Monday, December 31, 2007

Sometimes He's So Cute I Just Can't Even Hardly Stand It

Let's set the scene: today at noon in a booth at Moe's. It sounded a little something like this...

Him: (Mouth full of taco from his Power Wagon kid's meal.) "Vis is a wily wily yummy donut I have here, 'fanks for gettin' me vis donut!

Me: (Choking back the giggles.) "Honey, that's a taco, what you're eating is called a taco."

Him: "Oh, yeah (taco pieces from from his overstuffed little mouth)...I was being silly."

Sunday, December 30, 2007

Backhanded Praise from my Toddler

"You're doin' a really good job drivin', Mom...it's not your fault the road is so bumpy."

Christmas Day: Sunday Xmas Extension



Yep...still opening gifts today at 2pm...he finally realized that the pile of gifts still under the tree might actually be his. He doesn't rip and tear his way through presents...after opening one, he's done for a good long while. I was planning on re-wrapping everything that was left in birthday wrap...but he opened them all this afternoon. 'Bout time.

Christmas Day: 6:45am-12:00noon


We finally had to peel him off the couch and away from the television to eat some lunch and open some gifts.

Christmas Day: 6:30am

The Xbox has been unwrapped and hooked up...we will not see him again for a while...

Christmas Day: 6:15am



Still bleary, but we have made our way off the couch and have started opening presents.

Christmas Day: 6:00am



No, he doesn't looked please that I already have my camera warmed up and ready to go...but I was not pleased that Christmas morning started at the ungodly hour of 6:00am...so we're even.

Quote of the Day

Me: Come here my sweet baby and give your Mama a kiss!

Lucas: I'm not a BABY! I'm a MAN! And I do MAN THINGS!

Me: Well, Mr. Man, then how 'bout you pick up your toys all over the living room.

Lucas: I can't...I'm just a tired little boy...

Saturday, December 29, 2007

To the Dentist: Episode 2

Lucas had his second ever dentist appointment yesterday...and while he was still quite vocal in his displeasure about it, on the whole, it was a million times better than the first. At the first visit six months ago, I tried to prepare him with long, unnecessary discussions about what to expect...this did neither of us any favors, and just caused him to stress out about it the entire week before. That visit mostly went like this: Crying, then pleading, then snot everywhere, then a bit of screaming, then a toy but no actual cleaning and a teary goodbye. Yeah...not my finest parenting moment. Cut to this year, where I didn't tell him he was going at all until we pulled into the parking lot and he realized where he was. Just a tiny bit of whining, just a tiny bit of snot, and a bit more of the wailing. But much, much better than last time. He got his teeth cleaned and a fluoride treatment to boot, thankyouverymuch! And while it's true he whimpered through his entire cleaning and fluoride treatment, when the dentist said he was all done, he actually sat up and said "thank you"! Which just proves that even in moments of trauma, I have beat those good manners right into him! ;-)

We Made It

We made it through another holiday in one piece. Everything was wonderful. My little brother called around dinner time on Monday night wondering where we were...he thought we were sleeping over and I thought were staying home. He won. We packed up everything and headed over to my Mom's so that we could all wake up together on Christmas morning...which happened to be 6am. That's a painful hour to a girl that works nights. Bleary, tired pictures to follow...

Lucas loved everything that Ben (my little brother) got for Christmas and also the four sets of "Thomas pieces" (legos) that he asked Santa for. Everything else was either unwrapped and played with again hours later, or not unwrapped at all. I do, in fact, have a garbage bag full of unwrapped Christmas gifts from me to him that sit wrapped in all their Christmas glory in the middle of my kitchen floor. He walks by them a hundred times a day and doesn't inquire about them or even try to peak in the bag. This happened last year, too. You'd have thought I would have learned my lesson...but no. So, once again this year, I will sneak down to the basement and rewrap all those presents to be regifted on his birthday. Luckily for me, his birthday is right around the corner.

The boys stayed glued to the xBox all day, except when I pried it out of their little white knuckles to jam out to Guitar Hero III, myself. The whole day was just fun and relaxed and the food was really good and the company was great.

And then we went out on Wednesday like crazies and hit all the sales...I love a little after holiday sale...until I see all of the things I bought on sale in November (all smug and early) on uber clearance Wednesday. It presents a strong argument for holding Christmas on Thursday the 27th every year...just for the cost savings. Oh well...it was still fun!

Wednesday, December 26, 2007

I'm Hooked

Okay...beautiful, wonderful Christmas pics are important and all that...but let's take a moment to talk about something else. I am addicted to Guitar Hero III. My brother got an xBox 360 for Christmas, and we rocked out from 6am until noon. Because we are rock stars...especially me. And now I'm sore...but happy. Actual Christmas pictures to follow.

Sunday, December 23, 2007

"Helping"



If I was willing to live off of just Popsicles for the rest of all time, I could send him to the grocery store every week by himself and he would do just fine.

Saturday, December 22, 2007

What We Did Over Christmas Break...

Or the week before Christmas, to be more precise...


Looks like a happy little house, huh? Lucas *glued* every single sweettart in place with his own two little hands. Good enough to eat!

Party Like It's 1999

We had our first annual Holiday party last night at a very fancy hotel by the hospital. Apparently in years past the unit has had parties, but hasn't in several years, and a couple of our nurses decided to organize one this year. Oh. My. Goodness. I've never wanted to go to work parties before, and now I never want to miss one. Let's just say fun was had by all and we closed the place down at 12:30am when the (good-lookin') waitstaff kicked us out. I woke up this morning feeling just fine but by noon, I felt like I had been hit by a mack truck. This means I either need to forgo dancing for the rest of all time, OR start going out dancing more often. Hmmm, let me think, let me think...time to dust off the old dancing shoes and start shaking my groove thing on a more regular basis. I had the best time. I knew this was a great group of people, but I had no idea they were so much fun! I laughed so hard and for so long that I woke up with a hoarse throat and if that's not a sign of good party, I don't what is.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Far Too Excited For My Own Good

SO! I just bought Go Diego, Go Live tickets for Lucas and myself for February. My heart started beating fast as I reserved our tickets online...'cause, you know...the masses out there in the little New England town where I live are probably all at their computers, typing in their credit card numbers as fast as they possibly can to beat me and my kid to the good seats...for a show two months away. (Our seats are in the third row...I TOTALLY TYPE FASTER! Ha!) I know, I know...my face is red. It's a little embarrassing how excited I got about idea of going to a two hour long live kids show. BUT I AM! So there! My life is not that exciting as you can probably tell, so this is a big deal. I have never been to a Broadway show before, or an off Broadway show, or anything that isn't shown at my local movie theater. (Well maybe I have, but it's been several years, so it hardly counts) And this will be a first for Lucas...so it's something to look forward to.

Also, the tickets were expensive, I mean, not Kid Rock featuring Run DMC expensive...but still! He had better be on his best behavior and make this a fun day for me...um...I mean him.

Monday, December 17, 2007

Quote of the Day

Don't touch my hair! I'll have to take a bath next week!

