I'm Busting Outta Here!

On Thursday this week, my husband encouraged the boy to swing his foot up and to get himself out of the pack and play.  Mind you, that the pack and play is a holding area while husband showers and I struggle to get the girl child ready for school.  We have/had a system that worked.  Due to my husband's positive reinforcement, the plan is now defunct, where I have to come up with another one.

It's only common sense that the little man would take his new found knowledge and figure out how to get out of his crib in short order, and that is exactly what happened during nap yesterday.  I was resting with a book when I heard a loud thump, which I thought was the work of my daughter.  I went to the door and rang the doorbell so that she would think the witch was coming for her.  I did not hear any running back to the bed; in fact, all I heard was a giggle from my son's room.  I then heard a shaking of the door.  Upon investigation, I saw Houdini standing in his room just itching to run out. 

After we got everyone back down for a nap, I slept on the floor of his room to ensure no more shenanigans.  My children absolutely need naps, and it is my job to ensure that they sleep at least two hours during the day.  I need for them to take those naps, as well.  I don't know what the age of naplessness is, but I don't think that seventeen is too old for them to lie down for a couple of hours on the weekends. 

In the afternoon, we converted the crib to a daybed so that the toddler wouldn't fall on his head in the middle of the night.  I am not a fan of waking up for midnight emergencies, even head trauma.  I figured that if he can sleep on a matt at school without gettng up, then he can stay in his bed.  I was so very wrong.  According to the father, little guy woke up around four times last night.  It was not my night to get up with the little darlings, so I was unaware of the wakings.  I think that my husband would have loved for me to feel his pain, but tonight is my night, a school night.  I will feel the pain shortly, assuming Little T hasn't mastered the art of staying in bed. 

I am always pointing out my daughter's short comings, but I neglect to give her props where props are due.  She slept through the night at 8 weeks, and is still an awesome sleeper. She is a three hour nap girl when she finally drops off, and is quite compliant when it is time for bed in the evenings.  Her younger brother, however, is not as easy.  I kept them on the same militant schedule, so I'm at a loss as to what his deal is.  The girl child was also convinced that she could not get out of the daybed, either.  Little T was found in the middle of the room last night crying. 

I write this with a bitter sweet thought.  My babies are growing up, which is good and bad.  It's good because this means diapers may be a thing of the past shortly.  It's sad because we are done at two children.  No more for us.  Now I have to wait at least 20 years before I can snuggle with an infant that is directly related to my womb.  I say 20 years because if anyone shows up at my house with child, somebody's going down.

Recipe Sunday

Sausage and Spinach over Linguini

This is a Weight Watchers recipe variation that has found its way into our hearts...and tummies.  Takes literally 15 minutes to prepare, so it's awesome for busy nights. 

One Package Sweet Turkey Sausage Links, cut into thin slices
One Package Fresh Spinach
3T Pine nuts (or more)
1T Olive Oil
Red Pepper Flakes (around 1t)
Whole Wheat Linguini

Boil linguini according to directions.
While pasta cooks:
Sautee sausage links in olive oil until browned.  Add pine nuts and red pepper flakes, toasting the pine nuts.  Toss in the bagged spinach and stir until wilted.
Drain pasta, reserving 1/3 cup of the liquid.
Pour starchy water into the sausage mixture, tossing well and serve over the pasta.
Add Parmesan cheese because no pasta dish is complete without it. 

You can add mushrooms, garlic, and onions to this too, sauteeing with the sausage, but my husband is quite the purist.  I quote: "Can we please just follow the recipe as it was written?"

When we are off carbs, I use two bags of spinach for bulk.  Celiac friendly.

A Whopper with Pee

The other morning I woke up to my son’s mewling at about 6 am.  I got his milk heated up and went to his room, whereupon I was greeted with the most noxious smell ever.  I pulled my t-shirt up over my nose (sexy lingerie went by the wayside a long time ago; in fact, I think I have worn a cute nightie twice~on my honeymoon).

I pick up the sweet thing and take him to change his diaper.  What I encounter is the largest diaper in the world.  I mean, it was huge.  It was so huge that I set it aside to show it to my husband.  After we got all cleaned up and changed, I took him downstairs with said whopper. 

I then got out the old Weight Watchers scale, which I knew would come in handy one day, albeit not for this, and I weighed the thing: 16 ounces straight up.  A POUND of excrement came from my kid! Of course I post this on Facebook, and get quite a few comments.  One of which was from my cousin who wanted to know what the Tare weight of the diaper was.  I love Susan.  I’m an English teacher, so I had to look up “tare weight”, even though I was pretty sure of what it meant through context.  The diaper, unladen, is one ounce, so Little T peed and crapped fifteen ounces in a ten hour period. 

I’m impressed.  I’m dumbfounded.  How does a child excrete three percent of his body weight?  Now, I call him Little T only because his daddy is named T.  He is not a small child.  He was smaller than his sister at birth, but H was a bit of an anomaly, clocking in at nine and a half pounds. He’s a big boy.  But a pound of shit?  Really?