Two turns Four

Gulp.  How is this possible?  Will I say this for every child's birthday, every year?  I think I have so far ...  Why am I so ill prepared for the reality of the next year, that they are growing up -- and fast?  Regardless it is happening and we've got another full fledged "big boy" in the house.  #2 turned four and "it was awesome!  Yehsssssssss!!"  We celebrate enthusiastically around here.

So, #2 ... what do I have to say to you?


I continue to be obsessed with your hair, but I am not the only one!  Fuzz - you are rarely fuzzy now and it is just plain sad.  During the winter when the air is dry your hair will still stick up and I will continue to find reasons to rub my face against the fuzz.  It is the equivalent of new baby smell for me - with you.  I was talking with your teacher and she describes your hair as your duck feathers.  How do you feel about grown women being obsessed with your hair?  


I was so worried about you last summer, I was convinced that you would not adapt well to having a new baby in the house.  I thought you would give me all kinds of business about not being the "baby" anymore and you have taken those thoughts and tossed them away without even flinching.  You marched into the hospital on the day your sister was born and were instantly an older brother ... a big boy ... and you haven't looked back.  You love your sister, and right now you love being on a level playing field with your brother.  You have grown your relationship with #1 by leaps in the last six months.  You play together, you watch out for each other, you create all kinds of stuff ... and trouble ... together.  And holy cow do you boys laugh and make mischief together.  You are still into your own things and do things separately throughout the day, but when you guys click, you really click and it makes me feel like there was a reason my #s 1 and 2 are boys.


You have made some really good friends at your new school this year.  I was watching you and O play on the swingset the other day and it was fun to get lost in your game.  I'm so used to watching you with your brother and it often brings frustration when you can't physically do the same things he can.  But with your own peers you are bringing it!  Speaking of bringing it ... You hustle like a mad man during soccer and greet/cheer on your friends as you play games at practice.  You love PE at school, too ... especially when playing "What Time is it Mr. Fox?"  You've pretty much turned your school day into PE with the help of your friends - racing laps on all vehicles or feet, all day long.  


Some things that I must remember about this time with you ... 
Instead of "tomorrow" you say, "the day after this day."  "Is the day after this day a school day or a home day?"  And instead of "temperature" you say, "degrees."  "What are the degrees today, Mommy.  And can I wear shorts?"
You have found things to test me like, "well ... you're not the boss of me!"
You enjoy savoring ... anything.  Eating, showering, whatever, happens nice and slow.  You realize this means we're going to set all of our clocks ahead in the coming years ...
You do not like swim lessons ... You do like soccer lessons.
You're trying out comedy - insisting one day to wear underwear on your head to school, so we let you take them to school in your pocket.  I'm told the bitty pirate briefs came out while riding big wheels - mask? racing uniform? just because?  Probably all of the above and then some.
You are a fabulous sharer and a not so fabulous cleaner-upper.
You are funny and silly and you know it, but shy for the camera so it is tricky to capture.
You are scary fast on your scooter and pretty much refuse to learn to ride the bike.


Friday afternoons are #2 time - #3 is sleeping and #1 is still at school.  It is my time with you - to just be.  We usually build train tracks or legos although you've been telling me I'm doing it wrong a lot lately.  You've got your own idea of how things should be ... imagine that in this family.  But I'll take it.  It is nice to step out of the chaos for a minute and enjoy the quiet chug, chug, chug ... puff, puff, puff as the little train rumbles over the tracks.


Happy Birthday, little bear.  Or is it little poo?

Here Comes Trouble

Seven months and mobile.  Things were slightly under control before now.  Now I am officially chasing during all waking hours.  Ack!

Just Another Day

The details are different each day, but the chaos is all similar ...
I started the day at 4:30AM, feeding a hungry nugget who had been sleeping like a champ, with a snotty nose cold, since 7:00PM the previous night.  After feeding, sucking out snot, feeding some more, and getting #3 back into bed it was 5:00 ish and there was plenty of time for another snooze before I had to get up and get everyone up for school.  Bonus!  I was fast back asleep and faintly remember #2 crawling into bed with me (Mr. Right was out of town for work). I was starting to slowly wake up, but my eyes were still closed and the thoughts went something like this ... birds are making noise, I should probably get up - I wonder why I'm leaking so much, I just fed the baby - why am I so wet?  Just then as I started to open my eyes and figure out what was going on, there was a little cheerful voice next to me that said, "Mommy, we should move to my bed because I just peed in yours."  And so starts my Friday.