Just Keep Shoveling

I got some great photos today of Lucas next to the snow piles...piles that soar several feet above his head, several feet above my head if we're talking about the pile outside my living room windows. It's a lovely view, really. The folks that plow the driveways in my neighborhood were nice enough to wait until almost 2:30pm this afternoon to actually plow us out...because you know, it's Monday...who has any place to be? But then today? Today was beautiful. Really cold but with clear blue skies, bare roads, sun shining. I would take a nighttime blizzard anytime when you wake up to day as pretty as this.

Any survivor fans out there? I was so so so so so happy that the producers gave Denise the Lunch Lady that surprise $50,000...can you believe all she wanted to do was go back to work as the lunch lady and the school she worked for fired her because she was considered a distraction? I mean, come on, how many people are banging down their door for the lunch lady job? Pure craziness! I applaud you Mark Burnett...a small drop in the bucket for you changed her entire life.

Just one more day 'til the work week is over...yippee! One day closer to Christmas...hooray!

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Snow Day!

It's official...we are buried in the white stuff with no end in site. Everyone at work is freaking out about the drive home and getting back to work in the morning. I could really care less. My mom lives close enough to walk home if I have to...I've got boots and mittens...and I'll just crash on her couch.

On a different note...Lucas made me dinner today. All by himself. Tuna sandwiches and cookies. My little love! I am positive that tuna will have never tasted so good. Plus I watched him put a good amount of salt in it, and I do love me some salt...so, how could it be bad? He LOVES to cook in the kitchen, and he wants to be part of every step. Of course, he's still only three, so his efforts do have limits, but he is a scrambled egg and mashed potato professional. Sometimes both of those things at a single meal. Every day. Yes, I know, we do eat fancy around here when left on our own.

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Hey Mr. DJ, Turn the Music UP!

No pictures, please!



My cousin gave us a MP3 player that Old Navy was giving away on Black Friday if you were crazy enough...um...AWESOME enough to go there at 5am and buy something. It came preloaded with a few of Old Navy's favorites, and Lucas has found a new love for sugar pop music in the form of a teeny tiny white plastic stick. The ear buds keep falling out of his ears but I switched them out for an old pair of headphones that I used to use...back in the day when I actually went to gym and lost weight instead of sitting on the couch gaining weight...oops...I got off track...ROCK ON!


I'm Back!

I must say...although my job isn't really fun or glamorous, I get to work a lot of hours in a short space of time, and then I get a lot of days off...and we had ourselves some FUN in all of our days off this week.

Let's start with the fancy schmancy dinner party we got invited to on Tuesday. I think YUM! sums it up. We were all served a delicious salad as the first course, and I wondered if Lucas would touch it...not being a big bowl of iceberg lettuce and all. But he dug right in and ate his endive and well as some of mine. He was a little disappointed that the potatoes weren't mashed until he tried them...so tasty! He raised his glass and toasted the table to good behavior at dinner, and thoroughly enjoyed many, many, many glasses of ice water out of some very fancy crystal. I was so incredibly proud of him at the party. I think he did a very good job keeping all of his energy in check, the food could not be beat, the other party guests were wonderful and the hostess outdid herself with food and drinks and decorating. We do not often...lets say never...get invited to such grownup occasions, and we loved it!

I got all of our Christmas cards done and mailed...this is a very big deal for me. There have been years past where I've gotten everything written and stamped and then never mailed, so...yeah! Done!

My Christmas shopping is all done...but not wrapped...and is currently sitting all over my kitchen in a gazillion store bags...even the ones for Lucas...because he is not a snooper, something he definitely did NOT get from me! *wink*

I went to a cookie party in a blizzard on Thursday night, and even though my poor old car couldn't make it up a very steep drive covered in very deep snow, I had a blast and came home with some seriously yummy cookies.

I made a killing on Friday at the mall cashing in the rest of my Black Friday $10 free gift cards. I got Lucas a pair of Vans sneakers, the only brand that really fits his wide feet well, for the low low price of just $2.00 with tax. You can't beat that...really, I'd like to see you try! ;-) Also, three free Disney cars...brand new hard to find ones...'cause the eleventy million we already have just aren't enough...no sir...must buy more.

AND...the best, most awesome moment...I was walking through the lobby of the hospital with Lucas and he saw Santa. Apparently we have a volunteer on staff that looks like the best Santa in whole wide world. He was sitting behind the reception desk with a red sweater on and snow white hair and gold rimmed glasses (and a volunteers vest) and as we walked by Lucas caught sight of him and stopped dead in his tracks. The man said "Ho, Ho, Ho young man, have you been a good boy this year?" All Lucas could do was whisper, "I want Thomas pieces." over and over again. Poor child. He was starstruck. He has never let me take him up to the mall Santa, or the mall Easter bunny for that matter...so it was big deal to see this man so close after watching a string of Christmas specials this week. So fun!

Monday, December 10, 2007

Quote of the Day

Me: "We have been invited to a lovely dinner tomorrow night, and I want you to be on your best behavior."

Him: "I don't like being on my best behavior!"

Typical Male

We live in New England. It's been snowing for a least a couple of weeks now. Yet, everytime we get in the car to go anywhere, Lucas looks out the window and says, "Hey! I think it snowed here!" All shocked and suprised. I'm not sure what clues him in, really. It could be the mountains of snow that are currently everywhere. Or maybe the fact that it's actually snowing as he says it. Who knows. It's terribly cute.

He also announced today that his birthday is March 1st, and he wants a new car, because ours goes bump, bump, bump, bump, bump. I agree with him completely, both that he should get a brand new car for his 4th birthday, and that ours go bump, bump, bump, bump, bump. I mean, I only got a banana seat bike for my 4th birthday, but the times are changing, I guess. And if a car is indeed his birthday present, I think that gets me off the hook of buying him anything else, wouldn't you agree?

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Do People Really Not Have Anything Better to Do?

So...some bozo posted this reeeeeeaaaallllly long comment on yesterday's post...in Spanish...'cause you know, this LOOKS like a Spanish speaking blog. Um...what is the point of that? I get that there are a gazillion spammers out there, but really, why leave a comment full of links longer than my post in a language I clearly don't speak? The kicker was the last line where the "commenter" asked me to add them to my blogroll in English? Yeah sure, why not, I'd love to. And while we're at it maybe I could write you a check for some fictitious charity...or maybe you could just have my ATM card if that's easier for you.

It's easy enough to delete those sorts of comments without actually using the moderation feature...but geeeeze, leave my poor little blog alone.

Saturday, December 8, 2007

I See London, I See France!

Lucas and I were at a indoor playground/pizza place yesterday (hello germs!) and he yelled across the room to me that he had to use the potty...our little playgroup were really the only people in the place...so no big deal. I turned around just in time to see him drop his pants and his unders and trot bare-bunned to the bathroom. HELLO! WE ARE IN PUBLIC! I was laughing so hard I almost peed my own pants. I scooped up his discarded clothing and chased his cute little buns right to the bathroom. Thank heavens it was in the middle of the day and not during the dinner rush. Ahhh...the joys of toddlerhood!

I'm Thankful For...

You know, there are times throughout the day when I have the urge to send my son right outside and lock the door behind him, lucky for him it's winter my conscience gets the better of me. But...there are also times when he is so sweet and kind that I could just eat him right up!

