Buzz

We tried to save a few bucks and cut his hair ourselves, but it became clear that we were creating a disaster. So we decided to break out the clippers. And while I can't stop smiling whenever I look at him (because he's got a haircut just like his Daddy's now), I think his Mama died a little bit inside.

At Least as Smart as a Chimpanzee Now

High Anxiety

I guess YouTube is not a foolproof method of finding any and every little bit of video you can ever think of, after all. I wanted just a short video of Mel Brooks falling over a spinning optical illusion, and I couldn't find it. Oh well.

Not that I've been suffering from vertigo, or been harassed by incontinent birds. But I've felt a bit anxious this week. And the anxiety is twofold: lawyers, guns, and money. No wait, that would be threefold. And there haven't actually been any problems with lawyers or guns. Naps and money. That's it. Naps and money.

Naps

It turns out I'm rigid and prefer predictability. For many, many months now, Thumper's been on a set nap schedule: 10-12, and 4-6. Every day. Like clockwork. I stuck to it; he stuck to it. Everyone was happy. But I always felt this nagging sensation that kids his age don't still nap twice a day. I mean, do they? I don't know. The Austin Stay-at-Home Dads have 10am playdates every weekday; if that's the case, how could their kids possibly nap twice a day? They can't, that's how.

Consequently, I always watched carefully for signs that he was ready to give up that morning nap. Recently, I thought (again) that maybe he was ready. He was taking longer to fall asleep, during both his naps and after evening bedtime. And since Meals on Wheels screws up that nap schedule on Tuesdays, I thought now was the time. So this week, we experimented. 11:30, 11. Today 1:45. He's fine, but the not knowing is giving me strange sensations in my chest. Will he go to bed earlier in the evening? Will he wake up earlier in the morning? Will he totally lose his shit if we go to lunch with Uggy Buggy? At every turn, he's been fine, or pretty close to it, but me, I'm a nervous wreck.

Money

And after the middle of March, when basketball season is over, the ushering shifts pretty much dry up. And it's only going to get worse over the summer. And the company that was giving me copywriting work is "re-organizing" and won't have much or any work for me for months. Aerie read the emails I received and said it didn't sound so much like a brush-off to her, so maybe I'm just paranoid. Maybe they really will come back to me in a few months. Either way, that's still a few months. And there's not much database work for me. And babysitting was my biggest money maker, and I walked away from it. On purpose. And yeah, money's kind of tight. And I'm out there trying to solicit some work, but I have a fundamental lack of confidence in my ability to convince anyone to pay me money because I have no specific education or training I can point to that says I'm qualified. And... Well... And... I don't know. I lost my train of thought. What was I talking about again?

That'll Work

That was a lot easier and less awkward than I thought it would be. I've delivered pizza through a couple of different periods in my life, and this wasn't so different, excepting the 32-or-so pounds of toddler.

The Volunteer Coordinator told me it would be 10am-11am, so we got there about 15 minutes early, anticipating that the Director would want to go over my paperwork or give me some training. Training took about 45 seconds, and meals weren't ready until 10:20, so we had quite a bit of time to kill. A Senior Center shares the space, so Thumper watched the ladies playing dominoes and did his best to lose all the balls out of the bingo tumbler. He also did his best to get the glitter paint out of the tube, but he was thwarted in his designs. I don't think I was keeping tight enough of a leash on him for the taste of one of the ladies, who seemed quite anxious for his safety, but he survived the experience with no (additional) injuries or marks.

Finally we hit the road with a cooler, a warmer, and a 3-ring notebook that had our client list and route maps. It was all very easy. We were done in about 45 minutes, with 8 total clients, only 6 of whom were actually receiving meals today. Everybody got one of each item, so there was no worrying about accidentally giving the wrong meals to the wrong clients, and no one seemed upset about Thumper tagging along. I tried to be friendly and outgoing, but only one client was even remotely interested in chatting, so the social awkwardness was, as it usually is, far less than I anticipated. And Thumper quite enjoyed the several dogs we met, though he didn't have much to say to the people. It takes him a little bit to warm up to folks, and we didn't stay anywhere for very long.

Piece of cake. We can do this. It was a lot of hoisting in and out of the car, but Thumper didn't seem to mind, and it's more exercise for me hauling him around like that. He's usually napping by 10, and we didn't get home until 11:30. He fell asleep in the car after we dropped our stuff off at the Center, and he was pretty cranky about me taking him out of the car and changing his diaper, but he was unconscious again almost immediately. I don't know what this might do to the rest of our day. Maybe I should start keeping him up later every day so by next week he'll be used to it. Or maybe we'll just play it by ear and see what happens.

So, thumbs up! It was easy, didn't take long, and made me feel good. Can't beat that!

Volunteering Possibilities, Part II

We got our contact info for the next volunteer opportunity.

1. Elderhaven Adult Day Health Care Centers

I spoke to the Director, and she sounded far less optimistic that there would be something I could do while simultaneously keeping the boy out of trouble. She's particularly concerned that the old folks might trip over him. When the weather's nicer, she wants me to come by and see the facility, and maybe there's something we can do outside.

2. The Care Communities

3. Meals on Wheels

We'll be trying this one on Tuesday. I was hesitant about this because I wasn't sure about adding more time in the car to Thumper's schedule, and given that more than a couple of people at the nursing home weren't too keen on having him around, I wasn't too sure about bringing him into other people's homes when we deliver meals. But it's only an hour a week, so we're going to see how it goes. It encroaches on his morning nap, too, but maybe this is what will get his nap schedule to finally shift. I'm a little nervous. Social awkwardness, here we come! I'm looking forward to it, too, though.

4. Texas Baptist Children's Home

5. Austin Children's Museum

A Winter Wonderland

When I woke this morning, there were these strange growths depending from the bird feeder. They look familiar; I feel like I should know what they are, but they are such a strange sight 'round about these parts.




And even though Armageddon has apparently come to the region, and the roads are a certain death trap, young Thumper correctly answers the question, "Where's Mama?"

Volunteering Possibilities

Volunteering with an 18-month-old may be a tougher proposition than I expected. I contacted a local Volunteer Center and spoke with a Volunteer Coordinator, and she seemed quite optimistic that we could find something. Here are the ideas she had. So far, she's only given me contact info for the first one. I'll keep trying and see what we can come up with.

1. Elderhaven Adult Day Health Care Centers

I spoke to the Director, and she sounded far less optimistic that there would be something I could do while simultaneously keeping the boy out of trouble. She's particularly concerned that the old folks might trip over him. When the weather's nicer, she wants me to come by and see the facility, and maybe there's something we can do outside.

2. The Care Communities

3. Meals on Wheels

4. Texas Baptist Children's Home

5. Austin Children's Museum