MONDO WEIRDO

It’s official. I just felt the pointy tip of Jack’s first baby tooth! So exciting! This guy never lets me get a good look inside his mouth but last night I managed to catch a glimpse of the tooth just under the surface of his gums. And just like that, it’s here. Jack hasn’t been sleeping so well lately so maybe this is a good reason why. Let’s just hope it’ll soon be over with. I’m exhausted. It’s funny how much you forget from one kid to the next but I really don’t remember when Luke stopped nursing at night. Jack is still waking once to eat in the middle of the night and again early in the morning. I am so ready for him to sleep through the night! I may try to night wean him at 8 months and see how it goes. And if he’s not ready to wean at 9 months I may start encouraging him to do so. Luke started dropping his feedings at 9 months and was completely done breastfeeding at 10 months. As much as I love breastfeeding I’m anxious to move on and get a little bit of my old life back. It doesn’t help that he refuses to take a bottle. I never get a break and it’s really cramping my style. But the end is in sight! These new tooth is just the beginning. Soon, he’ll have a mouthful. All the better to dig into his favorite foods. His palate is expanding! Chicken with applesauce, beets with yams, quinoa, brown rice, and all kinds of spices. He’s even decided he likes yogurt after all. What a champ!

Believe it or not, I am parent to an *almost* preschooler. The search is on and I’ve already toured a handful of area preschools and within another couple of months will find out which ones Luke has been accepted to. And yes, preschool is so competitive you have to begin your search a year in advance to ensure a slot. One of the preschools I’ve applied to involved calling at a specific time on a specific date and being assigned a number which determines whether or not you stand a chance in hell of getting in. After getting a busy signal and hitting redial for 15 minutes straight, I finally got through and learned I was #20! I’ve been assured, by the way, that it’s a very good number. I felt like I was trying to score tickets to a U2 concert. It’s been fun and a little overwhelming learning about the different schools, the different educational approaches and philosophies that exist and, frankly, the exorbitant cost of early childhood education in the area. I won’t specify what we are considering paying because I can’t quite wrap my mind around it just yet but I will say that it’s not unheard of to spend $10,000 a year. For just 3 mornings a week. Per child. Yet, after looking around, I am coming to believe that you get what you pay for. Preschools these days offer a plethora of activities I never had: Music, field trips, computer instruction, woodworking!

I want to get my kids off to a good start in school. As a small child my teachers and my parents instilled in me a true love of learning. They always encouraged me to pursue my interest. My dad paid for a private education and my hardworking mom somehow found the money to buy me books and magazines and those awesome Sweet Pickles cards! Also, I suppose I’m just a curious person by nature. The world is an amazing place and there’s so many things to learn about! I’m a big believer in education. I don’t think everyone needs to or should go to Harvard but getting a solid education is one of the best things a person can do improve their lot in life. And I suspect getting it right from the start is important.

I’ve questioned whether or not preschool is necessary. Plenty of kids don’t go at all and most of them eventually catch up with their peers academically and socially. But I don’t want my kids to feel like they’re “catching up.” I want them to have every advantage. I’m a stay-at-home parent so I could just keep Luke home with me and teach him the basics but, as I see it, my role as a parent is that of nurturer more than teacher. I’m not particularly good at playing the part of schoolmarm and frankly Luke cares very little for what I have to say about letters, numbers or anything else for that matter. And let’s be honest, more than anything, preschool is about socialization and learning to be part of a group. I take Luke to the park, indoor playspaces, playdates, etc. but he needs more. He’s a very sociable child. He will thrive in school.

We can’t afford to send our kids to private school so I’m more than thrilled that the public schools in Massachusetts are some of the best in the country. I may be out of my mind to spend what I’m about to spend on preschool but I really do consider it an investment. It’s an expensive journey to be sure but I’m convinced it’s worthwhile. My kids will learn some independence and gain a solid academic foundation and self confidence before starting “real” school. And of course there’s a little something in it for me. I get a few hours away from my demanding preschooler and gain a little bit of one-on-one time with my youngest. Who knows, maybe I’ll even have time to go grocery shopping or clean the house. Everybody wins!

Wow! Christmas? Already? Unreal. We have had so much fun building up to this, I can’t believe it’s finally here. Chi-Yun’s parents came in from Denver for the occasion and we’ve loved having them celebrate with us! Luke has really bought in to this whole Santa business and you better believe we’ve gotten a lot of mileage out of it too. He’s been great about picking up his toys every day and night to make Santa happy. What does Luke want for Christmas? The presents! Of course, this is Jack’s 1st Christmas. He may not have any idea who Santa is but he’s enjoyed the festive atmosphere. And he even “walked” away with a few new toys of his own. I got a new laptop and Chi-Yun and I will both be enjoying a massage later this week while his parents babysit. Hooray! A fabulous holiday!

Mantle is looking lovely

What do you mean you’re not going to hold me while you bake cookies?!!

Well, this is a sweet ride

Cookie monster gets a warm cookie

Penguin has a belly full

Tree! With presents!