We were at a bagel shop for lunch on Thursday and we ordered our bagels and drinks and sat down at the only available both. It only took a second to figure out why it was available when the shop itself was quite busy...a couple of homeless men were sitting in the window and the smell was really quite something. Please don't think that this is going to be some wonderful post about how Lucas and I went and fed them and had a wonderful teaching experience about how we are all the same...blah, blah, blah. That would have been lovely, I'm sure. However, as soon as sat down I realized that their conversation was as foul as their odor. I have never in my life heard two people speak so lewdly in public...or quite possibly anywhere...ever. I looked up just in time to see another booth open up far, far away and I scooped us up and grabbed it quick.

All settled in to our new warm-bagel-smelling-obscenity-free booth, Lucas and I dug into our lunch. We always get the same thing, olive cream cheese bagels and BBQ chips, and every time he asked me a question my mouth was full and I covered it with my hand to answer him. After a few minutes, I noticed he kept covering his own mouth every time he took a bite of bagel and I asked him if everything was okay. He told me "I'm just like you, Mom, I do everything just like you...right?" Oh! I love this child of mine. He's right. He is just like me. And I couldn't be happier. I'm lucky for my life. I am blessed, and it seems silly that something little like that could have made me get all emotional, but I got choked up. He is a great kid, and even though his whining can sometimes pierce my brain with it's fierceness, I need to remember how lucky I am to have him. Not just today, or just during the holidays, but everyday.

I asked him that night as I snuggled him on my lap, "Why do I love you so much?" And he said, "Cause I'm your boy." That's right...your my boy, and I wouldn't have life any other way.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

TGIF

It's FRIDAY! Well, it is if you're ME! Man I love Tuesdays...or to be more specific...I love Tuesdays at 11pm. I have a wonderful weekend planned full of dinners out with friends, last minute Christmas shopping (I'm almost finished...so it's last minute for me...also, you couldn't pay me to go out the week before Christmas with a three year old. Well...maybe you could pay me.) and dentist appointments, 'cause who doesn't love handing over a twenty dollar copay to a surly dental receptionist for the pleasure of them making your gums bleed. Super fun!

AND! After the dinner out with friends portion of the evening on Friday, I get to go shopping. By myself. As in alone! No small boy in tow bent on using every public bathroom in the county. Can 'ya hear the angels singing? Can 'ya? It's like a gift from the baby Jesus. I am very excited.

I'm hoping my next post will include our Christmas picture, because that will mean I have actually done it, and also that it might actually get mailed to others in a timely fashion, like by Christmas...this year.

Monday, December 3, 2007

He Gives a Good Compliment

My Mother got Lucas all bundled up this afternoon in his snowsuit and boots and hat and mittens to go shovel out her drive, and then put on her own Carhartt jumpsuit to keep warm along with her hat and mittens. Lucas looked up at her and exclaimed, "Oh 'Amma! You look so handsome!"

HA! Sometimes he just comes out with the sweetest things!

Saturday, December 1, 2007

The View From Our Porch


I jokingly call our street the snow belt...because even when it isn't snowing ANYWHERE else in the state, it looks like this at our house. Winter has officially begun!

Our Tree is Up

This is the first time in my entire life that I've used a fake tree. It makes me a little sad...but this one given to us for free...which, you know, is right in our budget so...fake is the new real at our house. Lucas doesn't know the difference...he's just super excited that his train runs along the base of the tree. We put it up together on Thanksgiving night, and he read the directions and handed me all the color coded branches while I broke a sweat shoving them all in. When we (finally!) finished he threw up his arms and squealed "Let's do it again!" Yeah...maybe next year.

A Week in Pictures...and Yes...All We've Done is Shovel.






Winter is finally here, and Lucas couldn't be happier. Shoveling is apparently his life's passion.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

TGIF

It's Friday! Well...it is for me anyway, and thank goodness. I'm ready to be home and be lazy. Preferably in my pajamas. With lots of icy cold diet Pepsi...and chips. I have a ton of After Black Friday shopping to do with all of the free money certificates I earned while shopping on the Actual Black Friday...so watch out mall, here we come. My efforts to have a China-Free Christmas are coming along nicely, with just a few exceptions...I decided it might be fun to try and buy all of our gifts made from places other than China and Lucas has ended up with some really fun stuff that I might not have sought out otherwise...so that part has been neat. Of course, some things are only made in China, so I bought them anyway, and we'll just hope they don't poison us to death before Christmas rolls around again.

Last year I shopped like a madwoman to earn all of those $10 dollar off store certificates and then worked the next week straight and they all expired before I could use them...but not his year. Oh, no...this year we shop...ten dollars at time.

Monday, November 26, 2007

Singing in the Rain...Except Without the Singing

It's raining here, an icy cold rain that won't stop until it turns to snow, and Lucas loves it because the rain means that he can use his umbrella. Except...he calls it his raincoat and will not use the right word no matter how many times I try to remind him that the word is umbrella. But that's okay, because it's beyond cute to see him walking to the car with his little red pirate umbrella perched carefully over his head. Keep in mind, we park our car two feet from our front steps, and it's more work than it is help to open the umbrella and then navigate Lucas out the front door without poking some one's eye out...but if he thinks there's a drizzle happening somewhere in the county, out comes the "raincoat". I would love to post a picture, but it's hard to do when we're rushing out the door, my arms breaking under the weight of all the things he has to take to Grandma's.

Saturday, November 24, 2007

My Post Thanksgiving List

I have found myself laughing a lot this week, despite actually venturing out on Black Friday with a pinched nerve in my neck (Really! What was I thinking?!). After reading a number of other people's lists, I decided to write my own...everything will have to do with the kid, of course!

OK...I am thankful for, in no particular order:

  • My son's use of choice words...like "Oh barnacles!" and "Tut-tut, wooks wike rain" and "Oh tartar sauce" and the newest and maybe the best "Oh fiddlesticks!" Which I will admit sounds a lot like "Oh pisticks!" And I try very hard not to laugh while I correct him.
  • The way he always tells me good morning the second he wakes up.
  • The way he offers to be very, very quite in case I want to "rest" which is what he calls it when I fall asleep on the couch in the middle of the day. (In my defense, I work nights.)
  • The way he offers to do the dishes, and really means it...I find half dirty dishes stacked neatly on top of the clean ones in the sink strainer.
  • The way he offers to help me move heavy things, 'cause he's "soooo strong!" (Picture a small boy flexing chubby arms here.)
  • The way he shows me just where to rub his face, his feet, his arms, his hands, his head and his back just before he falls asleep in my arms.
  • The way he sings Christmas carols, Fa La La La La, but then says his name is 'Ucas.
  • They way he introduces me by my actual first name to strangers.
  • The way he says, agreeably, "Maybe later" when he asks for something at the toy store and I say no, and then puts it right back and doesn't make a scene.
  • My mother...I am endlessly thankful for my mother.

