform, get used to it."  Then, when you're not paying attention of course he starts doing all the cute things.  Typical.

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  Nine month clothes.  I just cleaned out her drawer and retired a round of clothes.  She's not six months yet, but most of the six month clothes are too short for her.  She's not quite nine month size yet either, but baggy is better than tight.

Right-size Countdown:  1.8 pounds to go

Fingernails

I've never had fingernails to be proud of.  For my entire juvenile and adult life I've been embarrassed by my nails.  They were chewed, they were short, they were ugly.  And the cuticles were atrocious.  I also spent lots of time with my hands in my mouth because I was chewing on either a nail that was bothering me or a piece of skin that was uncomfortable.

It was really a matter of bad habit I picked up as a child.  The cuticles of my nails grew extremely quickly because I picked at them all the time.  Even if I stopped messing with them, something almost impossible for me to do, they would grow and split very quickly.  And growing out a nail was difficult because my nails grow very slowly, but was made even more difficult because any length at all would be fiddled with and harassed until it lost all stability and I chewed it off.  I also had very low nail beds because I was perpetually digging under my nails, as far as I could manage.

A few years ago I'd had enough.  I had to fix the problem and I knew it was going to take a long time, but I didn't want to go on the way I had for so long.  The first line of attack was to put gel nails on.  This wasn't an inexpensive route, as you need to go have them done every few weeks.  But it helped me in two ways:  First, there wasn't anything to chew on because the gel covers your own nails and isn't pleasant to gnaw on.  Second, you can't pick on your cuticles because the nails are thicker and more blunt.  And third, for some reason there's less inclination to dig under the nails and push back the nail bed.

Over two years I stopped biting my nails and because I wasn't picking at the cuticles anymore, they stopped growing so aggressively.  The real test was would I revert to my old habits once the gel nails were gone?  I'd heard nails grow more quickly and are stronger while pregnant, so when I was pregnant with my son I had the gel taken off.  I did go through a period of weakened nails while fresh growth grew out and I made sure to keep them very short so there would be less possibility for tearing.

As it turned out, my nails weren't as delicate or prone to tearing as I had feared or remembered.  And the broken habit stayed broken.  I used and still use a nail strengthener, but I don't have nearly the problems I had feared.  And now, not pregnant anymore, my nails are still strong and I have even grown them long enough that I've had to use clippers.  Yes, those clippers that I had no idea how to use.

I even look forward to shortening them when they get too long.  When we got back from vacation I shortened them and put clear polish on them.  I was in the car today and I looked at my nails.  They're short, they're not fancy, but they're relatively neat and clean and I suddenly realized that for the first time in my life, I'm not embarrassed by my nails.

The Big Boy Update:  Food picky or food preference?  He is definitely stating his preferences with food.  When we're out at a restaurant I let him get away with saying he doesn't want something because I am not going to let him cause a scene and bother other diners.  He also can't communicate with words to let us know what he does want.  But I'll be darned if I'm going to have a baby who only eats grilled cheese and pasta.  Preferences are a good thing.  Excluding things just because you like something better is not an option.  The battle continues.

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:   Inching forward.  On a softer surface, like the bed, she will pull her knees up under her while on her stomach and push forward.  She's not pushing up off her tummy yet, but she has definite interest in forward motion.  Last week she was doing the air swim while on her stomach as well.

Right-size Countdown:  Gah, I forgot what I weighed this morning.  I think it's 2.4 pounds to go.