Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Case of the Missing Shoes

Or… He really is my mini-me…

I am anal. I am so type A anal, I easily embrace the concept that being anal retentive is a good thing. I firmly believe in putting things in their places, and if I don’t have a specific place (i.e. junk mail before it has been sorted) I easily stack it for Mr. M to review (obviously, I take what I want to look at first) before pitching into the trash. And to help facilitate this pitch, my pile is generally closer to the trash can than not.

Mr. M… Not so much.

Case in point… Last night, J & Mr. M went for a walk with Fluffy. Mr. M was teaching J how to walk a dog on a leash. Payton was so jealous, that Mr. M promptly took P for a walk afterwards. And I got to enjoy a few moments in which to scarf down my dinner, from their leftovers… See, I missed dinner because I was running around in preparation for my boss’s birthday today.

As a side note: I think my new love is Edible Arrangements.

When Mr. M & J were walking P, our new neighbors asked Mr. M about our dog run, more specifically – who did it? Mr. M is well organized for important things, so he came home to look it up. Knowing he’d be going right back out, he set J’s shoes (his brand new sneaks mind you) right on the table by the front door. 10 minutes later, they were no where to be found. So Mr. M grabbed another pair of J’s shoes & they set off, while I was left behind to start the bath & look for the shoes.

I looked high. I looked low. Behind the TV, underneath its stand. Under the couch, between the cushions. In the hall closet, in our bedroom closet, even in J’s closet. Nope. No where to be found. After much searching, even looked out doors to see if J threw them out the front door when we were not looking.

Later, Mr. M goes to grab a pair of his freshly polished shoes sitting on the laundry room bathroom floor, and to his utter surprise – lined up perfectly with all of Daddy’s shoes, was a very small pair of J’s shoes.

Yep, my son knew his shoes did not belong on the table, so he added them to Daddy’s collection. Maybe next time I go to move them to his closet, I should have him help – so he can learn how to really be anal like me? Or maybe not…


As for me, I'm exhausted today, because the search delayed his already delayed bedtime... Leaving us with the window of sleep soundly shut... In fact, it took my sleeping in there to get him to sleep...  And considering how this week is going to go, with all my Baptism stuff, I am already looking forward to next week & restarting his bedtime routine. 

This week, I'm just calling mercy... Which is really sad, since the real fun only starts tonight... And it goes every night through Saturday.

Monday, March 29, 2010

A Good Night...

J was so happy to see me today. Happier than normal, in that he handed his coat to me & held out his arm to put it on (as opposed to our normal fight), grabbed his backpack, and ran for the door saying “Go Mommy”.


I realized, after I got to the car, I didn’t even get the important pieces of daily info… Like, what did he eat, did he poop, etc… I did get that the kiddos were slow to reacclimatize themselves to daycare, so she skipped preschool. Yes, this means they have double class tomorrow. EEK! So it will be interesting to see if J has any worksheets in his folder… J isn’t actually enrolled in preschool yet, so I don’t worry when he misses a day (or week), but I know it is easier on her focusing the other kids if J stays focused too. And Mr. M & I have really seen a huge growth in J’s vocabulary, saying his ABCs and learning how to count as a result of her including him in these classes. It is so neat to me to see how far he’s come since January, when I work with him on the weekends.

So anyway, after we got ready for bed, we went to get a glass of water, as J hugs his sippy like a man left in the desert with no more water supply I hugged my bear as a child. Then we call Daddy. J usually runs around like a crazy man before & after these calls, so last night I took advantage of the fun times to snap some pictures…

A last visit to the toy box is always a must. Then there are the multiple kisses & hugs shared with Payton. Which leave me certain, Payton is wondering when J will learn the concept of gentle… And mommy even snuck in one picture with him… I was impressed at how well centered we were, considering it was at arms length…

And then it was off to bed, for a sweet boy to dream of sugar plums and lollipops.

Back to School...

Last night J & I colored his Easter Egg in preparation for him to return to school today.  Mr. M is already expecting a few tears.  And J was up with Mommy this morning...

Have I mentioned how much I hate having to do the mommy sneak first thing in the morning?

But after a week of fun with Grandma M, instead of his daycare buddies, it is time to get back into the swing of things...

The good news is, he hasn't forgotten everything Miss Angie has been working with him on in preschool... We spent about an hour & half yesterday counting, doing our ABCs, matching animals to puzzles & practicing their sounds.