And, you know, this list could just go on and on. As hard as being a single parent can be, and as much as I never planned to raise a son alone, I am thankful a million times over to be this child's mother.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

My Budding Chef

I cannot walk into the kitchen these days without my kid wanting to cook something. He has found a new love in cooking and preparing his own food, and he wants to do it all. the. time. Take last night for instance, when he announced at 9pm that he was "just gonna cook me some eggs." Or how about the hundred times a day he wants to bake a cake. And heaven help you if you spread butter or cream cheese on ANYTHING without first asking him if maybe he would like to do it with his favorite red plastic butter knife. It's something you'll only forget to ask once. Any less gets you a meltdown and a face that says you must surely have an utter lack of regard for his majesty's feelings. But he wears an apron (thank you Aunt Mary) and he loves to be helpful, so we're having a good time, and we're baking lots of cakes.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

'Tis the Season!

I bought Lucas a Christmas outfit, just so I could torture him...um...I, mean, take his picture and stuff it into a 100 Christmas cards. It is so cute! It might be the last year I can get away with dressing him so cute for, well, anything. His is of the opinionated sort, you know, I don't get away with much these days. I will be taking the picture myself as I would rather jab at my own eyeballs with hot pokers than take him back to Sears Portrait Studio. Those folks live to torment the masses during the holidays. Although, I have heard good things about Olan Mills, but ours is located in the layaway department at Kmart, so...I'm wondering...could they really take a better picture than I could? I'm inclined to say no. Pictures to follow shortly. I'm going to at least post the picture here in a timely manner since I've been known to write, stamp and address all of our cards, but then never mail them, because I was too lazy to go to the post office, and my cards always seem to be too big to stuff into our apartment's outgoing mailbox. (Typing out that dirty little secret actually made me laugh out loud!)

Monday, November 19, 2007

Some of Our Conversations Are Confusing if You Haven't Watched Winnie the Pooh

I said: "Are you going to be so good for Grandma today?"
***hear the sound of crickets chirping***
I said: "Hey! Are you going to be good for Grandma today?"
He said: "Work brain work, work brain work...think, think, think!"
And then I said: "What are you talking about?"
And then he said: "I can't think of the word... ... ... ... Oh yeah! I will be good for 'Amma today!"

And every once in a while he just says "Stuffed with fluff!" out loud for no reason. It might be time to start cutting back on the Winnie the Pooh DVDs.

Sunday, November 18, 2007

If I Sound Hoarse, It's 'Cause I'm Still Sick

Does anyone think that Airborne really works? I've been slugging back toxic-swamp-looking cups of it for days...and I can't decide if I'm so much better than I would have been without it...or if it's useless. Lets pretend it's really helping.

*******

Costco was a joy to shop at today...I KNOW! On a Sunday morning, the week of Thanksgiving. Oh, don't get me wrong, it was a madhouse in there, but I still got a stellar parking spot, a short checkout line (!) and a piping hot slice of pepperoni on the way out the door. Go Costco!

*******
I got out of work early tonight due to low census! Four more blissful hours of sleep for me! Yeah low census!

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Rock and Roll, Baby

Today, with a construction hat on, zoned out to PBS...it's a little blurry...but it's also the only one where you can't tell he's pantless!

I Found Him Like This



Crashed on the living room floor.

Super Fun...and I AM Being Sarcastic

Lucas and I both have colds...again. Or should I say still? Same thing, I guess. We tried to go to a few craft fairs this morning, and Lucas was, um, shall we say...rotten...at the first two, and moderately well behaved at the third. Apparently, his three year old brain only heard the word Fair...and not the word Craft...so his expectations of the fun day he was going to be having were blown to pieces when he entered the first gym. The second one was really spectacular, I have to say. I had the NERVE to tussle his hair after I pulled off his fleece hat and he went to pieces. He kept wailing that he wasn't handsome anymore thanks to me. No matter what tactic I tried to use to get him to lower his voice, or lower the volume of his crying and whining, it only seemed to make it multiply times a thousand. And he seems to have inherited my mother's knack for breaking out in hives when he's stressed. He got a big fat hive right on his cheek as I carried him in a barrel hold, screaming and crying (him...not me...heh) out the front door, trying not to knock out any tables along the way. I did manage to buy a couple of really cool key chains made from bending silver forks into neat shapes...one for my keys and one for Luke's backpack...because, you know, after all that he deserved a little present. Right.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Channeling the Car Gods...Please Be Kind

So, my car kind of crapped out on me a few days ago, and I have been thinking of little else. I don't know why it sends me into a state of panic when I let my mind wander to the act of actually going to a car dealership just to look. I think it's because I don't like change. In fact, that is exactly it. I don't like change at all. I've driven the same cars for years. I've worked at the same place for years. I've lived at the same place for years. (Great...typing all that just made me feel so boring! Now I not only have a crappy car to deal with, but I'm depressed.) I'm thirty one years old, and this is only my third car, and that includes the '72 Volkswagen Bug I got for my 16th birthday. I really like not having a car payment, but the time has come...it just stinks that it has come a month before Christmas...but what are 'ya gonna do? Wish me luck...the hunt is on for a good, reliable, low on gas, won't break the bank car...

I want everybody thinking affordable-car-thoughts for me! ;-)

Monday, November 12, 2007

Gosh, I Love the Weekends or Sickness and Waffles

My boy has a cold. Poor little glassy eyed, red cheeked peanut. I got home from work this morning at the ungodly hour of 3:40am...and he was wide awake after I picked him up at Grandma's house. Wide. Awake. I was exhausted, so exhausted that I didn't think carrying his 40 pound self up 14 stairs was an option, so we slept on the couch. Luckily for me, my couches are super deep...like twin size bed deep. I threw a bunch of pillows down and covered us with a big warm quilt, and we both fell fast asleep. After a few doses of children's cold medicine, he felt like a million bucks, and he was nice enough to sleep in a little, too.

Oh, and just as a side note, I got a new Belgium waffle recipe from a friend of mine who came to visit, and I am in love. She also introduced me to the idea of strawberries in syrup and whipped cream for my waffles, so it's possible I may not fit in anything I own in the very near future...'cause I can't get enough of these waffles.

Sunday, November 11, 2007

He's Growing Up!

Oh! My son is growing up! He had his first sleepover. Well, he had a friend sleep over at our house for the very first time, which totally counts! Lucas is 3 1/2 and his buddy is a whole 4 years old...it made for a very fun night. To say Lucas was excited for this sleepover would do it an injustice. He was over the moon that his little buddy would be spending the night...in his Thomas the Train bed! He kept skipping around the apartment, going in circles. Those little party animals managed to see the very late hour of 8:30pm...wild, I know...well, Lucas fell asleep at 8:30pm...his buddy took a little longer to fall asleep...though to his credit, he never made a peep.

They played trains, and ate toast and watched Winnie the Pooh...does life get any better?

New Favorite Curse Word

My boy has a new favorite, all purpose phrase...and it is....

Wait for it...

"Oh, tartar sauce!"

He uses it for EVERYTHING. Spilled juice, stubbed toe, broken crayon...you name it. Once again, I don't know where it came from, or how it started, but it is funny when it's shouted from a three year old.

Choo Choo!

Lucas and I got to ride the kiddie train that travels a local city street. It's been running all summer and we kept missing it, but I needed to run an errand today, and sure enough, it drove by the window of a store we were in. For just a buck a piece, Lucas got to be in toddler heaven, and I got to freeze my butt off. I have never had so many strangers gaze upon and me and smile and wave...but Lucas had fun. The only picture I have is on my cell phone...if I can figure out how to put it up here, I will.


