Cold Spaghetti

I am unhappy with some of the things I see in Will’s normal play. He is attached to his harmonica these days (he carries it everywhere) and in play, will jab it in the air and at our legs. I think this borders on aggression and it bothers me.

More upsetting to me is how Will can physically act out when frustrated. With Paul now suddenly gone, Will has gotten even more attached to me. He is great with Kate, but clearly feels the change of no longer being the only center to our child universe. The number of time outs has increased, as have Will’s tantrums, requests for binky, and things that I feel are aggressive in his actions.

We are very clear on how we feel about aggressive acts: they are scary, dangerous, mean-spirited, and not acceptable. When other kids have engaged in this type of play around Will, we’ve taken time to explain how we feel about them and have been proud to report that he routinely walks away from this type of play with other kids. Since coming to Mobile, Will’s television and movie time has increased greatly. In particular, he’s had exposure to things that are new to him: movies. So, my thought is that maybe we are sending mixed messages. Peter Pan and Captain Hook spar off with each other, Buzz Lightyear and Woody have physical fights and are still friends … so maybe he’s learning that these things are okay. Following this train of thought, I figure that we should cut these things out for a few years. Not forever, but just until he’s a little older and we can explain things better.

So, my question: is this a reasonable approach? Or I am living in a dream world?

Further: by suggesting that we cut these things, I’ve stepped on some family toes. (Granted, I haven’t been the most diplomatic in my mode of discussion.) Is suggesting a change in the current mode of operation an insult?

Will points out the “buggie” on his bubble mower. (Having just worked so hard to “mow” the lawn.)
Granna gives Kate a night-time bath in the kitchen sink.
Skip teaches Will to strum. “Whoa,” says Will.
Will and Emily play “smoosh.” This is when Will runs and tackles you, knocking you over completely i.e. “smooshing” you. Here Emily rebounds.

Skip holds a hiccupping Baby Kate.

Will had a *blast* enjoying the pool with Aunt Emily and Uncle Skip, who came for the weekend to visit with us and meet Baby Kate.

Will is “dancing” in the picture above. (Think the “cold spaghetti” dance.)
Ready or not… here he comes! Will jumps into the water, full speed… get ready for a splash!

Our newest bird…

Today at 10am, tickets for the July 30th “Wiggles Live” performance in Mobile Civic Center Arena went on sale. We called the ticket office; by 10:30 they’d sold over 1000 tickets and were expecting to sell out today. My parents were very excited about the prospect of taking Will — so much so, that they were contemplating going for the $125 per ticket price of sitting on the center floor in front of the stage. The power of a grandchild is apparently quite intense. (Seriously. $125 a ticket. To see The Wiggles.)

We talked them out of it. Final tally: 3 tickets, $123 via ticketmaster. 5 rows up a riser on the arena floor, perpendicular to the stage.

I couldn’t resist posting some of my favorite pictures of the kids from our most recent photo playtime sessions! (Link to the kodak gallery in the posts below.)

Kate and I enjoyed some late afternoon air while Will and Paul rode around. We realized that Paul needs a helmet, too!

(I love Will’s face in the picture above.)

Leaving Kate sleeping with my Mom, the three of us (Paul, Will and I) ventured to the West Mobile Wal-Mart. Diapers and pictures were on the list… I had made an online order of photos from Kate’s first days to start her scrapbook. We picked up the goods and were on the way home when I started to check out the photos.

They were HORRIBLE.

Inspired by Gwen’s bold return, we turned the car around. With a deep breath and shoulders back, I hopped out and strode to the Customer Service counter. It took a phone call to the photo center and a manager approval, but they took back the photos and gave me my money back. Yuk. I’ll just stick with the kodak gallery for now on.

Collections of Mom’s favorites from our recent photo sessions are available online via the kodak gallery. View them, order them, and love them here! 

Kate is three weeks old today. For the most part, we’re doing quite well, considering her days and nights are definitely backward. Nothing can wake this kid once the sun rises.

As for me, I’m okay. My tummy is still fairly sore and a few hours up and about is enough to get it achy. The surrounding area is terribly red, itchy, and weepy from the surgical tape (now gone) but seems to be getting a bit better everyday. Nursing is improving, too! The block nursing has done a tremendous amount in controlling oversupply, it is no where near as bad as it used to be. When calm, Kate generally can handle the forceful letdown in small amounts. (When upset, it just pisses her off.) She is growing so fast that we fear she’ll be out of her three month clothes in the next 2 weeks. She looks amazing for a three week old, but is definitely huge! Will wore his 3 month clothing through his third month, so we’re a bit taken aback by Kate’s growth. At this rate, she’ll be bigger than Will by July.