And when asked if J was ready to go play with all his friends, he said "YES!"  So hopefully that will hold true for Mr. M today.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Basement Fun...

I wanted to share this video of J in the basement from Tuesday after dinner...

I love how opinionated he is becoming... I prefer it when it is not the word 'no'.


And yesterday we found Payton loves the basement fun too...
Payton's new found fun, however, did overwhelm J a bit... He wasn't really ready for a puppy twice his weight to come bounding after him repeatedly to fetch steal his ball. 

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

New Indoor Playground

Right in his very own house... 

Isn't it great?

Yes, that carpet is the reason every muscle in my body ached on Monday.

And it gave him & Grandma M (who is filling in this week, while Daycare is on vaca) loads of good fun.... And Mommy & Daddy are looking forward to enjoying it with Jacob during these cold spring days, and rainy summer ones...

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

And he moved on up...

J is growing up so quickly... His latest demonstration of this has been with his high chair.  He figured how to get the straps off and then proceed to wiggle and waggle...
I had fear he'd one day wiggle & waggle his way out of that chair.  So, I gave in... I moved him to the next step.  A belted booster.

He's very joyful.  Sat at table just like mommy daddy his parental units... Actually he out did us... We only generally have 1 phone.  He had 2. 

Granted only one works, and that would be his play one, but just try to take away the broken one.... Actually, don't. 

Honestly, I'd be embarassed by this, except... I often call Mr. M, or the grandparents while J was trapped in his high chair.  I did this because it was a safe time to turn over my phone without having to worry about him racing around throwing it, dropping it, or worse... And it gave him something to do while I finished up dinner.

I got married today...

Granted, it was to my husband of almost 7 years, and it was for the Catholic Church as the last hoop we needed to jump through for my Baptism, but we did it...

And those who know me well know I had HUGE issues with this.

But, we did dress up.  Even the Wee One. 
Thankfully, I have a pretty awesome boss who took it upon herself to show me the upside.

She got me a bouquet of flowers.

And a card.  Had the fellow females in the office sign it.

And inside she reminded Mr. M & I to let ourselves get caught up in the moment. 
And that I was pretty lucky to be married to someone who that I would marry all over again, AND He would marry me just because I asked.
Especially with this little guy as our flower carrier...

And I do have to admit, the sprinkling of Holy Water on our rings excited me for what is to come for me during the Holy Vigil.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Friday… And the toe injury…

We had such a great start to the morning… Really. It was sunshiny, warm. A perfect Spring morning.

J asked for eggs, and he ate them. With fruit, no less.

The carpet for the basement was delivered, not only on time, but almost at the start of the window.

J hung out on the back of the couch watching me clean up dishes. And while I don’t love this, I preferred this to him playing in the dishwasher making me twitchy.

Then came the shower… Still day going smoothly. For the third consistent time, J got out of the shower played a few minutes then saying “Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!” all while lifting the lid on the toilet. Sure enough, the big boy pottied on the potty. (Haven’t managed #2 since his early success, but #1 seems to be going well – if he is diaper less)

After which, we got his diaper on, and washed our hands. (He’s big on washing his hands) And he went back to playing while I finished getting ready. Considering he is trapped in the master bath, there really isn’t a whole lot to play with. So he settled on the magazine rack. It’s metal & heavy, but he was happy so I didn’t sweat it.

<enter bad mommy moment>

“Ouwie!”

No blood… “J you have to be careful. Do you want mommy to kiss it all better?”

“No” sniffle

Back to drying my hair. When I was done, I realized J was really crying. Not his fake cry, but a real pain cry. And there was blood gushing out of his foot.

So I immediately put peroxide on it. (Note to self: Dr told me not to do this, just use soap & water) And band-aided it. Got dressed quickly, then checked his toe. Added another band-aide. Took him into the kitchen to call Mr. M for advice on whether or not I should call the Dr. (Another note to self: When in doubt, just call the Dr).

The Dr did want to see him. Luckily or not, depending on how you look at it… He didn’t need stitches, as he’d removed all skin so there was nothing left to stitch. (Is this good news?) The Dr seemed to think this was a good thing. It has to stay covered for 5 days, and taped to his 2nd toe for support. Oh, and the best news… He may lose his toe nail going into summer… Ummm yeah, Mr. M will love that.

And he had a sinus infection.  Saved Mr. M a trip on Tuesday.

