preserving my sanity and other updates

I need to post something new so that I can push those improv videos down out of sight. As great as they are, they become a little less funny each time I give in to Garrett's requests to watch "Train" and "Ghosts" when he sees them pop up on the top of the screen.


Speaking of Garrett, yesterday I took him to the lab to get blood drawn for his annual routine lead poisoning check. On the bus ride over, I prepped him for the experience the best I knew how, and by the time we reached our stop he was oddly excited to go visit the doctor. When it was our turn to go sit in the special chair in the back room of this teeny tiny clinic, Garrett sat on my lap and I held his arm steady while the nurse looked for his vein. The nurse, who was apparently very experienced with small children, tried to brace us both for the inevitable screaming that would occur, but it turned out to not be necessary. The needle went in and Garrett, who watched the whole process in awed fascination, hardly even flinched -- not even when the nurse had to wiggle the needle around to catch the vein. Despite the fact that I briefly thought that if it wasn't for the blond hair, I'd question our genetic connection, a part of me also sort of expected a response of this sort. Only two weeks ago he actually laughed as his pediatrician injected a surprise vaccination. The nurse, however, experienced though he was with drawing blood from kids, was so impressed, he asked if Garrett would come back and be a role model for the kids who panic when it's their turn to sit in the special chair.

And lest we forget the other little boy living under this roof, here's an update on Caleb. He recently started standing up on his own, and even going from a squatting position to a full stand, without losing his balance. He hasn't taken any independent steps yet, but he is so close. I've been asked by several people who have watched his progress if I'm ready for another toddler, as if the fact that his ability to walk will add inches instead of mobility. Really, it's not like once he figures it out he'll all of a sudden be able to get into more stuff. He already gets into anything and everything within his reach, and an ability to walk across the middle of a room instead of just along the furniture won't change that. I actually think both of our lives will get a little easier once he's walking: Caleb won't be so limited and therefore neither will I. Anyhow, at the rate he's going, it's entirely likely that he'll fulfill Blake's prediction of "walking at 10 months." We'll see. But seriously, the speed at which Caleb's mobility developed compared to his brother's makes me question just a little their genetic connection. It amazes me how different siblings can be from each other.

Last night Blake and I sat down and made some fun family plans for Saturday. Something to look forward to does wonders for my mood, and consequently I'm feeling much better today. And, if the weekend goes as I hope it does, you'll have my report of it to look forward to as well.