Ready for the big day

Truck hug

Luke is head over heels

Jack playing with his new toys

Pièce de résistance

Jack says Christmas dinner is a black tie affair

Play it again, Jack!

Mmm, a fine way to end the evening. Merry Christmas!

When I made the last-minute decision to pack up the kids and head down to the mall for a quick photo with Santa, I just assumed it would be a disaster and we’d all need a cocktail by the time it was over. Naturally Jack screamed the entire car ride there. What IS it with babies hating to ride in the car?!! Other than that, it was actually not so bad. Luke got to ride his first coin-op fire truck, dine on his favorite meal of french fries and chicken nuggets, and we got our annual picture with Santa photo. Lo and behold! My camera shy toddler didn’t even cry! Sure he was skeptical but he wanted to make sure Santa knew what he wanted for Christmas: The Presents! It was, adorable. Nobody smiled, not even Santa (where the hell do they find these creeps anyway? And would it kill them to put on a nice fluffy white FAKE beard?!!) but there were no tears. And instead of screaming on the way home, Jack decided to take a nap in the car. Hallelujah! It’s a Christmas miracle!

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Today we said goodbye to our dear cat Moose. He’s been such a wonderful companion all these years. I remember when we first laid eyes on him 14 years ago at the animal shelter in Boulder, CO. He wasn’t some fancy Persian or striking Calico. Just a squishy grey and white tabby mix with a little black “eyeliner” around one eye. A stray of indeterminate age they pulled off the streets. I’m still not sure what it was that made me love him right away. There were “prettier” cats up for adoption but I just kept coming back to that one cage and staring into his green eyes. He played it cool. Chi-Yun liked him right away too. When we had some one-on-one time with him in a separate room, we liked his calm laid back style. We decided to take him home. He was hesitant at first. Had a little spell where he hyperventilated. Must have been nerves. He quickly relaxed though when he realized we were CAT PEOPLE and he was in for some spoiling. He chilled out. Got to know us. Soon he became a champion lap cat. Unlike our other cat “Chanel” aka Miss Piggy, who was a typical nervous tortoiseshell, this guy was so calm and carefree. He was cool and he knew it. Everybody loved this cat.

Over the years we’ve been through a lot together. We flew him to Boston from Colorado because we just couldn’t bear the thought of giving him to someone else. Boy was that a rough plane ride. I thought he wouldn’t make it. I brought him on the plane as a carry-on and stored him under my seat. He freaked out for the 4-5 hour flight. When we got off the plane I noticed he had banged himself up so bad he was bleeding. Thankfully, he survived and we’ve had a great 12 1/2 years here in Boston. He’s been there for us through college days, numerous moves, our marriage, and two kids.

A few months ago we looked at him walking down the stairs and Chi-Yun said, “does it look like he’s losing weight?” In our busy lives with the kids, we hardly have time to feed ourselves much less dote on our pets but when I looked at Moose I was startled. Yes, he looked rather thin. Just a few days before he had killed a mouse. We were so proud that he still had it in him. But within days, we noticed he stopped eating. Then drinking. We took him to the vet and he weighed in at 11 lbs. This is a cat who weighed 16 lbs. in his prime. And not a Maine Coon 16 lbs. but a tabby mind you! A cat who the vet warned was obese. Now, he was wasting away. We ran tests, took x-ray. Amazingly they said, internally, he was in surprisingly good shape for his age. His probably was kidney disease which he had been living with for years. He was dehydrated. His potassium was low. They gave us subcutaneous fluids to administer every day. Medicines to make him eat and feel better. It worked for awhile. He started eating and drinking again.

Then, a couple of weeks ago he stopped eating his special kidney health diet food. We bought him some other yummy wet food and he started eating but not like he used to. A couple of days ago he stopped eating at all. Yesterday he stopped drinking water. He was weak and could barely walk. I weighed him this morning. Just over 7 lbs. He was starving to death. We didn’t want him to suffer anymore. Chi-Yun took him in to the vet this afternoon and had him put to sleep. I’m grateful I couldn’t be there because I had to stay home with the babies. I cried and said my goodbyes. Hugged him one last time and sent him on his way. Chi-Yun said it was fast and painless. He was ready to go.

It’s going to take some time to get used to him not being here. Even in his sickened state he was still coming in to snuggle while we read Luke his bedtime books. He was still sleeping under the covers in bed with me at night although I had to pick him up because he was too weak to jump up on the bed. Luke’s going to miss him too. He loved his “Moosey.” He loved touching his pink nose while Moose licked the bath water off his fingers. He loved to give him hugs. He would talk to him and explain things to him as if he was a person. We’ve told him that Moose died and that his body was broken and we won’t be seeing him anymore and that makes us sad. He’s too young to really understand but I felt it was important to say something about it. He just smiles and talks about trucks.

So goodbye Moose! You’ve been a great friend! We will never forgot how special you were. I’ve had a lot of pets in my life. Many cats. I have to say you were the dearest one to me. Love you, Hammy. R.I.P.