Needless to say, after all this excitement, and seeing it was past 1 pm and all… We went to lunch at Chili’s, where J was an angel. So I rewarded him with Cold Stone. Even went all out daring to let him have his cotton candy with sprinkles in his car seat as I drove. Yes, I am a guilt ridden great Mom like that.  And I love wet wipes & Oxy Clean.

Then we went to the park, where he proved all was good in his world…

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Payton & our weekend...

We had a crazy, weekend... And Friday, really started out so well...

Exhibit A - J hanging out while I did dishes from breakfast

By noon, however, we were at the Dr's office - story to come - to see about J's cut.

Then we spent time enjoying the weather before the snow (which didn't show) on Saturday...

Saturday, was thankfully low key - well, as low key as you can be with a 2 year old in the house.

Then today, Mr. M helped me move the carpet for the basement down there.  Then I laid it.  It was actually really easy.  It's not perfect - more about that story to come this week... 

After which, we moved 90% of his toys downstairs.  Leaving our upstairs back to the spacious pre-kid environment we loved.  Okay, not really, we still have our two year old, and we have to make it livable for him too.  But at least I now know where my floor is again!

All this said, we Mr. M, Payton, Fluffy & me are all feeling a little bewildered.

Exhibit B - Payton, ears down & all...  

J... Well, he thinks he struck gold.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

J & P

Mr. M's Aunt recently sent me this picture from Jacob's birthday party.

Isn't it just wonderful?  I can never catch Payton so totally relaxed like that around Jacob.  She is generally to on the move, either to avoid him - or - make sure she is closest in case of a snack hitting the floor.  And his face is just pure joy...

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Happy St. Patrick's Day

My Irish Prince....

Okay, so he's really only a small part Irish, but he still looks like Royalty with his crown, huh?

Hoping you all have a happy & safe St. Patty's Day!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Playdate with our friend Miss Dottie...

After my morning working on Friday, J & I visited his friend Miss. Dottie – who was fresh from getting her haircut.

Isn’t she just too adorable?

And mommy got some fun bonding time with her mom, while the kids had fun playing together…
Although, we did laugh when Dottie stole J’s shoe.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Another Black Eye...

Not sure if you caught J’s black eye in the picture of him napping, but yes, he once again is sporting a black eye…


Anyway, I think Daddy has discovered, J takes his grace (or lack there of) after me… He ran full speed into a wall at daycare.
Then the next morning, he ran full speed into the edge of the counter. If it hadn’t been for Grandma M’s cushions, I do believe we would be sporting 2 black eyes, with a broken nose in between. Luckily he, like me, rolls with it & acts like it never happened as he gets up & goes again right away…

However, he was totally adorable because when I did catch him, he goes “Kiss” giving me his nose. Then upon receiving his kiss goes “All Better!”

I love him!

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Weekend Recap

We had a great weekend...  After work on Friday, we did a late afternoon playdate that led to dinner with friends.  Then Saturday, we just hung out at home.  Allowed us a day to just relax. 

And reinforced our need for ordering the carpet for the basement... Delivery set for this Friday.  YAY!!!

Precious boy napping
Followed by a great afternoon of fun & 2 yr old mischief...

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Pics to Match the Video

I have to work tomorrow, so sadly there will be no fun post... Luckily, it won't be all day...  And it ensures I won't have to work Sunday - so that's the bonus.

But I wanted to share these pictures from last Saturday, and say a prayer of hope that this Saturday turns out nice as well... You know, to make up for working tomorrow...

Driving his car for the last time, as he is a bit to tall for it...
Here he was with the boys...

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Spring Video's

I still have to get the pictures downloaded, but I thought you would enjoy these in the meantime... (these are from Saturday)

Shooting hoops at the neighbors

Dancing with the neighbor & his friend... Plus, J kicking the ball at the end...

The boys were working very hard with J to teach him how to kick the ball, so it was kind of exciting for Mommy to catch that on video.

What was even cooler to me... When we got home yesterday, the neighbor & his friend came out to say "Hi" to J. J was sooo excited until we got out of the car, then he got all shy, hiding in my legs. Then as soon as I was like... "Okay, time to get dinner" and we headed into the garage... J was all like "Bye Friends! Bye!" Back to his confident little self...

Of course, there was no one around to see it then... :)

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Driving Thomas

While we were at Navy Pier last week, J was able to not only see another of his favorite Sprout characters, but drive him….