Updated: Here it is...grainy, sure, but still cute, right?

Also, it appears that I may have driven over the World's Largest Pothole today, and it did a number on my car. Keep your fingers crossed that the car miraculously heals itself, because shoveling money out for car repairs the month before Christmas makes me feel very Grinch-like.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

We're at THAT Stage Already

My kid loves having his daily bath, or "takin' a tubby" as he likes to call it. Lately though, his routine has expanded slightly. He has formed a new love, and it's in the form of deodorant. He gets out of the tub all clean and shiny and pink, and proceeds right to my room, where he commandeers the deodorant stick and loudly announces his need for PRIVACY! as he slams the bedroom door. I know he's spreading deodorant all over...not exactly it's intended use...but at least he smells nice. Maybe Santa will bring him a little manly scented stick for his stocking this year!

Monday, November 5, 2007

He's Not a Baby, He's a Kid

I took a good look at my son today. A good long look, outside in the morning sunshine, with the cold air turning his cheeks pink and the tips of his ears a bright red, and I realized something. My little baby boy has grown up. He is tall and strong, he is able and kind. Lest the telling of this revelation get too sappy, I am coming to this realization while standing outside our local Walmart. He's climbing on one of the quarter operated kiddie rides outside the front door (yuck), and I'm trying to convince him that it's time to go inside and run our errands. But, it's the first time he's been outside today and he doesn't want to go in. He kneels on the outside edge of the blue and green plastic Jetson's spaceship and pleads for quarters, and he says over and over again, "MOM, look what I can do, look what I can do!" He's nimble, and agile in a way that he hasn't really been before now. And that's when it struck me. That my baby is gone. Replaced by a blond haired, green eyed boy who looks a lot like me, and I got a bit choked up. He will probably be my only child, chances are quite good that I will never hold a newborn baby of my own in my arms ever again. And I'm okay with that. I've been known to tell others on many occasions that one is enough for me, but I'm not sure I really realized what that meant while Lucas was still a baby. This child before me is a baby no more, when we left Walmart he opened his own car door, climbed in, shut the door and buckled himself in his car seat. He's been asking me over and over for his own steering wheel and gas pedal to use in the backseat, and today is no exception. I miss my baby, but I love this kid.

Sunday, November 4, 2007

Quote of the Day

Me: (Saying something snappish and hurried as I try to coax him out the door.)

Lucas: "But what about friendship?"

He might watch too much PBS. I might have rolled my eyes when he said it...but MAN, I love that kid!

Saturday, November 3, 2007

My Little Bug



It was difficult at best to get a good shot of Lucas in his bug costume...if you were to scan through my camera, you might find several pictures of his back as he ran to the next house, but he had fun, and his manners were golden.

Like A Regular Haircut, Only Louder

My boy got his hair cut again yesterday, and he looks so handsome and grown up, and I nearly broke a sweat. It went a little something like this: Total wreck of a boy...then perfectly happy to be there...then total wreck of a boy. I mean, come on! It's just a haircut! Why all the drama? The crying and the screaming and the waaaaailing. I felt like the main act on the center stage of a three ring circus prancing around, trying to offer distractions...Look at me! Squealing with happiness over what a BIG BOY you are! And how FUN it is to get your hair cut! How about a LOLLIPOP?! Look at BOB the BUILDER on t.v.! Pretend to CATCH me in your red jeep! We can go to a PLAYGROUND when you're done! OH LOOK...something SHINY!

Oh. My. Goodness. Luckily, there was only one other mother who brought her poor unsuspecting toddler in while my child was in his fit of despair...and I'm not gonna lie...the kid looked scared. Sorry Other Mother.

The kicker is, I feel so guilty about the scene we always cause, that I give the lady a big fat tip, making his toddler haircut twice as expensive, luckily for me, we also only go half as often...so I guess it all works out.

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

The Great Pretender

On the way to pick up my mom this afternoon my son starts wailing in the backseat, "Oh no! Oh nooo! We're outta gas! What are we gonna dooooooo?"

He was with me when we filled the tank this very morning, which I reminded him over and over again, in my loud voice, as to be heard over the racket from my backseat.

"No Mommy! We gonna run outta gas! What are we gonna do!? The car is gonna DIE!" Which all sounds very dramatic, it really sounded like he thought we were just going to come to a stop, right there in the middle of the road.

I started to explain to him again that I did indeed fill the tank and that we were in no danger of running out of gas before I dropped him safely off at Grandma's when he hissed from the backseat...."I'm pretending!"

He is a very convincing pretender.

Just Another Example of How My Mom Rocks!

My mother has been my one and only caregiver/babysitter for my son Lucas since the day he was born. He's never been to daycare and I can count the numbers of times I've left him with another person other than my mom on two fingers. They spend all day outdoors, in her gardens, on walks around the town and on trips to his favorite convenience store for ring pops. As if all of that wasn't enough, she has instituted a new Fun Thing for her and Lucas to do together. The two make a new craft every week and send it home in his backpack as a surprise for me. This weeks' craft was a sock puppet...

And last weeks' were mom-and-son matching turkeys!
I will never have to think for more than just a second for all the things I'm thankful for.

Monday, October 29, 2007

Quote of the Day

"I'm Grandma's TROPHY...she told me I was!"

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Go Figure.

We had a great day today. Lucas and I were invited to a friend's house for a big family dinner of lasagna and garlic bread and decorate-your-own sugar cookies. The kind of everyone's-invited sort of thing that most families reserve for the holidays, but she does just about every Sunday. Lucas had a blast playing with two boys a tiny bit older than him...and I was happy to see him having a good time, and getting dirty, and letting this crisp fall day pink his cheeks while I helped in the kitchen. Of course he didn't want to leave when it came time for us to go, I already hadn't really left enough time to get ready for work without a hustle. He sort of fell asleep in the car on the way to Grandma's, which I knew would happen, but Lucas surprised me completely with a full blown meltdown after I left, because his little overtired self felt like he didn't get to say good-bye. This poor child who normally plants his hands on my bottom and pushes me towards the door saying, "It's time for you to go to stinky work now, Mom!" He was still a mess when I called almost an hour later. Makes me want to pack up and go back home. My poor kid...and my poor Mother!

Saturday, October 27, 2007

We Enjoyed Nature...



One of our best buddies introduced us to this nature walk yesterday...and we spent two hours enjoying the trees, the leaves, a picnic and of course good friends!

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

If Only You'd Been Here...

you could have seen the sorry state of affairs that was me on a treadmill today. It started when I went to put on a pair of pants this morning and they were, shall we say, snug. And I, in a fit of delirium thought, "Oh darn, I must have put these in the dryer by mistake." Ha! After trying on several other pairs and looking a muffin is each one, I stripped down and stepped on the scale, because surely my flannel pj bottoms weigh enough to give me a false reading, so I should take them off. I'm sure my face turned red. Even though I was all alone, I was quite embarrassed with the readout. Moving the scale around to different parts of the floor didn't help any, in case you wondering.

So I got on the treadmill. It took me almost 18 minutes to travel ONE. MILE. Pathetic! I was "jogging" at the blistering pace of 3.5 miles per hour. And at the end I was covered in sweat. I would have taken a picture of myself, just for the amusement of all of you...but I couldn't get my hands to stop shaking long enough for a clear shot.

