Daily Kvetch

Facebook killed my blog

Now that I am on facebook, and very addicted to it, I find I am less inclined to write in my blog or keep up reading the blogs that I follow.  The blog still allows me an outlet that FB does not, however, since the majority of my FB "friends" are former coworkers that I do not want knowing or reading about my "seekrit" blog.  (That was a homage to you Michaela).  I just sometimes need to remind myself to come over here before it all coated in cobwebs and under a thick layer of broadband dust.

I hope everyone had a lovely July 4 weekend, at least those of you in the States.  I still wish good thoughts for you up in Canada and Down Under but you know, you don't get the special fireworks and the red, white, and blue themed cake.  We here in Boston land finally had some excellent weather so it was all systems go for outside fun!

Too bad there were more tales in epic parenting fail.

Friday we decided to go to Salem, MA.  Ok, really I decided because I have problems with not having plans and sitting around the house.  Much like when I dragged B's ailing parents all over the place and drove myself crazy because they didn't seem to be having fun, I decided it was enough with the cartoons and the whining kids and the not showering until past noon and we got ready and headed out because I thought it would be a fun place to spend the day.  Based on what, you ask?  If you must know, based on one day when I was a teen and I hung out there with my parents and we ate seafood outside and shopped and took in the historic attractions in a way that didn't make our eyes roll to the back of our heads in boredom.

Too bad my kids are 4 and 6 months respectively since it was so not their scene.

Lunch at outside seafood restaurant?  Bad service + cranky tired kids = scarfing up lobster with our hands tied behind out backs like we were in a pie eating contest.  The only thing missing from B trying to finish his beer fast enough to get screaming A out of earshot of the annoyed patrons was a group of frat boys yelling "chug a lug! chug a lug!"

LM had heard us mention the "witch museum" and then demanded to go to it.  I know there are about 4 different witch museums so we walked to the one that looked the least scary and asked the woman at the desk about the scary factor.  Oh no, she claimed, kids come in here all the time, not scary at all!  B shook his head and said it would be a mistake but LM clamored, "Let's go in the witch museum!" so I took him in while B and A sat outside in the cobblestone mall area.

Let's just say B got a free "I told you so" since 5 minutes in LM was clinging to me and crying - and that was because the room was dark and there were some fake trees. We hadn't even gotten to the wax figures yet.  At least I got my money back.

Then we decided to try the "Pirate Museum" which was more successful in that LM was not scared but less successful because LM had entered what we lovingly refer to as "garbage town" where he is so overtired and overstimulated that he becomes hyper and so annoying that it is tempting to whisper "Who's kid is that?"  and cluck your tongue in shame to strangers and hope they don't notice that he is calling you "mommy" and looks a lot like that guy holding your hand.

The rest of the weekend wasn't so bad.  I relented on Saturdayy about my "must.get.out.of.the.house" angst and we ended up going to a nearby splash park so LM could run around in the water.  Proving that I am not super mom, I remembered to bring clean and dry clothing and a towel but forgot, say, to put him in a swimsuit. Oh and I brought plenty of food for A but none for the rest of us, even though we got to the park close to lunchtime and all around us families were unloading their picnic baskets.  Thank you ice cream truck for providing my son red dye #12 sustenance in the form of a spider man ice cream with gumball eyes.

I clearly won mother of the year this weekend.  I can't wait to pick up my prize.

Things....and Stuff! (Part 8)

I say Part 8 because I know I have used that title before because it is so apt.

B started his job yesterday and so far so good.  It is 5-10 minutes from the house depending on traffic and he likes the people so far and last night came home toting a company issued laptop in a briefcase and looked ever so official.

I had my first day of serious stay at home motherdom and it was a total success.  I got LM to school early and took A with me to get the car inspected and get groceries, she took good naps, we played a lot and went on a few small walks and I had dinner on the table when B got home and I felt pretty proud of myself.

A does start daycare next week.  I am already sad about it.  It is really hard to find infant daycare around here so when I was six months pregnant I got her on a bunch of waiting lists.  When she was about 3 months old, I started getting calls that spaces were coming available.  I visited all the sites and took the last possible slot at the one I liked the best, July 6.  I thought I might have a job by then - haha, jokes on me!  But, that is ok, because what I plan to do is to drop her off for 5 hours - 4 devoted solely to job search stuff and the other hour to do a little clean up and drive to and from.