And did he ever have a good time… Such a good time in fact, that the next day when we went to Tyler’s Tender – we had to ride that train too. Luckily the fare is cheap!

After such an exciting Thursday, J did not waste anytime getting down to napping on our way home though!

So sweet & innocent here… You’d never believe he poured a glass of water over my head while I was trying to figure out how to fix our garbage disposal now would you?

Monday, March 8, 2010

Fake Pop & Giggles...

Okay, so I admit, Mr. M giving J his first taste of pop at 20 months was probably not the best idea. 

Nor was my use of letting him have pop on our flights to & from Marco in December.  In my defense, the whole plane was begging me to do something, anything to shut my child up calm the tears.

But, we did.  So now we are engaging in the battle of wills on drinking pop.  Or we were, until Mommy decided to be mean & sneaky all at once...

When J asks for "pop", he now gets it.  As much as he wants.  Only, he's not as thrilled with it... Granted, his pop today is Sparkling Water - orange flavor.  And sometimes with a shot of OJ for color. 

Since I moved over to drinking Diet Sierra Mist, he thinks... We are drinking the same thing... Sneaky... Sneaky...

I much prefer these smiles, to the meltdowns... Oh well... He'll figure it out shortly, I'm sure, but until then I will enjoy the peace & joy...

Another thing I do is employ distraction... J had seen me open my can, so he was asking for my glass... Really must learn to open the refrigerator door to hide my can, and reinforce the idea of it being the same thing...

So I took off his shoes, and did the ultimate distraction for a 2yr old BOY... I sniffed his feet...

And had us both roaring with laughter... Well, his is contagious you know...

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Picture with Barney

J & I've had a great weekend enjoying the Spring weather....And today, we've got a bit of a cough...  Always a joyful surprise going into any week, but especially stressful this week - as it is month end reporting & crunch week for preparing a major presentation at work.  Needless to say, I will be saying a few prayers for this to not materialize into anything other than a minor cold.

Anyway... Onto the very awesome picture with the big guy...

Friday, March 5, 2010

Seeing Barney

J & I had a great day today (Thursday)... I took the day off & spent it with Jacob at Navy Pier watching his FAVORITE character.

We met up with some of the moms from our local mom’s group. And I snagged a great location for me & another mom who chose to stroller it, as opposed to trying to keep our children from running up on stage to join Barney.

I even tried to take video…

But he got distracted with missing mommy… I had been right behind him...

After taking the video, I did brave it with J for a moment or 2… And he ran for the stage.

Needless to say, that ended quickly with the newest “must have”, a sucker. (seriously, offer J a sucker & he will sit anywhere, anytime)

So when Barney departed, J was still to happy with his sucker to really be upset. Colton on the other hand, he was rather sad… And waaay too cute… I'm so in love with his huge crocodile tears....

Sprout has pictures of the kiddos getting to meet Barney, but they are not posted yet… Hopefully, I will be able to add that to the mix before this week.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Chatting with the Grandparentals

What more do I really need to say....  He's an expert at 2.

Well, besides the fact, I am so very thankful for cell phones and the change in cost structure for calling people outside your very small area... As, when I was his age, the long-distance rates were so expensive, we did most of our talking in the summer months when Grandma & Grandpa B were home.  I recall 8th grade, when we moved to another area only 30 mins away, I had a 30 min per week limit because that equated to an extra $12 per month on the phone bill.  And back then, $12 was enough to almost feed a family of 4 at McDonald's for dinner, unlike today where that will not even feed a family of 3.  Unless you minimize your order.

Today, I do not hesitate to call either sets of Grandparents, both of which would be considered long-distance, to let them talk to J... Something we all enjoy very much...

Oh, and for the future J reading this... Another tidbit... Back when I was a kid, the only phones that existed were in homes.  Stationary.  As in you had to stand in the middle of the kitchen to have your conversation.  There was no convenience, no privacy.  And there was no such thing as cable TV.  Only basic computers with no internet.  Crazy, huh?  Please remember that the next time you think I am making your life soooo difficult because I monitor these activities.  It could be worse, I could make you live without them...

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Update: Sleeping in the Big Boy Bed

Back in December, when I converted J's crib to a toddler bed, I was hopeful it would go well.

Then we went on vacation, and coming back to sleeping on his own, in his big boy bed, well, we hit a few snags.

Mommy regrouped, got a new plan, and thankfully those pesky upper molars poked through.

