Caleb was sitting on the toilet last night working on his...ahem...number two. He peered into the toilet at his waste and mentioned something about Piglet. Knowing he's a creative (see: weird) kid I asked him if he was telling me that his stool's shape reminded him of Piglet. He looked up at me and said, "That's not Piglet Mommy, it's Poo." Get it? Poo and Pooh, as in Winnie The. I laughed. Hard. Caleb seemed confused at my amusement so I venture to say the joke wasn't deliberate. It was funny nonetheless though. Here's hoping you laughed instead of puking. Sorry about the poop talk.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Reflection of Me
When you do something wrong as a parent and haven't caught onto it on your own, your little ones have a way of revealing to you what it is you're doing wrong. At least that's how it works in my house. For example, I have no idea I'm using not such nice words and then one day my two-year-old shouts, "dammit! Gideon" as he watches me struggle with his wriggling, leg-kicking, screaming mess of a brother during a diaper-change...oops. It's like a big mirror. But not a regular mirror, more of a fun-house type mirror that makes everything crazy and exaggerated and in turn makes you, the parent, feel horrible that you've let yourself slip up in front of delicate little ears. And worse, they've adopted said slip-up. There's a litany of other examples but I won't bore you with my less-than-perfect-mothering moments. I assure you, you don't have time for that.
Here's the wonderful thing though. In the same way, when you're doing something right as a parent and you might not be aware of those moments, the little mirror that is your child reveals that to you too. And just like the exaggerated fun-house reflection, these moments always feel extra-sweet and heartwarming.
For instance, Gideon has been working really hard on walking. He's up to a good fifteen steps in a row and whenever he falls, he gets right back up. That in itself is amazing to watch. But what adds to it is hearing Caleb saying, "good job Gideon, good job!" It's kind of indescribable actually to hear Caleb cheer his brother on (especially since oftentimes Caleb is less-than-kind to his brother).
Just this past weekend, after I had finished painting a wall in Caleb's room, he came up to check it out. After some consideration, he said to me, "That's great Mommy! You're a great color-er!". It was very sweet.
Just this past weekend, after I had finished painting a wall in Caleb's room, he came up to check it out. After some consideration, he said to me, "That's great Mommy! You're a great color-er!". It was very sweet.
He also asks me questions, waits for my answer and then responds with, "That's right Mommy, very good." So, while I make my share of Mommy Mistakes, I apparently have the positive affirmation thing down. Or maybe he's learning this in Sunday school where I'm sure he hears positive affirmations as well. But, because he's with me 98 percent of the time, I'm going to go ahead and take the credit (oh and Matt can take some credit too). That's fair right?
Monday, January 30, 2012
The Tables are Turning
I have a feeling that as Gideon gets older, he's not going to take any crap from Caleb.
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| A guard and his prisoner. |
Friday, January 27, 2012
I Heard the Weather is Nice
I just saw a post on Facebook about what a beautiful day it is. So I did what any person in the 21st century would do. I verified this said beauty via weather.com. Because really? Why would I actually walk the ten feet to my front door and step outside? Something is very wrong here. To remedy this, I suppose I'll get out of my PJ's and take the kids outside to enjoy what the internet told me. Yes, that means I still haven't taken a breath of fresh air even after deciding to publicly berate myself through this post. Oh internet, how you've made my life so much lazier. I'll have to write a complaint to Al Gore about that.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Measurements and Milestones
I already did Gideon's 1 year post so I won't totally bore you but I wanted to be sure to record his most recent stats since we saw the doctor last week.
-Length: 31 inches
-Weight: 23 pounds, 1 ounce
-Loves: anything that spins (think wheels on toy cars), peek-a-boo, being gently tossed
-Hates: when the vacuum turns off (weird, I know), diaper changes (still), taking medication (this made his recent double-ear infection even more miserable than it already was otherwise)
Gideon is a champion stair-climber and a champion babbler. He has started pointing to things of interest and has assigned sounds to certain items. His very own "words." He's becoming more interested in solid foods but he definitely still prefers nursing. He's also working on walking. See for yourself but please ignore my annoying-sounding excitement in the background. If you count the little shuffle steps at the end, I think he takes about 5 consecutive steps. Pretty cute.
And here are Gideon's obligatory Baby & Elephant photos starting with his first week and ending with his 12-month shot. May is probably my fave.
-Length: 31 inches
-Weight: 23 pounds, 1 ounce
-Loves: anything that spins (think wheels on toy cars), peek-a-boo, being gently tossed
-Hates: when the vacuum turns off (weird, I know), diaper changes (still), taking medication (this made his recent double-ear infection even more miserable than it already was otherwise)
Gideon is a champion stair-climber and a champion babbler. He has started pointing to things of interest and has assigned sounds to certain items. His very own "words." He's becoming more interested in solid foods but he definitely still prefers nursing. He's also working on walking. See for yourself but please ignore my annoying-sounding excitement in the background. If you count the little shuffle steps at the end, I think he takes about 5 consecutive steps. Pretty cute.