I do think I might cry all the way there and back though.  If I decide to let this slot go, not only do I lose my deposit, but the next available slot isn't until October/November.

The prices for infant daycare are amazing.  The place we chose costs $1350/month for fulltime and gets some money from the state.  It also happens to be the best one I saw - there are only 7 babies and 2 caretakers and the babies have their own room so they are cut off from the noise of the toddler rooms.  I saw one place, that cost $1600/month where the infants have a section of a huge space - not their own room - so there is lots of noise.

I went to a church nearby our house, like a 10 minute walk actually.  They had a huge banner about their infant and toddler daycare.  Despite the fact that the pastor does some prayers and songs with the babies and toddlers, I would have gone with them but they cost $1750/month!  The craziest one, by far, was this one in town that cost $2400/month.  My mouth dropped open when she told me this.  I asked if there was a smaller ratio - like 1 caretaker to 2 babies or something.  Nope, still the MA state 2 caretakers: 7 babies.  Then, trying to get to the core of the cost, I asked, "What do you do?  Breastfeed them?" 

Apparently not from the icy silence on the other end of the phone.

It is funny, when LM was born we hired a nanny.  She cost us about $2600/month and she was great with LM and he had her total attention and all.  I have no idea how we afforded that much, but I see in retrospect we really couldn't afford it and we ended up in debt until we sold the house.  I wouldn't even consider a nanny now for A.  I just trust centers, not all mind you, I did my research.

When we first moved here we had a lot of trouble finding daycare for LM and ended up at a family daycare about a 30 minute drive from our house.  LM was 2.5 years old then so could do a lot by himself but I used to see the 2 babies who would go there just sitting in a exersaucer or a bouncy or bumbo and crying and the one caretaker just ignoring them and knew that the home daycare experience was not for me.

Hmm, I started off to write about all sorts of stuff but ended up here?  Go figure.

The little lady wakens - off I go!

Snippets

So much to talk about!

1)  B got a job!  It is in the field that he has been in for 15 years and is desperately trying to get out of, but you know, beggars (ie, the doubly unemployed for 6 months) simply cannot be choosers.  The good news is that it is right in our town and walking distance from LM's school.  It is a contract position that will last 4-6 months but could be extended or go to perm.  Contract, for those not in the know, is you get paid a pretty decent hourly wage but there are no benefits.  But still, we will have an income!  Woo!

The first thing B intends to do?  Buy a plasma TV.  It was a deal we had struck a while back and I am a woman of my word.  He can use his first paycheck for a new TV.

2)  I had my first (sort of) job interview!  It was actually a very last minute phone screen from the recruiter of a company I have become fascinated with.  It is a very different industry that I have experience with but one I am inclined to pursue.  A friend worked with the controller of the company and got my resume to the right person who called me today to chat.  The bad news is that it was more a courtesy call because they already had a written offer out to a candidate who has until this Friday to accept or decline.  If they decline I can be interviewed.  They asked me for some writing samples.

3) A graduated from the colic clinic!  (Insert graduation music).  Little A is now such a mellow and happy baby it is hard for me to remember how she screamed bloody murder all of the time.  After we got the food taken care of, we worked on night sleeping, and then naps.  Well, at the final meeting, they read the initial report to me and I was shocked that we had reported that she used to scream/fuss 14 hours a day and sleep only 6.  Now she fusses less than an hour total a day and sleeps about 14 hours in the 24 hour period.  I owe a lot to the clinic.

4)  We started A on some solids.  I read a book that said start at 4 months and I went whoops!  since she is almost 6 months old and we just started this week.  The colic clinic docs said not to worry that now they actually do suggest holding off until 6 months.  So far she has had oatmeal cereal, applesauce, and pears.  She hated it all the first time we fed it to her but today polished off every serving with relish.  Our next food to introduce....sweet potato!

5) Please someone!  Tell my skin that I am no longer a teenager and an almost 40 year old should simply not break out in this ridiculous acne!

6)  I got a Bollywood dance exercise DVD.  The women all have these insanely sultry bodies and smiles the whole time.  I fear I look like a sweaty angry stay puff marshmallow having a seizure to the peeping toms.  Bonus is the lead lady (who gives her instructions via voiceover) says some version of "Sassy" a million times.  Be sassy!  So sassy!  Add some sass!  Sassy!

