Life with Lydia

Happy Anniversary, Paul! I’m a pretty lucky gal. It’s just as fun being married to you today as it was the first day (15 years ago!).

Here’s a dedication going out to you! xxxooo!

You know how when you’re little you begin to form your own personal likes and dislikes? Well, unfortunately at a young age you can be heavily influenced by radio and pop culture. I certainly was.

When I was about 10 I got my first clock radio. You know the kind… huge, fake wood grain plastic, white plastic flipping number plates. So that’s when I started to really begin to pay attention to music, esp. pop music… on my new radio. Shortly thereafter new things called “videos” arrived on the scene. That’s when you finally got a good look at the artists and their moves.

The difference for me was that I lived in Costa Rica, so the Costa Rican pop culture was my big influence. Of course, we heard all the American pop songs, only they came to us about 3 months late. The bonus for us was that we also got the second string American artists and the Europeans. Looking back, these are the most amusing. Among the many were Bucks Fizz, who were hitting the top of the charts in CR around 1981 or ‘82, or at least they were in my mind. It didn’t get any better than that, well maybe ABBA (classics that I’ve never grown out of). Bucks Fizz was so huge for me that I actually got the record… the red vinyl record. Wow, I felt cooler than cool. It was red. A concept I’d never even dreamed of. (By the way, I still have that album. Can’t bring myself to get rid of it.)

Well, I found a “video” of my fav Bucks Fizz song, performed by the artists themselves, and I had to share it with you. I don’t know what’s better, the wardrobe and hair, the choreography or the music itself. (Yikes.) I’m sure we all have that musical skeleton in our closets. What’s your own personal Bucks Fizz? Let us know by commenting… I wonder what Lydia’s will be?

Just a few days ago Lydia started using her chair. For a while now she’s shown a preference for sitting vs reclining. We tried the chair a few weeks ago, but she was still quite the bobble head. She holds her head more steadily now, so it only made sense to trot out the chair again. And the thunder dome is the perfect place to sit and play.

Our good friend, Oliver, visited last weekend. He’s moving to LA (lower Alabama :-D) for a new job and came up to see us for the weekend. It was so nice to see him again after a year and a half or so. One of the fun things we did during his visit was going to Piedmont Park and having lunch nearby. It was a beautiful day out and Lydia had a great time. She napped during lunch, which was a nice break for me.

Ok, so after reading a blog on the baby center site, I have to share. In the blog she talks about a Web site that helps you understand the need for a supportive bra during exercise. Prior to clicking be warned that this is not a G rated site, but it is hilarious, especially to someone in the Web design biz. I can only imagine the fun the guys had who animated this one! Oh, and why do the “girls” in the regular bra bounce more than those sans bra!? Here’s the bounce-o-meter site. Have fun!

So last night marks Lydia’s 3rd tornado warning since birth… sirens and all. Forth if you count the one she had in utero. And she’s just shy of 3 months old. Wow, don’t think we’ve ever had so many here before, especially so close together.

Yup, we had another family “party” in the basement… while the warning lasted. As it turns out we hardly even got any rain, thank goodness. So this was just another drill. But this time, things were much more comfortable now that the renovation is complete. We had comfy seating, a bathroom, and access to the TV for keeping an eye on the storm. The only thing that was missing was a mini fridge, but luckily the real fridge is just at the top of the steps. And the boys (our kittens) LOVED having us down there “visiting” what they now consider to be THEIR apartment. It’s like they’re all grown up and moved out, as much time as they now spend down there.

So, hopefully this marks the last tornado warning for a while. But, if not, we have a nice place to go hide out.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no TV viewing for children under 2 and shows that the development of a child can be hampered by TV viewing above the age of 2. Verbal skills, social skills, etc. All aspects of development seem to be affected. Yikes. That seems scary. But it makes sense that actual interaction would be best for a child rather than virtual interaction. So, I know we’re going to try to follow the AAP’s recommendations. It only makes sense.

That said, I can see how it might be hard to meet these recommendations. I can see how parents would tend to lean on TV as a form of free baby sitting. In our world today, we live very solitary, independent lives. Away from our home towns and families and with very scheduled interactions with friends. Gone are the days of walking over to socialize with neighbors (who are also your friends). We’re lucky these days if we even know what they look like or what their names are. Child rearing used to be a more communal thing, at least you could get a break from one of your nearby family members or neighbors when you needed it. But these days that’s not so much reality, unless you’re one of the lucky ones. So, in the absence of family or friends helping out on short notice, unfortunately TV plays an easy second.. and it’s free.

Read more about the AAP’s recommendations.

Lydia touched her toes last Friday. She’s slowly learning that those things she keeps kicking are hers and she can touch them! I’m sure soon they will be quite the play toys for her.

Lydia has been gaining more and more control over her body since her arrival. Yesterday I noticed she’s making even more controlled head and hand movements. She is now pulling herself up to see over my shoulder and over the chair behind me. And, for the first time yesterday, she held on to a toy for quite some time after I put it in her hands. She even “shook” it… well, kinda… maybe. Not sure yet if it was by mistake or on purpose. She also seemed to purposefully reach out to her thunder dome toy to touch it.

This past Sunday was my first mother’s day (as a mom, that is). It also happened to be Paul’s birthday. The three of us had a nice day celebrating with the family.

Interestingly enough, I used to think I’d all of a sudden feel like a different person once I became a mom. But, I don’t. I’m still the same ole me… just doing different stuff 24/7, sporting eau d’spit-up from time to time, having lots more (temporarily) on my top area, and (best of all) loving our bundle of joy and watching her learn about herself and the world around her. The joys of motherhood have only just begun.