When we flew to New Jersey last week, we decided that we’d rather check Pitter’s carseat and bring a CARES harness with us onto the plane.

It worked beautifully. No cumbersome seat to drag through the narrow aisles, more space for Pitter to play during the flight, and more room for me sitting next to him.

It’s easy to install on the back of the seat, and folds up into a nice little pouch that you can stuff into your toy bag.

My only two complaints are

1) the price: around $75, which is almost the cost of an entire (cheap) carseat…we decided that in the end, with two children we’ll surely use it well

2) the fact that Pitter was so low in his seat that he couldn’t see out the window during takeoff and landing and kind of missed the concept of flying all together. Ah well.

Other things I brought to placate the boy included a new book of Bob the Builder stickers, a new truck, and *colored* Goldfish crackers (because food coloring makes everything more interesting, dontcha know.) I was quite concerned that Pitter’s ears would bother him, but we had no problems there. Horrah!

Additionally, aside from napping problems–which we have at home too, Pitter was an excellent traveler. He seems to thrive in new situations where there are new people to meet and new things to see. Walking around an airport, playing with his cousins, walking around new neighborhoods, throwing rocks into the ocean all floated his boat. This is great news since we’re headed to Colorado in July for a final vaca before Patter’s arrival.

 

What I’m Loving

Pitter’s personality at Two:

He’s been such a ray of sunshine the last few weeks (even while traveling to New Jersey to see Sweet Cheek’s family) that it kills me to drop him off at daycare anymore because he’s so darned FUN. He greets me every morning with kisses “on brother,” “for nee-nees” and on my cheeks. He’s now singing the alphabet and twinkle-twinkle on his own and exclaiming “I LIKE that song!” once he’s through. He eats almost anything, his physical coordination is finally at an acceptably-safe level, his temper tantrums are few and short-lived, and 90% of the time he speaks in understandable full sentences. Pretty awesome all around.

Summertime:

Duh. Who doesn’t? Although it rains often in Indiana in the summer, it is sunny when it’s not pouring and we’re cowering beneath major thunderstorms. The ability to play on the back porch, go to a splash park, or spend the morning at a playground with a toddler has immeasurably positive consequences on everyone’s mood. And there’s some kind of fair or outside activity to do every weekend.

 

What I’m Hating

Pitter’s psychotic nap schedule:

30-50 minutes one day, 3 HOURS the next. I don’t know if I’ll only have time to scarf down lunch and put my legs up for 10 minutes or if I can clean the bathrooms, do an hour of yoga, and take a chunk out of a book. Maddening. Oh, and there’s the super-cranky kid vs. the angel who awakes from these incommensurate naps, too.

3rd trimester pregnancy symptoms:

The morning nausea has returned; I feel like I have 10lbs of pressure on my lungs all the time–and in the middle of the night if I wake up this makes me feel claustrophobic and can spark anxiety attacks; the pretty little spider vein on my leg that Pitter’s pregnancy produced is darkening significantly; I am tired all the time again, can take a nap if I close my eyes for more than 10 minutes and am often falling asleep for the night with Pitter; and, I feel like someone has kicked me in the pubic bone and it aches all the time.

 

How about you?

Mandy has asked that I reveal exactly what makes me so very unspectacular. Okay, well, to reveal a handful of unspectacular quirks, anyway. I’m running out of blogging steam these days, so here goes.

The rules are to link the person who sent it to you, mention these rules in your blog, then (the fun part) tell us about 6 random, unspectacular quirks that you possess.  Then tag 6 others to do the same.

1. Sometimes my ears get really itchy on the inside–like in my head–and I need to vigorously shake a finger around my ear canal to alleviate the sensation. I had a lot of ear infections as a child and ruptured one eardrum in high school. I think it messed things up. I try not to “scratch” in public. Heh.

2. I am by no means a neat freak, but it drives me nuts when Sweet Cheeks leaves the cap off the toothpaste or lotion containers. NUTS. Replacing the toilet paper I don’t give a rat’s ass about. But containers of goo left to be spilled drive me batty. 

3. I have a hard time parting with money. Before I make any purchase over $50 (aside from grocery shopping) I usually ask myself: Will I care if I have this object/service in another two weeks? If the answer is no, I skip it, even if we can easily afford it. However, I shop a lot, and annoy the hell out of myself when I realize that I’ve spent at least six months shopping for couch pillows to replace the hideous ones we have, and for bookcases, and have bought neither. So I live with ugly pillows and books in boxes for no good reason. 

4. I think salami is disgusting. Or any other meat product with visible chunks of fat imbedded in it. Dis-gusting. It also makes me ill to watch people eat meat off of bones–like ribs or chicken drumsticks. I don’t have an ethical problem with it, I just can’t help transforming people engaged in such activities into rabid dogs snarling and foaming at the kill. Needless to say, I don’t eat these particular foods.

5. I think my feet look naked without nailpolish on my toes, but I’ve gone for years without polish on my fingernails and it doesn’t bother me in the least. 

6. I alternately fantasize about living like this family and downsizing my life to a few essentials, and living in a rambling mansion with a servant to feed me grapes and rub my feet. 

Tagging, in no particular order:

Fighting Windmills

Mymsie

Manda

Cattula

Amy 

Bewildered Housewife

 

 

This morning, I found it imperative to instruct Pitter to stop jumping on our bed while I was swishing mouthwash. You know, because we mothers like our children to retain both eyeballs.  

I proceeded to inhale the mouthwash, which caused a five-minute coughing fit so sexy that it involved barfing up some of my breakfast and peeing my pajama pants. Damn, does that stuff sting the cilia of the lungs! 

This is what happens when you multitask personal hygiene and child discipline while six months pregnant. 

It’s hot, I tell you. And poor Sweet Cheeks missed the whole thing while off at work. 

I must say, I’ve enjoyed your second year faaar more than the first. I’ve actually thought of you as a two-year-old for some time now, what with all the talking and tantrums. And hey! Thanks for letting your Dad and I sleep through two whole nights last week. Two nights out of seven you allowed us to actually wake up in the same bed we started in. Astounding. 

I figure this is the last year I’ll have time for indulgences like these somewhat fuzzy YouTube Pitter Production videos. So squint your eyes to make up for the less-than-sharp quality, and turn those speakers up!

At least this time around I’m ON TIME to the day! And, this one is under five minutes long…probably because we took fewer pictures in the second year than the first.