7) Ok, I may be the last person in the world to have seen anything Veggie Tales but my parents bought a bunch of kids VHS tapes (I know, dark ages) at a garage sale for LM and we tried some this past weekend.  We were unpleasantly surprised to learn the Veggie Tales, adorable animated veggies and fruit, basically just shill for Jesus.  Now, I am not anti-Christian but honestly, how am I supposed to explain to my son what the scallions are singing about in these lyrics?

Oh no! What we gonna do?

The king likes Daniel

More than me and you

Oh, no! What we gonna do?
We gotta get him out of here.

We could throw him in the dungeon

We could let him rot in jail

We could drag him to the ocean

Have him eaten by a whale

We could throw him in the Tigris

Let him float a while

Then we'll all sit back and watch him

Meet a hungry crocodile


We could put him on a camel's back

And send him of to Ur

With a cowboy hat without a brim

A boot without a spur

We could give him jelly doughnuts

Take them all away

Or fill his ears with chees balls

And his nostrils with sorbet
We could use him as a footstool

Or a table to play Scrabble on

Then tie him up and beat him up

And throw him out of Babylon

First off, who the heck in Daniel and second of all, now with my son singing "let's drag him to the ocean and be eaten by a whale" and "let's tie him up and beat him up and throw him out of Babylon!"

My Bible knowlege is pitiful I know, but seriously, isn't this a little on the violent side for say toddlers and preschoolers?? 

I just don't get it, shouldn't Christian singing vegetables and fruits be singing about love or something?

8)  Want to know what B did lately to piss me off (unintentionally?)  He ate roughly 20-30 cloves of roasted garlic with his lunch.  Why did this bother me?  Because I woke up to feed A at 3:30am and walked back into my bedroom and into a horrid wall of stench. It was like I was sleeping in the middle of the Gilroy Garlic Festival (shout out to my Cali peeps).  It was awful.  It was seeping out of his pores or something as he slept so soundly and I tried to breathe.  It made me, how you say, stabby.

He bas been ordered to never do that again!

Fox and Friends

First off, for those of you who didn't see this post, the results of the Matzo Ball Soup off were....a tie!  That is right, Elizasmom couldn't decide which soup was more awesome. Normally, I might accuse her of being too nice and not wanting to hurt our feelings but the truth is, I had 2 bowls of Leslie's soup and it too was delicious so there you go, we are both matzo ball goddesses.

It was a lot of fun hanging out with AM and Leslie, at least for me since I got to chat and eat.  B was on child amusement duty so he might have a different take on the whole getogether. I had not met Leslie in person prior to the soup off but as you can imagine, she is awesome in real life and has the most envy inducing hair.  Seriously, it was the exact hair I wished I had, all dark and long and naturally curly. 

Anyway, from there we went to my parent's house for the rest of the weekend.  My folks had offered to babysit so B and I could go out to dinner sans kiddos for a real anniversary dinner.  Since they win the best parent's award, they also gave us some money for dinner as a present.  They only asked that we stay in town for dinner since they are a little nervous taking care of A too.

My fair hometown doesn't have too much to offer in the nice dinner out department.  There is a Thai place but we had been there already and a Chinese place that my parents take us to every visit so that was out.  We walked around the tiny downtown and decided that the options were so slim, it was making Friendly's anniversary Fribble look good so we decided to not so much disobey my parents, as drive to the next town over (so be 10 minutes away from my parent's house instead of 5) and went to a nearby artist community.  For those in the know, it has the bridge of flowers.  There we found a cute little place with a fancy menu and had a great meal and pretended, if only for the hour, that we weren't both unemployed going on half a year.

My parents live in what would be considered a large town, not a city.  They have a large backyard and there is a small woods nearby.  I tell you this because the next morning during breakfast I spotted something out the back window.  It was a trio of baby foxes!  They were at the edge of the backyard and the woods and soon the parents came out and for about an hour or two the fox family would appear and the babies would be running around playing and dragging around mice and the parents would check in on them occassionally.  It was fascinating!  We all dragged up chairs to the back glass sliding door and watched the live nature show.  I never knew adult foxes were so big - truly the size of dogs.  The babies were very cute.

It is all LM has talked about since.  "Remember how the daddy fox played hide and seek with his babies?  And the sister fox grabbed the mouse from the brother fox?"

