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Bye Bye Binky
As winter lingers, we’re hanging on and holding out for as long as we can. Thankfully, we can see some promising digits in the forecast.
Carver’s real birthday was Monday, so we enjoyed getting a few more cards and messages wishing him well. Unfortunately, Carver came down with a mild cold this week, too. He doesn’t seem bothered by it during the days, but he’s woken up a few times during the night with a sore throat and whatnot. He still went to school each day this week. The school celebrated Dr. Seuss’s birthday with special themes each day, mostly in what the kids could wear. That at least broke up the week a bit.
A week or so ago, Merritt started to wean himself off of his binky. He has slowly chewed through his last 5 or 6, but we weren’t quite ready for the sleep disturbance to take him off of it, so we bought replacements. He finally chewed his last one up enough that it just wasn’t working for him anymore. One night, he hopped in bed and did not ask for the pacifier, so we waited to see if he’d stay asleep. He did the same thing the next night, and the next, and hasn’t asked for the binky once. We finally threw them out a couple of days ago. It’s pretty neat that we didn’t have to go cold turkey for his own good, but that it was his decision. Of course, he started out with an odd relationship with the pacifier. He wouldn’t touch it when he was first born, and then finally after several months of rocking him for naps, he took the pacifier. Now he’s moved on forever.
Hannah had a job interview this week that went well, and she expects to hear about a second interview soon. She enjoyed a birding expedition with a local group on Saturday, and has been working hard to keep up with the boys’ demands. Hakan tries to monopolize her with games and art projects, but Merritt has thrown his hat in the ring, too. He has a new favorite routine where he insists that he and she lay in the master bed for a few minutes, pretending to sleep. Then, they’ll awake and run down to Hannah’s room where he asks to look at a particular set of photos of my mom’s cat that Hannah has on her phone. Apparently this routine really does something for him.
Thursday was rather interesting as I ran into Hannah’s friend as I was getting on my train home. She first met him in a ward in Utah, and was surprised to see him at institute when she moved here. Anyway, he had just returned from a flight and was taking the train back to his house, so we had a nice chat on the ride, and then Hannah picked us both up from the station and took him all the way to his house, saving him some cash he would have spent on an Uber. Small world!
I had to go back into campus on Friday for a meeting, but now I’m in spring break, if you can call it that. Kira went to visit her newly-widowed mother in Colorado for a few days, so I’m managing the kids. I’m glad Kira can get a much-deserved break, though the kids already miss her.
I noticed some marks on the television screen one night this week. It looks like one of the kids was throwing something at the screen, and it left 5 or 6 little dents. They aren’t too distracting, but it’s so sad to have such pointless destruction. I got a small raise approved this week, too, so maybe after a year it will pay for a new TV.
The kids still have school this week, so we don’t get to relax very much. Avey’s been dog-sitting for the neighbor again, and Hannah was asked to teach institute this Tuesday, so we’ve got plenty going on. My summer courses were officially cancelled this week due to low enrollment, so I’m working on planning summer projects. Aside from some course preparation, I have been working out putting up a fence in the back yard. I think I’ve arrived at my plan, so now we wait for the weather to warm up.
I fly out to Portland for my annual conference on Friday, trading places with Kira. Until then, we just try to keep the boys from going full Lord of the Flies.