Since then, we've been working on passive sleep training.  In other words, when J gets up during the night, I only get up if he really starts fussing.  It is just easier for me to stumble to his room half asleep, get him back into bed and asleep, then jet back to my own bed.  This process only takes about 15 to 20 mins.  And if I get really lucky, Payton won't even insist on a potty trip upon my return to bed.  Then to listen to him cry, really waking Payton up.  Okay, the whole house up.  Maybe the whole neighborhood, would be more accurate.

But, if he does one of these:  whisper "Mommy", a little bit louder, a little bit louder, then I hear a bit of a thump through the monitor.  Yes, I still use my monitor, faithfully.  So?  A bang against the door.  Obnoxiously loud thumb sucking.  10 mins later.  Silence.

And what do I find when I go check on him?  Obviously, I couldn't not check on him... Just because I want him to learn to put himself to sleep on his own, doesn't mean I don't have that strong desire to rush to his side the minute he wakes up. 

A little boy who put himself back to sleep.  Granted, not in bed, but as I told Mr. M who was bummed to see his son sleeping on carpet...

Once he gets himself trained to put himself back to sleep at the door, I'm certain putting himself back to sleep in his bed is just a short time away.  Because, really, who would prefer to sleep on the floor instead of their bed?

As a side note, his sleep position - that's his Daddy... Amazing how things like that are passed down through the genes. 

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Truthful Tuesdays - Telling Mr. M about Jacob

Since I'm doing this blog for J, I don't usually participate in blog carnivals, but this one struck a cord that Jacob (or more likely his future wife) might find as sentimental enough to enjoy as a memory... Truly our first memory of his existence.  And yet, he was no bigger than a pea at the time....

Confessions from a Working Mom

How Did You Tell DH You Were Pregnant?

I did not trust the stick to be true, so I called my OB and asked about a blood test. They would do that a few days before my first appointment, at about 7 ½ week. But considering I had two lines and a missed flux, I could safely believe I was indeed pregnant.

Okay, so I am pregnant. I am making plans. I am praying many prayers.

Mr. M did not get home until after I fell asleep on Monday, then he was out of town on Tuesday. I used this time to plan how to tell him. The following Sunday was Father’s Day. But I didn't want to wait until then for this moment to be celebrated. Our moment to enjoy and know our child could never say he wasn’t wanted or unloved, because he was loved and wanted for months before he entered my womb.

As I’ve mentioned before, Mr. M is a HUGE White Sox fan. I was able to pick up a “my first baseball” rattle and a 6 month White Sox sleeper outfit. I found a “Father-to-be” Father’s day card to put it all together.

He arrived home early on Wednesday. I was so excited, only traffic was a disaster, and he wanted time to decompress. I left him alone for about an hour. Then I went into the living room to see him. I mentioned I had a gift, and he was like, “honey I’m tired, just hang with me.”

I couldn’t believe it. I had the best present EVER and he was not interested!!!!!

So I mention, "you don’t even want your present?" This time there is a spark of interest and he agrees. So I run off to our bedroom, grab the gift bag and come back and presented it to him, telling him it was really for Sunday, but I couldn’t wait. Being a man, he was like “what’s Sunday?” as he was opening the card. He read it and quietly said “what the hell?” When he looked at me, his face was so blank. And yet, I could see the sheer joy in his eyes the answer to his question would bring.

He asked “Are you pregnant?”

At which point, I flew off the loveseat and said “Yep, we are going to be parents” We celebrated this moment. This moment that made the months of disappointment wash away with those tears of joy.

We were blessed and J was proudly wearing his outfit for his 3 month pictures.

Monday, March 1, 2010

Snapshots not captured on film

Having just done his pictures, I thought it would be nice to record some of the very special moments, I cannot capture as a snapshot - as doing so would ruin the moment.
  • J sitting on the couch & me laying there reading beside him, as he drinks his morning milk & watches Barney.  Randomly stopping to steal a kiss
  • Unrequested "Love you"
  • The moment I find the right fix to stop the tears of the terrible 2s
  • The level of concentration on his face when he is trying to figure something out
  • The shear happiness when he reaches his goal
  • The first time I see or hear J do something new
    • request to color
    • request mommy to dance
    • picking out his own 'nack' & bringing it to me to open
    • "Whadt are you doooooing Mooommy?"
I'm sure this list will grow, as it seems to every day...