Cheap entertainment I tell you!

B had himself the usual lacklustre father's day.  A for some reason, was awake in the middle of the night, not give me a bottle awake, more talky talky let's play awake.  Around 2am I couldn't take it no more so I had to wake B up and give her to him.  Later in the day, as we drove back, we stopped for a special father's day dinner at Burger King.  Ah, we know how to treat the man of the house!

Matzo Brei it on!!!

Ok, first off I stole that line from Elizasmom.  Stole it because it is witty and astute (just like Elizasmom herself).

For those not in the know, this Saturday is an epic battle of sorts. Ms. Leslie, in a facebook note, promoted something to the fact that she makes a mean matzo ball soup.  I replied that I too make an extremely tasty matzo ball soup and hence the idea for a SOUP OFF was born.  Elizasmom quickly stepped up to be the judge since she is the glue here (I have yet to meet Leslie in person but met her virtually through Elizasmom).

This Saturday is the throw down.  Ladle to ladle, tureen to tureen.  Who will reign supreme?

(Hint:  rumor has it that Leslie matzo balls are nicknamed "lead balls")

Let's just say that in this soup off there can be only one winner.....ME!

Check back on Monday, at my blog or at Elizasmom, to hear how it all went down.  Leslie's blog is a professional one so she won't likely want to broadcast her epic failure there.

Eight Years

Eight years ago today I stood under a flowered wedding canopy (chupah to those in the know) and married B.  It wasn't the best day of my life (not with the intense heat and cases of heat stroke and one bridesmaid getting actual sun blisters) but it was an important one because I made the best decision of my life when I said "I do."

I won't pretend our marriage is perfect because it isn't.  In fact, just this week we had a fight because I was nagging him to do dishes before I went to bed and he reminded me, using the words our therapist had used when we spoke about the issues of house work, that I had to let go of when exactly it would get done that evening and how it would get done.  So last night, this fresh in my memory, I merely reminded him that it was his turn to do dishes and I went to bed and woke up to a sink full of dirty dishes. He had forgotten to do them, arguably because I hadn't nagged him about it enough. :-)

But this example also shows that this is little stuff.  Some couples fight about major things and hold grudges and seethe and not talk and cheat on each other.  B and I are the opposite.  We talk about everything, or at least try to do so before there is seething and grudges.  We try not to sweat the small stuff. More so we laugh a lot and try to find the humor in as many obstacles as possible.

A lot of couples, when struck with the downsides and realities of their vows, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, for better or worse, crumble and break apart.  B and I have experienced a lot of the downsides.  In the eight years we have been married we have moved 4 times, including cross country and also the recent eviction when A was 6 weeks old.  We survived LM's first horrible year and the uncertainly of his various diagnoses, the Early Intervention, the therapies, the not knowing what was going on with him.  We survived my post partum depression and debilitating obsession with LM being autistic.  We survived 2 miscarriages and having to chose to abort a much loved and wanted child due to Trisomy 18.  We survived B's being fired from a job that robbed him of his self esteem.  We have also survived being laid off 3x between us and going on 6 months of joint unemployment.

Let's just say the time we have had togetherer has not been all holding hands and skipping through the sun dappled streets with a slow jam playing in the background. 

But I wouldn't want to do any of it with anyone else.  B is a wonderful husband and father and I am proud of us. I am proud that we can survive the bad and still laugh with each other.  I am proud that we make our relationship and our marriage a priority. 

I am proud that he is my husband.

(By the way, in keeping with the spirit today I got a $200 parking ticket.  I accidentally parked in a handicapped spot for all of 5 minutes as I ran in to get my weekly weigh in for the weight loss group I am in.  I did not see the handicapped sign that was attached to a pole to the right of the spot when I parked.  It was on a main street and I just didn't even notice it.  I was shocked when I got the ticket as I would never willingly park in a spot like that.  On the ride home I went through all the major emotions from rage to bargaining to acceptance and when I got home and told B about it we ended up laughing at my idiocy and also the general trend of our luck.  $200 is no small amount for an accident and it hurts when you have no income but we can pay it and I just wrote the check and mailed it so I could stop thinking about it.  We refer to it as the airhead tax.)

