01.10.2007 | 9:23 pm | Everyday Life
For one of the last times in J’s babyhood I got to rock him to sleep tonight and then gently tuck him in bed. Our routine has been to change him into his jammies, read books, lights out and then I rock him while singing for about 15-20 minutes and then put him in bed. Not long after, J gets out of bed and B and I take turns putting him back in bed. Hopefully he will soon realize that we are not going to let him play with his toys after bedtime. Bedtime is for sleeping, not getting up and roaming around.
Tonight I changed the way I hold him (usually he likes to lean his back against my chest while facing forward) while I sing. This time, I nestled him in the crook of my arm and held his side against my chest. He resisted for a little, telling me I was holding him “too tight”, but then started to drink his warm milk and snuggle his stuffed cat (named “Cat”). Soon he started to request fewer specific songs and yawn and rub his eyes. I heard his deep breathing and sung a few more songs. Then I put him in bed with his stuffed Nemo that is almost as big as he is, covered him up and kissed him goodnight.
I will miss these times as he grows… C, who will be 5 this year, still likes me to lay in his bed or rock him and sing, but I won’t have a baby to rock to sleep much longer. However, on the up side, J is potty training and I won’t have to change icky diapers much longer. Each stage of their lives is special. As we are moving away from baby things and into the exciting little boy world, I am really enjoying playing with Legos, wooden trains, and RC cars.
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01.7.2007 | 11:10 pm | Everyday Life
This evening while B took C to choir practice at church, J and I had dinner and then went to Sonic and shared a hot fudge sundae. (Note - chocolate close to bedtime is not a good thing…) It is almost 11 pm and J is still not asleep.
After coming back home, we played with Legos in the living room. It is such a joy to make a toy car, maybe 5 inches long by 2.5 inches high and get a hug for it. J told me I did “good job, Mommy!” After he disassembled it - within 1 minute of it being in his hands, he put it together creatively and told me I could have it, that he did “hard work” and that I needed to “be careful because it is very breakable.” There is such sweetness in these one-on-one times.
After choir, B took C to Back Yard Burgers to play in their indoor playground. B said that C was “tearfully good.” Maybe we have passed the terrible four stage. My mom said that age four for me was my worst… until age 14. He is getting very obedient and polite. Unfortunately, C is saying “yes, sir” to me. Still trying to get him to understand that Daddy is sir and Mommy is ma’am. Regardless, the hard work of parenting is starting to pay off.
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01.6.2007 | 6:03 pm | Miscellaneous
I like Armadillos. They are fun. I had a pet armadillo once. His name was Harvey Loquatous Monkey Ribboard. We called him Mary for short.
He had a shiny coat. Seriously, sequins and everything. It looked stupid on his armor, but I digress.
Mary, well he liked the tequilla to much. One day we found him in the middle of the street - not dead like you would would think, but he was passed out with a bottle of Cuervo empty beside him. Mary liked to share the bottle with the persian cat next door. We called the cat… cat.
Drunken armadillos named Mary are the life of the party, expecially with Persian cats by their side. And I tell you, that armadillo could mambo like no other armadillo could.
One day however, one sad sad day - Mary fell off the wagon - again. Not drunk like you would think, but sober as can be. He just slipped right off the wagon and hit his head on the empty Cuervo bottle lying next to it. That armadillo was never the same again. For the rest of his days he kept walking around town in a dimwitted daze. Every once in a while, when he passed the liquor store, he would gaze inside and a spark of his former self would appear. Mary would do a little jig, spin in a circle, and yell ‘Fuego!’ at the top of his little armadillo lungs…
I guess there is just something about Mary…
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01.5.2007 | 9:27 pm | Everyday Life
This evening while I put J in his jammies and read him books, B and C put together a lego ambulance that B received for Christmas. After getting J ready for bed, he came into the living room and promptly saw the ambulance.
For the remaining time before they went to bed (about 15 minutes), J kept talking about C’s “ambience”. Got to love the tender speak of a toddler.
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01.4.2007 | 10:30 pm | Everyday Life
Being a stay at home mom most of the time makes me sometimes envious of B’s adventures in “the real world.” He is busy at work talking to adults, working on projects that affect lots of other people, getting stuff done. I on the other hand, watch as toys are gotten out and played with, help put them away and repeat, repeat, repeat. I also read books that have less than 3 syllable words in them and get to change stinky diapers. Granted my job does have perks - nap time for the kids (and me, if I choose), watching my children say their prayers knowing that they are learning about Jesus, and getting to stay in my pajamas all day.
Sometimes I work outside of the home for a few hours a week to keep my sanity and career skills up to par for the eventual day that I will return to the workplace after the kids start grammar school. Tonight was one such occasion that I went to work after B got home.
On my way to work I remembered that I had forgotten to burn for C a CD of some music that he liked. B answered my cell phone call and said that he would tend to it. A little while later I called back for B to “walk me into the building” - basically to make sure that I get in safely (I call security to walk me to the car after dark) - and noted that his voice was strained. I asked what was the matter and if I needed to return home. He said “just get inside and I’ll tell you then.” As it turns out, while B was otherwise occupied, the boys decided to go to their bathroom, close and lock the door, and play. Their play consisted of stopping up the sink and letting the water run. In the sink was a Backyardigans pirate ship they got for Christmas - designed for bathtub play. When B found C and J, there was water overflowing the sink and running down the cabinet. Water was on the walls, the ceiling, the commode, and obviously the floor. The boys and their clothes were also drenched.
As an aside… if anyone knows the person that decided that putting carpet in a bathroom (with tile only at the commode/bathtub) was a good idea, please email me. I would love to meet them and introduce them to the reasons (C and J) that this is a bad idea. Can’t wait to replace the carpet with tile… Maybe this will move up on B’s “honey do” list.
I tried really hard to not laugh as B was detailing the disaster. With his colorful language, you would think that there was a category 5 hurricane named CJ. I got home to see numerous towels, the boys clothes, toys and even the bathroom plastic garbage can all in their bathtub. For me, I enjoyed B getting a sample of the boys’ adventures. Often the parent not staying at home doesn’t see, or even hear, about these things. Hence the blog.
After the destruction, hurricane CJ dissipated into two angelic boys asleep in their beds for me to kiss goodnight when I arrived home.
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01.2.2007 | 8:25 pm | Everyday Life
a conversation:
C: Will you help me tie my superman costume on?
Daddy: Sure, come over here to the couch.
(Mommy is busy paying bills and addressing envelopes)
Mommy: Ouch!
Daddy: What happened:
Mommy: I just got a paper cut on my tongue licking an envelope.
C: (giving Mommy a hug) It’s alright. I said so. I’m Superman.
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