Monday, October 22, 2007

At Least I Enjoyed Them

I made my son these waffles this morning....
because I love him and I want him to be happy...and because I love waffles. Even though I didn't get home from work until 3:30am this morning, I was back up at 6:30am watching cartoons and making us some de-licious, from-scratch waffles in our brand spanking new Farmyard waffle maker. I have had my eye on this baby for almost a year, and it must have been discontinued recently, because I found it at a local store for 60% off. I was probably disproportionately (it that really a word?) happy to have found it, but I've wanted it for so long! I made a beautiful hot batch of waffles for us with real maple syrup and berries and presented it to Lucas, and he was genuinely happy and thanked me for making him such a nice breakfast. After a few bites he looked at me and said, "You know what I really want for breakfast, Mom?" And I sweetly asked back, "What, honey?" And he replied, "Spongebob waffles, you know, from the store." Um, yeah. Thank God I got up at the crack of dawn to make waffles from scratch when he would have been happier with the frozen kind from the grocery store...because they have pictures of Spongebob and Patrick and Gary the Snail on them...and that's SO much better than homemade. He's lucky he's cute.

Sunday, October 21, 2007

I Haven't Seen My Kid Much...But I'm Well Rested!

Well, yesterday I got ready for work, showered, cooked dinner, packed dinner, packed my work bag, put Lucas in the tub, packed his overnight bag, dropped him off at Grandma's house and headed off to work. It wasn't until I had walked into the hospital from the parking garage (approximately three miles) and tried to sign in that I realized my name wasn't on the sign-in sheet. In fact, it wasn't on the daily assignment sheets, either. How odd, you may ask? Why yes, it is odd that I would go through all of that on a day that I had requested off several months ago! Ghaaaa! I went to work on my DAY OFF! Who does that? I have GOT to start writing things down! The reason I had asked for the day off was because I was invited to a Halloween party. If you are now thinking that I probably had no costume planned since I was dumb enough to go to work instead...you would be right! I called my poor mother on the way back out to the parking garage and I was laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes, because my brain might be addled but my sense of humor is spot on!

I put together a rather funny costume if I do say so myself...a deviled egg, if you must know...and although many people at the party confused me for a devilish bunny (what? I was not wearing ears) I still had a great time. And since I knew Lucas was sleeping over at my mother's, I left the party early and went home to bed! Because I am both wild and crazy like that!

In other news, when I picked Lucas up this morning, he came at me super excited and started squealing, "I CAN SPELL, I CAN SPELL!" He and my mom had worked on his letters and he spelled M-O-M all by himself. It was a GIANT M and a teeny-tiny o and another GIANT M. I got all weepy when I saw it, I'm thinking about putting it in a frame, because I am cheesy like that.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Once in a While, He Throws Me a Bone

My boy was so good today!

I wanted...no I needed...to get my hair cut, and that's something I just always put off, because it's not really a necessary expense. Not that I have any problems blowing money on plastic trains or Matchbox cars, but...you know...those things aren't for me. Lucas has a bit of an aversion to the hairdressers, so I didn't tell him we were going until this morning, because if I had told him, say, yesterday, it's all I would have heard about until today anyway, so I save myself the trouble. He was not having it. The whining started, and then the wailing until I spoke loud enough for him to hear that we weren't going there for him, but for me. And that, my friends, made all the difference.

When we pulled into the parking lot of my very favorite hairdresser in the whole wide world, he started getting nervous, and I explained to him one more time that I was getting my haircut, and that I LOVE LOVE LOVE to get my haircut, and I was EXCITED to be there. He walked around the car to hug my leg and gazed up at me so sweetly and said, "Mommy, I'm so proud of you!" and trotted right in the salon...where he was a perfect angel while I got my hair cut. Forty-five minutes of peace and quiet in the chair with a lovely little shoulder massage and a fantastic cut...I feel like a new person.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Quote of the Day

I took Lucas for a walk once my ears started bleeding today, what with all the whining and whimpering that occurred after his friend left. I thought we might enjoy some outdoor time together, it was beautiful and crisp out, a perfect fall day, so I put him in his stroller and set out for a walk. Lucas would not stop complaining. Every time we came to a new street corner he would insist that we use it to go back home. After 3 hours of this (it might have been 10 minutes...but it seemed like 3 hours) I snapped at him. "Can you just relax, we are enjoying nature!" And he snapped back, "I only enjoy nature with my 'Amma!"

Enough said. I wanted to watch MTV anyway.

Playdates Are Fun

My little guy had a buddy over today...a friend he's been talking about all week. He was so excited to have him come over this morning that he stood in the open door saying, "I think I see them" over and over...in just his pajama top. It wasn't until he saw their red van pull into the driveway that he realized he had no pants on and went shrieking through the apartment to find some bottoms.

They scampered off to play and they got along so well and at some point they disappeared upstairs to explore in Luke's room. There was no yelling or crying or arguing so we let them be, my friend and I, and continued watching HGTV and talking about, well, everything. After a bit, I hear my son say he has to use the bathroom so I went upstairs to make sure everything was going okay, and what do you suppose I find? My son and his friend standing at the sink brushing their teeth... because they are wild and crazy like that, and when left to their own devices they will practice good oral hygiene. WACKY! How will I ever reign him in as a teen?

It seemed like they had just arrived and then it was already time to go, and his buddy Sam didn't want to leave. While Sam's mom buckled his sister into the car, I called to Sam to come downstairs and Lucas had a fit. He threw his arms wide at the top of the stairs and yelled down, "If you take him you have to go through me first!" Which I have to say, made me laugh...until he started crying...and then kept crying for next hour, which definitely wiped that smile right off my face.

But he had a good time, and he appreciates his friends, and we can't wait to have them over again, although next time I might send him right out the door with them!

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Last Week...Before Winter Started in New England.


This is the miserable-I-don't-want-to-smile-for-you-anymore face I get when ask him to actually smile for the camera. This face is why most of his pictures are action shots.


Master of the Board



Lest anyone be outraged by his lack of a helmet...he has one, he wears it, he's just posing for a picture. ;-)

Pumpkins!

Our two pumpkins, sitting on the porch steps.Pumpkin By Summer.

Pumpkin By Brian.
Pumpkin By Me. I've got my eye on you!
Pumpkin by Gina.

We had great time...we even roasted the pumpkin seeds with olive oil, garlic and salt and pepper. Yum! I am getting excited for Halloween. Time to dust of the old fly swatter and get ready to accompany my little bug Trick-or-Treating.

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Oh Darn!

I have the BEST pictures to post here...pumpkin carving and fallen leaf piles and little guys on skateboards...but alas, my camera and cord are not in the same place so no pictures tonight. Definitely tomorrow.

Luke and I attended a super fun pumpkin carving party last night, where the other party guests were treated to nice long run-on sentences from my boy. Also, the hostess promised to burn me a song for Lucas, Leanne Rimes' "Nothin' Better to Do", as that is his new "favwit" song. I told him she was going to send him home with a copy and he was so excited. He has been asking perfect strangers this week, "You got nuthin' better a do?", meaning do they have his favorite song...but that's not really how it comes out...so it's nice to finally have it on hand to play whenever he'd like.