Mr. Rogers Neighborhood

B and I went to see the child behavioral specialist yesterday.  He reminds me of Fred Rogers and ironically, also suggested a book by said Mr. Rogers for us to buy and read with LM.  We went without LM so we could talk about him and all his bad behavior and how we feel like we can hardly control him now and what can we do?  Good lord how are we to parent this boy who keeps acting up and dumping sticky things all over his bed??

Anyway, as we spoke Mr. Rogers gave us knowing nods and called LM an "Accomplished household terrorist" and basically said that LM is acting out because of having a sibling.  Apparently once a baby starts smiling a lot and being more interactive, usually around 5 months, and then again when the baby starts to walk, the older kid typically has a meltdown over this new intruder and thief of attention in his midst.

Some of the manic behavior he determined was being overtired too.  LM has given up the nap and we have been putting him to bed too late.  His lights have been going off around 9-9:30pm when it really needs to be 8:30pm. 

Does he have ADD?  Maybe but he said it was hard to truly diagnose at this age and the questions he asked us about LM's behavior with different things let him to believe that he probably doesn't have ADD.  That said, we are to bring LM to our next meeting with him in 2 weeks after instituting some of the actions he talked to us about, such as how to talk to LM when he is being crazy and how to heap lots of praise on LM for all sorts of things.  Of course, how to continue showering him with individual attention too.

The attempt at the early bedtime last night was a total fiasco.  I thought it was going well as I got the lights off at 8:30pm after lots of book reading and hugging.  B was out last night at a board game party so it was me having to go in there every 10 minutes to find him playing and keep getting him back in bed and slowly shutting off all his night lights and the lights outside his room (LM demands a lot of light and is somewhat scared of the dark).  I believe he fell asleep around 10:30pm but I wouldn't know for sure since I was already asleep.

I woke up around 3am to A crying and LM somehow asleep in my bed crushing my arm.

So the process continues.

I wanted to give a bit of an update on A since I don't think I ever shared how she transitioned from being the screaming all the time OH MY GOD I AM GOING TO DIE baby to the most calm serene and happy baby who most nights sleeps straight from 7:30pm to 7am.  Seriously, about 2-3 weeks after getting on the Alimentum formula she became a totally different baby.  She is so easy and sweet now, rarely screams, is very smiley (though whip out the camera and the smile disappears so proof is hard to accomplish).  I am just so over the moon in love with her I could burst.

We tried our first "solids" feeding the other day, rice cereal with the formula.  I believe her reaction was in the realm of "What the hell did you just put in my mouth?  ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME???!!"  I did get some baby applesauce so I think we shall try that next.  I expect she will spit it out and glare at me and threaten me with a quick and painful death but hey, if she could get used to the taste of the nastiest smelling formula in the world, I bet she can get used to real food.

Speaking of, my baby has awoken from her tiny nap (she isn't the best napper in the world) so off I go to cuddle and tickle her before torturing her with solids.

First PlayPark Swing Experience

I'd say it was a hit!

Massive Parenting Fail

Oh lordy did we do something stupid today!  We took the kids, yes, a 4 year old and a baby, to the movies.  LM had been home today because school had asked that he stay home sick.  He is recovering from croup but had been seen by the pediatrician last night who said he was on the tail end of it and would be fine.  We kept him out of school to make it easier but honestly, he was fine.  Totally normal with just a little bit of hoarseness.

So, after sitting around most of the day with a hyperactive kid, we decided to get out of the house a bit.  It is a weird June around these parts.  Instead of the sweltering heat and humidity we experienced last year at this time, it is cold and raw and rainy.  We decided that we had success taking LM to see some Pixar films in the theater, he loved WALL-E for example, so let's go see UP.  Oh and little A should do fine as long as we had a bottle, right???

Um yeah.  A started crying immediately and the bottle did squat.  B took her out of the theater but I thought they had just gone to the back to hover near the exit door. In reality, she wouldn't settle anywhere near the loud dark room so B missed the whole movie and carried her around the nearby mall.  He figured one of us should enjoy the movie.

Sadly, what he didn't know, is that UP is too mature and scary for a 4 year old, or at least my 4 year old.  He started crying a few times and sat in my lap complaining that he didn't like the movie.  We ended up staying because I thought B was going to come by and switch off and I could tell him and we could all leave.  I didn't know he was long gone.

So I sat cuddling LM and eying the stroller I would have to carry down a flight of stairs.  Had the situation been otherwise, and I had seen the movie with just B on a date night, I would have loved it.  But, as it was, I couldn't really enjoy it given the circumstance.

