More Thoughts on Finger-Suckin'

Yeah, he is really cute when he is so deep in sleep and slurping away. It has also made naptime SOOO much easier. I have recently transitioned to sitting on my yoga ball (thank you Ms. Burrell). That thing was my best friend during my pregnancy (aside from the body pillow). Anyway, we just bounce a few times, he sticks his first two fingers of his right hand in upside down and grabs on to my collarbone with his left hand. Even if he wakes up a bit when I lie him down, he can usually get himself back to sleep as long as he can get his fingers. So... I am not such a hater anymore. I have seen the light.

Finger-suckin' Good Y'all

I think it is official. Tommy is a finger-sucker. He wouldn't take a pacifier and will NOT take a bottle. I was kinda happy that he wasn't that into a "pacey" as Luna had hers longer than I was comfortable with and getting rid of it was sort of challenging (for us-- I think she did fine). We did have a "Good-bye Pacey" party complete with cake and guests so it wasn't too painful of a process.

So with Tommy, I thought we were over the heavy-duty suckling stage. However, in the past 3 days, he has become a HARDCORE finger-sucker: Usually right hand, always two fingers--- sometimes middle two, sometimes first two. I must admit that he is really cute when he is sleeping and going to town but I have some hesitations about it (like I get a choice in the matter). Here they are:

1. I am a germaphobe. Dirt doesn't bother me, or sand or even worms. No, my germaphobia is specific to what I call "hand germs". Doorknobs, grocery cart handles (the worst!), computer keyboards, shaking hands, ewwww. Seriously, what a weird cultural norm. "Hello. Nice to see you. Let me spread the germs from my hand onto yours. By the way, I just sneezed and covered my mouth with my hand. Then I blew my nose a just a tiny bit of snot leaked out of the tissue onto my hand." What is wrong with touching foreheads like the Maori people of New Zealand? The idea of my kid sucking on his fingers someday after handling money or bathroom doors or car keys... is, well... too much for me to handle at this point.

2. Have you ever seen that movie "Thumbsucker"? Dark and creepy and weird. As a high school teacher, I always had a kid or two each year who sucked their thumb/fingers and let me just say that they had "issues".

3. Have you ever taught school/substituted/worked in a library/worked a cash register? "Nuff said. I have a tough time when I go to places like ice cream parlors and the guy handles your money and then dishes up your food. I feel like a freaker but I really wasn't like this at all until I started subbing for elementary schools my senior year of college. I was sick a lot and I became a neurotic handwasher.

4. You can throw away the pacifier but you can't cut off the thumb/finger. This is my control issue, I know.

Like I said, I hardly get a vote in the matter but a mama can fret, can't she?

The Aroma of Asparagus

WARNING: This blog entry is kind of gross.

The other day Luna had a haircut scheduled at the "fancy-nancy" hair salon downtown. I love taking her there for the star treatment AND they have a fun boutique with weird, cool things (I bought her a pair of old-fashioned bike handlebar streamers for $3!). Usually, I try to take her and make it a big girl date but this time, Stephen couldn't get off work so Tommy came along too. It all worked out fine.

After the fabulous haircut and conversation with Alicia the Stylist, we walked up to our favorite spot-- the Food Co-op. That day, they were having their first "100-mile Farmer's Market" out in the parking lot. They'll have it every Wednesday all summer long and it will only get bigger and more splendid, I am sure. Obviously, not much is growing within 100 miles of us right now but we did grab some cookies (made with local eggs, butter and sugar) and some freshly picked asparagus.

I know I am prone to hyperbole but this was the best fucking asparagus I have ever had. It was so tender and fresh. Once you got down to the thicker part of the stalk, it was REALLY sweet in a way I have never noticed in asparagus.

(Here comes the gross part.) My least favorite part of eating asparagus is the scent of one's urine for the next 12 hours or so. I never noticed it until it was pointed out to me as an adult (I probably never ate asparagus as a kid anyway-- not by choice, I am sure). My dear friend Beth mentioned it one time in passing and now I think of it every time I eat asparagus. Well... the smell of one's own urine post-asparagus pales in comparison to this recent experience.

I won't go into much more detail. Let me just say this:

1. Luna wears a Pull-up to bed. She needs one, you see.
2. Luna also has gotten into bed with us most nights since Tommy was born.
3. It was a pretty warm night.
4. I was sitting up in bed with Tommy a lot that night.
5. It was a long and fragrant night.