Also, he was so very polite during the party, which me very happy. Also, we are kick-ass pumpkin carvers, as I'm sure you will all agree when you see the pictures!

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Watch Out Ryan Sheckler

My three year wants to be a skateboarder. I got some great pictures today and I was so excited to post them...but my camera is all the way out in the car, and I am here...so next time. But they're really cute. Also, if he gets to be any good at it...he should buy me a BIG house with a BEAUTIFUL and HUGE kitchen, because I spent three years changing his diapers and I have earned it. Just sayin'.

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

All the Things I Can Do for Lucas

My boy, he is thoughtful. Today he offered up all of the wonderful things that I could do for him tomorrow, our first day off this week (even though I'm actually working overtime tomorrow night...but I don't want to tell him that yet...because he will be so excited to go back to Grandma's...and there is no reason for him to be so happy to be rid of me a whole day early). For example; I can buy him a new BIG Thomas the Train, if I want. I can get him the Candy Land with the Castle, if I want. I can take him to play at all of his friend's houses, if I want. And last but not least, I can take him to the grocery store for cheese sticks, if I want. That's an awful lot of stuff he's willing to let me do for him tomorrow...maybe if I can fit all of that in one day I'll come out on top in the race for His Most Favorite Person in the Whole World. Riiiiight. Or I could just sack out on the couch all day and let Grandma keep her 1st place trophy...second place ain't half bad, 'ya know? ;-)

Monday, October 8, 2007

I've Been Replaced

Lucas spent 90% of the weekend with my Mom, and when I picked him up today and buckled him in his car seat he started to wail. He wanted to stay at 'Amma's. This is after we went to Costco with her today, mind you...it's not like he hasn't been attached to her hip all weekend (during which she LOADED us up with goodies-love you Mom!). He just kept saying over and over on the ride home..."But I wanted to hang out with 'Amma for just a few more minutes...how 'bout you turn around and bring me back?" I've always known that we two run neck and neck as his most favorite person in the whole wide world. Apparently one weekend at Grandma's is enough to tip the scales in her favor. But that's OK. Because they love each other so much, and that makes endlessly happy. Besides, he might love me best again next week...I've got a few tricks left up my sleeve!

Sunday BBQ



Sitting in a tree, happy as can be.

An Oldie But a Goodie!


I found this picture while going through old email tonight...
Lucas at the fair...pre-big-boy-haircut. Chowing down on maple ice cream from the Sugar Shack...yumm...maple ice cream!
Also testing out the watermark...just a safety feature. I don't want anyone taking his pictures and claiming them for their own!

Sunday, October 7, 2007

I'd Like to Make a Shout Out

Hooray for Moms...and for mine in particular. My very own sweet mother who kept my kid last night so I could sleep, and then took me out to breakfast this morning...and then offered to keep him again and told me sleep in tomorrow! Man, I love my Mom!

Saturday, October 6, 2007

Because I'm Me...

Instead of going to the post office on any one of the beautiful days we've had this week...beautiful 80 degree days in New England in October...I insist on going to the post office today, while it's POURING! 'Cause it's more fun that way...to go in the rain. Every time a break in the downpour would happen I'd hurry Lucas into his raincoat! and boots! and umbrella! It doesn't matter that we park our car two feet from the front door, it requires full monsoon gear for him to leave the house in the rain now that he has his own umbrella. And then he'd have to pee. Or the phone would ring. And then the rain would pour down again and I'd decide to wait a second, but we finally got there, and Lucas was of course chatty as always. He had a lovely conversation with the Post Office Lady while I had to tear apart the little box I'd packed everything in, because their box was cheaper...which is my favorite price...cheaper.

On the way home we got to see three helicopters, which is unusual, even though we live near an airport, so Lucas was happy. It had stopped raining by the time I pulled into the driveway but he still insisted on using his umbrella (or raincoat, as he kept calling it) and he got inside and shrugged everything off at the door and sighed a big sigh. "I'm a'hausted from my big day!" Which is funny...because going to the post office was the only thing we did today, but I felt the same way.

Oh! And we're almost over our colds. But we still feel a little yucky. ;-)

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

I'm Sick

Maybe some of you know this about me already, but maybe you don't. I can normally jump right up and dust myself off when things come my way...I tend to be a glass half full kind of person and I NEVER feel sorry for myself. Until I get sick. When I get a cold I turn into a BIG BABY and I feel miserable and I want my Mommy. Well...it might not get that bad, but pretty darn close. I have a coooold and my throat is sore. Did 'ya catch the whine there? Yeah. When I don't feel well, I want everyone to feel bad for me like I'm the only person in the whole wide world that has ever had a cold. That's not too much to ask, right?

The silver lining on my cloud of sickness is that Lucas is independent enough and creative enough to keep himself busy. I lined up a few sippy cups and layed out a few snacks on the coffee table, and then spent the rest of the morning half passed out on the couch...recovering. Because my cold is so bad that I need to recover, and not just get over it. Feel bad for me yet? Didn't think so.

Monday, October 1, 2007

So Good to Me

Monday morning is my least favorite time of the week. I don't get out of work until 3:30am, and Lucas usually gets up around 7am. But not today! Today he woke up at 8:45am...because he loves me. And also, he kept glancing at me out of the corner of his eye and saying "Don't even think about it." All slow, and Clint Eastwood-y. Which I don't get. But was still very funny.

Sunday, September 30, 2007

When I Was a Kid...

A neighbor of mine was outside today with her three-year-old and of course Lucas ran right over and invited the little boy to play at our house...totally fine...he's a very sweet little boy and it turns out he and Lucas play super well together. I was holding her door open when she mentioned she had the heat on. Um. What? The heat on? The miserly old lady in me wanted to shout, "Well, when I was kid we didn't turn on the heat until Christmas morning!" It's only September, people...I know it's New England...but the heat? I'm glad I don't pay her heating bill...that's what people make quilts for!

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Don't Say No, Say YES!

I hear this several times a day from my bargaining toddler...(although I know he gets that from me...I rarely take anyone's first answer about things if it's not what I want to hear).

However, here is a short list of things I have not said YES! to this week, no matter how hard you tried to persuade me:

1. Tutti Frutti gum before breakfast.
2. Tutti Frutti gum before lunch.
3. Tutti Frutti gum before dinner.
4. A second piece of Tutti Frutti gum after you swallow the first...yes you do know you are not supposed to swallow it.
5. Letting you leave a public restroom without washing your hands after watching you roll around in the germs and touch every tile as you count to 17.
6. Letting you leave the bathroom at home without washing your hands even as you ask me for a snack.
7. Letting you play outside naked...believe me, you are the only one that thinks it's a good idea.
8. Letting you drop playdo down the heating vents.
9. Letting you drink out of random sippy cups rolling around on the floor of the car that may or may not have been poured in 2007...no matter how thirsty you tell me you are.
10. Last for now but certainly not least...letting you cut my hair "for pretend" with your new safety scissors while I tried to sleep...I mean rest...on the couch.

A Little Bit of Both

I'm a little bit proud that Lucas knows his name, the town he lives in, my full name, his current age and the theme of his next birthday party (in March...he is already planning his own party)...and just that he is comfortable addressing adults he doesn't know.