What #2 Thinks of Me ...

It is annual tradition in Nursery school to dictate conversations on important topics.  These are some of the best gifts we've received from our children.  They come home on holidays - for the most part.  You may guess the topic of the most recent - Mommy.


What is your mommy's name?  Maren


Does your mommy have any nicknames she calls you?  She calls me her little poo.  [I actually call him fuzzy, blondie or little bear, but I feel a new one coming on.]


How old is your mommy?  And how tall is she?  I think 40s.  She's not so tall.  [Little poo will work out just fine...]


What's your mommy's favorite food?  Salad.  She puts dressing.  She likes to make us ziti.  She likes ice cream.  Cherry Garcia!


What's her favorite song?  Does she like music?  No, not really.  [It is CLEARLY time for dance party in this house!]


What is her favorite story to read with you?  Mr. Magee and the Camping Spree and the little train book.  I don't really remember the name of it, but it is the little train book.  [The Little Engine That Could.]


Where do you like to go with your mommy?  Well, I went another house than my new house, but I didn't say there long.  It had two beds in one room.  I stayed for 3 nights.  It was in Virginia.  Virginia is really far away.  There are a lot of rocks.  I like to ride over the rocks 'cause I like bumpy stuff.  [I believe this is the house we rented on the Chesapeake Bay during Spring Break, which is totally to Mr. Right's credit.]


What do you like to do at home with your mommy?  Play.  We like to play and one more thing.  We like to play with toys and make train tracks.


What makes your mommy so smart?  She's not really smart, cause I'm even smarter than her.  Really.  [Fantastic ... it starts so young.]


Why is your mommy so beautiful?  She's not so beautiful.  I only like when she wears jeans.  I don't like when she wears dresses.  I don't like when anyone wears dresses.


What does your mommy do when you're at school?  I don't know cause I don't watch her.  Sometimes she does to exercise, but I don't know when she doesn't go to exercise.


Why do you love your mommy so much?  Because she likes to play with me.

Rubber-made: Test 1

This happened in January maybe?  I just found the draft ... wonder what else is in the draft archives ...


We started 2011 with #1 flying superman style off the top of the big slide at school.  He did something he's done 100 times, but this time lost his footing and missed.  And so our official relationship with the Orthopaedic - a very nice man with 3 grown children - begins.  Luckily, 6 year old boys are made of rubber, so there was no significant break and no cast.  Just a splint and a lot of doctors appointments, some Tylenol, a few tears and some extra love from everyone.  #2 even gave a little extra love, except for the moments that he was having a fit over the fact that he didn't get to wear a splint, too.  What kid doesn't want to wear a cast at some point in his life?

Emerging from the Fog

... or at least I'm going to try like hell.  Not writing things on this blog means that I'm not writing it down at all.  And I don't want to forget this time - even though it is hard ... very hard ...

Going back to Winter, this was what date night had become.  #3 now goes to bed around the same time as the boys, but back then she was still in the - evening nap then down for the night around 11PM - phase.  Over the winter there were many nights like this - yummy fire, something on TV and snuggles that made the fact that I was losing clumps of hair on a daily basis OK.  So far #3 likes sleeping.  She got a memo that the others missed ...you know, the one that says when you sleep your body rests and you wake up happy.  This kid wakes up happy.  Spends her day happy.  Is just plain happy.  Not that the boys weren't happy babies - because they were.  But as soon as their eyes opened in the morning there was screaming for food, someone to play with, something, anything!  The ladybug opens her eyes, looks around, takes a stretch, coos, rolls around her crib, works on her latest trick... THEN she might let out a little sound that to me is the equivalent of, "anyone out there started their day yet?  If so, will you come get me?"