And here are Gideon's obligatory Baby & Elephant photos starting with his first week and ending with his 12-month shot. May is probably my fave.
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| January, 2011 |
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| February, 2011 |
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| March, 2011 |
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| April, 2011 |
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| May, 2011 |
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| June, 2011 |
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| July, 2011 |
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| August, 2011 |
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| September, 2011 |
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| October, 2011 |
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| November, 2011 |
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| December, 2011 |
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| January, 2012 |
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
What's the Quickest Way to Make this Mama Feel Inadequate?
Give the toddler play-doh. Technically it's not even "Play-doh," it's homemade sculpting clay. You'd think that in itself would make me feel adequate. I took the time to look up a recipe, read said recipe, mix the ingredients, cook, and then color the clay (staining my hands with food coloring in the process).
But here's the thing. Caleb is in that "Mommy can do anything" phase, which I guess I should be excited about. But his expectations are just too high! I handed him the dough and right away he started with the requests. "Mommy, make a hammer, make a screwdriver, make a crocodile, make a robot." I feel like I'm in an art class nightmare. I can't make those things. I admit that in the past I've attempted some of those things and Caleb is very gracious and pretty much accepts the blob for whatever I tell him it supposedly represents, but still. I know better now. I tried to steer him in a different direction. I made a snake, I made a ball. But nope, he couldn't be swayed.
It starts out with making a snowman, simple enough. I can do that. But then he wants the hat. Next up? He wants a train track, okay...that's doable. Then suddenly he wants me to sculpt Thomas the Train, funnel and all. Come on! The degree of difficulty only increases. I explained to him that I just cannot make these things. He wasn't okay with that. Finally, I just folded under the pressure. It was time to make dinner anyway. So I slyly suggested it might be time for a TV show and I had him quickly clean up the dough. It's now safely back in the cabinet...where it might stay until Caleb realizes I'm not Superwoman or not an artistic one anyway.
But here's the thing. Caleb is in that "Mommy can do anything" phase, which I guess I should be excited about. But his expectations are just too high! I handed him the dough and right away he started with the requests. "Mommy, make a hammer, make a screwdriver, make a crocodile, make a robot." I feel like I'm in an art class nightmare. I can't make those things. I admit that in the past I've attempted some of those things and Caleb is very gracious and pretty much accepts the blob for whatever I tell him it supposedly represents, but still. I know better now. I tried to steer him in a different direction. I made a snake, I made a ball. But nope, he couldn't be swayed.
It starts out with making a snowman, simple enough. I can do that. But then he wants the hat. Next up? He wants a train track, okay...that's doable. Then suddenly he wants me to sculpt Thomas the Train, funnel and all. Come on! The degree of difficulty only increases. I explained to him that I just cannot make these things. He wasn't okay with that. Finally, I just folded under the pressure. It was time to make dinner anyway. So I slyly suggested it might be time for a TV show and I had him quickly clean up the dough. It's now safely back in the cabinet...where it might stay until Caleb realizes I'm not Superwoman or not an artistic one anyway.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Nice Running Into You
...literally. After posting about Christmas, my husband kindly reminded me that I had forgotten to include a significant event from our Christmas travels. I was in a really good mood while writing that post and I think I kind of forgot about this little nugget of badness. So, in an attempt to accurately remember Christmas, 2011, here goes.
It was a day like any other except that we were in NJ visiting my parents, Matt had off work, we were able to leave the kids with my parents long enough to do some shopping and go out to eat. Okay, so maybe it was a day unlike any other. Anyway, we had just finished our romantic lunch at my hometown's new Sonic because we're fancy like that. I pulled out of the parking lot sipping on my grape slushie (first time having a Sonic slushie and it was awesome!). We approached a red light. Matt and I were having a rather sweet conversation about how cute Gideon is. I put my foot on the brake, looked at Matt, took a sip of my grapey goodness, saw that the person in front of me had inched forward, took my foot off the brake, looked down to put my drink back in the console, and then it happened...
I hear Matt say, "Heather, NO!" I look up to see the vehicle in front of me at a full stop. I slam on my brake or what I thought was the brake but what happened to have been the accelerator (possibly the dumbest thing I have ever done), then quickly slam on my brake again. We lurch forward, directly into the back of the vehicle in front of us. Um...oops?
My front end is crumpled. Matt is not happy, but he maintains his composure surprisingly well. I am not happy either but my composure is shot. I sit there just staring while Matt gets out to speak with the other driver. I hear her mention that this is the first accident she has ever been in and then I start crying. She looks through the window at me, I roll down the window. She says to me, "Am I mad? Am I yelling? Am I being rude? The important thing is no one is hurt. This kind of thing happens." Turns out the woman works in collision and "deals with this sort of thing everyday." I am still crying and I apologize to her a few times, telling her I have "no idea how I did that."
I buck up and stop crying then call my parents to let them know we'll be longer than anticipated. As soon as I get on the phone with my mom, I start blubbering again. The other driver sees me and lets Matt know that he might want to get in the car and talk with me because, "She's on the phone and she's crying again. She looks very upset."