I a little bit wish he would stop telling every adult we don't know his name, the town he lives in, my full name, his current age and the theme of his next birthday party, the fact that he can't whistle (but will be able to in 2 weeks-his timeline-not mine), and his absolute love of gum. I'm afraid to teach him our phone number yet for fear that he will sing it through the mall every chance he gets.

Embarrassing!

I am glad he's social, it will serve him well in the years to come, I'm sure. I don't have to worry that he has any negative effects from being an only child...exactly the opposite...he is a social butterfly of a boy. I will have to remember, however, not to help him practice our phone number.

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Completely Random List of Topics:

1. I want to get my haircut short but I also want to leave it long, which obviously presents a problem. I like the idea of long hair, but I put it in a ponytail everyday, so maybe what's the point? On the other hand, I like my old short, blond haircut (pre-Lucas), but I have to style it everyday...and I don't truthfully know if I can commit to that. Any suggestions?

2. I need to start exercising every day. All of my pants are too tight. Even though I know I promised myself I'd lose the weight before fall, it clearly hasn't happened. Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas is probably not a good time to start...but something's gotta give.

3. Everybody say a little prayer that the old Corolla passes inspection this month...I'm hoping to nurse it along until spring, when we'll trade it in for a new(er) one.

4. Lucas was wonderful today and did the dishes again! I'm really considering letting him do all the laundry now too, but I'm afraid the world at large might frown upon my 3 year old doing all the housework. (I hum the Cinderella theme song out loud while he scrubs away...)

5. Grey's Anatomy starts on Thursday (whoo-yoo!) but more importantly, so does The Office...my favorite show of all time. Don't call me Thursday...I won't be taking calls. Unless you call during the commercial break...but I will hang up on you in a hurry...just be warned.

6. There are 90 shopping days until Christmas. (WHAT!?)

7. That's probably enough for now...but everyone does need to weigh in on the hair situation...I've never in my life worried about my hair...but I'm ready for a change and I keep flip-flopping...so HELP!

Monday, September 24, 2007

I'm the Mama!

Lucas spent the day today pretending that I was "Lucas" and he was the "Mama". It started out when he found one of my hair elastics on the carpet which he insisted I use in his hair, and ended with him washing dishes while standing on a stool bare naked...which I swear I have never done...ever. And while every fiber of my being wants to post the picture of him running around the house with the little bit of blond hair he does have in the back of his head pinched into a ponytail, I don't actually want to embarrass him in any way, not now and certainly not in future...because who knows how long this blog will last.

But it was a good day for me while he sweetly (and mockingly) asked me over and over again if I needed a drink, or a blanket, or if I liked the show I was watching, or what I wanted for 'yunch, or if I needed to use the potty...which got me to thinking: do I do that to him all day? And is it very, very nice of me or am I a total nag? I'm still not sure. But one thing I do know...Lucas has it fairly easy around this place, and so do I.

Sunday, September 23, 2007

We Have a Ringer in our Midst

I might be a baseball prodigy...I don't really know because I've never played before today. I genuinely stink at team sports...just not my thing. But today? Today was my day. I was the only female in a yard full of men, and as each one got struck out I started feeling nervous. Would I embarrass myself when it was finally my turn to bat? Hardly...I had the pleasure of batting a 1000 today, and I scored a run with every turn up to bat. I had no idea that I had it in me, or how comfortable I would feel beating the fellas who had invited me to play. The fact that they were mostly under the age of seven , I think, is completely irrelevant.

Saturday, September 22, 2007

*Yuck* *Blech* *Spit*

Although I love him dearly, my son is trying to poison me.

I let Lucas play in the water in the bathroom sink at least a couple of times every day. He loves it, and he gets clean fingernails...it's a win-win situation. Or so I thought. Every morning I stumble into the bathroom and brush my teeth...in the dark and without my glasses on. Every night I brush my teeth...in the dark and without my glasses on. This morning I was cleaning the sink after Lucas had played for a good long while and noticed something. He often plays with our toothbrushes, they talk to each other and go on watery adventures...I guess...I usually use that time to drink my diet Pepsi out of the bottle standing in front of the fridge so that I don't have to share...anyway...back to the point. My toothbrush was FULL of gunk. Nasty microscopic black gunk. I noticed that Luke's toothbrush was perfectly clean, however. I brought him upstairs to show me how my toothbrush got so yucky, and he pulled out the sink stopper (I didn't even know it came out like that) and showed me how he uses my toothbrush to clean it. BARF! I have no idea how long he has been doing this to me...let's say a little prayer it was just the one time...yeah right!

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Because I Know Just How Interested You Are in my Son's Potty Training...

I know this is only interesting and exciting to me...but I'm interested AND I'm excited! Lucas woke up dry for the first time ever. While he's been potty trained since his third birthday during the day, night time is another story. But today? Today he woke up dry as a bone at 7:15am and went to use the potty! Hallelujah, it's possible an end is in site. Now, I know, it's just one night...but don't rain on my parade, 'cause the thought of saying 'buh-bye to diapers is a glorious one. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Yes, I DO Think That Far Ahead...

Luke's Halloween costume...

I will be carrying a fly swatter and a can of bug spray...kidding!

I've Been Warned...

Lucas started complaining yesterday of a very painful right leg and has spent the last 36hrs or so begging anyone in earshot to rub it. While I felt sorry for him and his painful leg, I felt sorry myself a little too, because I had to listen to all the whining, and do all the rubbing, and lug his sorry self up and down the stairs to pee every 30minutes...but mostly I felt sorry for him, of course. Right before I left for work I gave Lucas some "super juice", which is code for his regular Crystal Light Iced Tea with a dose of Children's Tylenol in it. He normally gluts it right down, but since he is now a higher weight than the last time I had to give it to him, his dose went up. Apparently 1tsp of medicine in his drink is completely undetectable, but 1.5tsp renders the stuff undrinkable, or so he says.

After much whining in the car on my way to drop him off I finally caved in and told him why his drink tasted different today than it normally did, and he was not impressed that I had tried to sneak something by him. The little rat yells from the backseat, "You tried to trick me! I'm gonna have to talk to 'Amma about this!" Go right ahead, little buddy...'Amma does it to you too!

Monday, September 17, 2007

Because I Am Such a Thoughtful and Attentive Mother...

I put new sneakers on Lucas today. I popped the tags off and shoved them on his feet at 2:00pm on my way out the door, and he followed behind me complaining that they "didn't feel right." I may or may not have told him that he's just not used to sneakers after wearing his crocs morning, noon and night since summer started, and that he needed to break them in. After I rushed him to the car, and before we picked up my Mom from work, we ran into the Rite Aid in town and he clomped along behind me complaining that "they hurt my feet!" At which point I may or may not have told him to stop whining and hurry up, they're just new sneakers. And when I called Mom tonight to see how he was doing, she told me that I never took the wadded up tissue or the price tags out of the inside of the shoes before I made my son wear them...for hours. Oops.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Ahhhh!

My handsome boy, standing in the sunlight at Grandma's house. Note the gorgeous flowers, she did not pass on her green thumb to me, I'm sorry to say.
Buddies 'til the end.
(Both pictures taken by Lili's mom, Marybeth.)