Also not helping is I drank like 100 ounces of Diet Coke so by the time it ended and I realized B was nowhere to be found, I had to go the bathroom so bad that I considered pulling out one of A's diapers and shoving it in my pants.  I had to carry the stroller down a bunch of stairs and yell at LM to stay with me because he kept wanting to run to the opposite part of the theater and out the door there.

We found B who was beside himself with the failure.  Little A was screaming.  He handed her to me but I had to pee so bad I had to hand her back and take LM with me into the bathroom.  He then, as I sat on the toilet with my pants around my ankles, decided to open the door so the gaggle of surly teens could stare at me.

We couldn't find B and A as we exited but then I spotted them outside and grabbed LM.  As soon as I opened the sound proof door I could hear her screaming and then I couldn't help it, the massive failure hit me like a 10 pound truck, I started to laugh hysterically.

I laughed so hard and so much I started crying and having trouble breathing.  Still I laughed.  Soon LM and B joined me. 

We laughed much of the way home while little A slept.

So, in conclusion, movies rated G only from here on in, and don't bring babies to the theater.

Selling Myself and other tales

As part of my career counseling, I am taking classes in all sorts of related things from assessment tests, to see where my passions and skills meet, to resume development, to networking and interviewing and then some.  One of the focuses is on "self marketing" to help format a plan of attack to show the prospective employer what I can bring to them.  What can I do for them? 

I tell you, this is harder than it seems because as I sit and write all I can think of is what I want out of a prospective employer, not the opposite.  Why should they hire me?  What is so unique about me that they need to have me on their org chart?

I was recently chatting with a friend who is basically in the same boat.  He was recently laid off and has also, as part of his severance, received career counseling and had signed up for some of the classes.  I was joking that basically all I can promise my future employer is that I won't suck.  He said that he has worked with some people who have really sucked so that was a selling point.

So then I refined it a bit.

Meredith Lastname:  I won't suck...and people really like me!

See, I think it points out some of my best qualities.  I do adequate work, nay...slightly above adequate and I am super social and friendly.  I mean, wouldn't you rather work with someone who delivers that than someone who sits sullenly in their cube slowly creating empty soda can walls against the world?

Pressing myself to make it a little more specific, I came up with this:

Meredith Lastname:  I do good quality work and rarely miss a deadline but I won't kill myself or work more than I have too because after all, you'll only lay me off in a few years during the next recession so why bother.  Oh and people really like me!

Clearly I need to work on this.

In other news, yesterday I went to anawesome for kids place about an hour drive away to have that playdate with the pushy mamas.  It actually went a lot better than expected.  The place really was an ideal place to go with kids and a very pretty drive as well.  LM had a ball and played well with the kids and A was pretty mellow and slept a lot in her stroller.  I am not sure she appreciated how I was showing her actual live baby goats and sheep and how a chicken tried to peck at her feet.

I got to know the moms a little more and I can't say that we are BFF meant to be but I enjoyed talking with them for the most part.  I like one a little less than the other.  I will refer to her as the Pushy Argentinian.  Here was the conversation that pissed me off some:

Pushy:  Are you around for July 4 weekend? 
Me:  I think so, you?
Pushy:  Do you have plans?
Me:  Nothing, wide open!
Pushy:  Do you want to do a BBQ?
Me:  Sure, we'd love to!
Pushy:  Great!  I love  BBQ.  You have a grill right?
Me:  Yes, a little one.
Pushy:  Cool because we don't have one,  we don't have a backyard either so your place would be perfect.

You see, I thought she was inviting us to a BBQ party where we would just have to show up with food and drink to contribute to the party.  I had not realized she was ASKING ME TO HOST A FRICKING PARTY FOR THEM!

I feel like I can only host so much, it really takes it out of me with all the cleaning and prep and post party cleanup.  I am also not so familiar with asking people to host parties that you suggest.  I felt bad enough that I basically asked friends to host A's baby shower but they both offered to do it in advance.

And finally, I want to thank everyone for their thoughtful comments about LM on my last post.  Special thanks to commenter L and her link to the article on testosterone levels in boys his age.  That was really fascinating!  I am really hoping this spark of bad behavior is indeed related to this plus delayed reaction to having a sibling.