Once I'm done crying again, I get out of the car and speak with the other driver. She recommends a repair shop nearby and talks to us about what will happen at this point. She remains calm and understanding and nice. It was weird in a good way.
While we wait for the tow truck, I list for Matt all of the positive things present in this event:
1. The kids weren't in the car. Not that they would've been hurt since the incident occurred at no more than 8 mph, but they would have been freaked out I'm sure and it would've made me even more upset.
2. The other vehicle was a large pickup truck with a steel-reinforced back end. So, she drove away with very minor damage.
3. I rear-ended the nicest woman on planet earth who was actually concerned about my emotional state.
4. We were in my hometown where my parents were only a couple of miles up the road and they were available to help us with the whole ordeal.
5. Matt was with me when this happened. Apparently, I freeze under this type of pressure. So, I'm really glad Matt was there to handle calling the insurance company, talking to the cop, etc.
Long story, somewhat shortened: The cop comes does his cop thing, my dad shows up so we can transfer stuff from my car to his car, the tow truck comes and takes away my car, we go back to my parents' house, Matt and Dad drive to Enterprise to pick up a rental car. We have since returned the rental and are trying out the one-car-family deal while we wait for my car to be repaired. It wouldn't be half-bad if the one car we have remaining wasn't a stick shift that I'm not confident enough to drive solo.
Oh and it turns out my reckless driving is beneficial for my son's verbal development. Caleb has added another few sentences to his word bank:
"Mommy crashed the car."
"Car gotta get fixed."
"They will fix it with a screwdriver."
I never got her name but it was nice running into you ma'am. You made an unpleasant experience pleasant-ish...if that's possible.
It was a day like any other except that we were in NJ visiting my parents, Matt had off work, we were able to leave the kids with my parents long enough to do some shopping and go out to eat. Okay, so maybe it was a day unlike any other. Anyway, we had just finished our romantic lunch at my hometown's new Sonic because we're fancy like that. I pulled out of the parking lot sipping on my grape slushie (first time having a Sonic slushie and it was awesome!). We approached a red light. Matt and I were having a rather sweet conversation about how cute Gideon is. I put my foot on the brake, looked at Matt, took a sip of my grapey goodness, saw that the person in front of me had inched forward, took my foot off the brake, looked down to put my drink back in the console, and then it happened...
I hear Matt say, "Heather, NO!" I look up to see the vehicle in front of me at a full stop. I slam on my brake or what I thought was the brake but what happened to have been the accelerator (possibly the dumbest thing I have ever done), then quickly slam on my brake again. We lurch forward, directly into the back of the vehicle in front of us. Um...oops?
My front end is crumpled. Matt is not happy, but he maintains his composure surprisingly well. I am not happy either but my composure is shot. I sit there just staring while Matt gets out to speak with the other driver. I hear her mention that this is the first accident she has ever been in and then I start crying. She looks through the window at me, I roll down the window. She says to me, "Am I mad? Am I yelling? Am I being rude? The important thing is no one is hurt. This kind of thing happens." Turns out the woman works in collision and "deals with this sort of thing everyday." I am still crying and I apologize to her a few times, telling her I have "no idea how I did that."
I buck up and stop crying then call my parents to let them know we'll be longer than anticipated. As soon as I get on the phone with my mom, I start blubbering again. The other driver sees me and lets Matt know that he might want to get in the car and talk with me because, "She's on the phone and she's crying again. She looks very upset."
Once I'm done crying again, I get out of the car and speak with the other driver. She recommends a repair shop nearby and talks to us about what will happen at this point. She remains calm and understanding and nice. It was weird in a good way.
While we wait for the tow truck, I list for Matt all of the positive things present in this event:
1. The kids weren't in the car. Not that they would've been hurt since the incident occurred at no more than 8 mph, but they would have been freaked out I'm sure and it would've made me even more upset.
2. The other vehicle was a large pickup truck with a steel-reinforced back end. So, she drove away with very minor damage.
3. I rear-ended the nicest woman on planet earth who was actually concerned about my emotional state.
4. We were in my hometown where my parents were only a couple of miles up the road and they were available to help us with the whole ordeal.
5. Matt was with me when this happened. Apparently, I freeze under this type of pressure. So, I'm really glad Matt was there to handle calling the insurance company, talking to the cop, etc.
Long story, somewhat shortened: The cop comes does his cop thing, my dad shows up so we can transfer stuff from my car to his car, the tow truck comes and takes away my car, we go back to my parents' house, Matt and Dad drive to Enterprise to pick up a rental car. We have since returned the rental and are trying out the one-car-family deal while we wait for my car to be repaired. It wouldn't be half-bad if the one car we have remaining wasn't a stick shift that I'm not confident enough to drive solo.
Oh and it turns out my reckless driving is beneficial for my son's verbal development. Caleb has added another few sentences to his word bank:
"Mommy crashed the car."
"Car gotta get fixed."
"They will fix it with a screwdriver."
I never got her name but it was nice running into you ma'am. You made an unpleasant experience pleasant-ish...if that's possible.
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