Oh, how fast they are growing...

My how my children are a changin'.

As you can see from my recent attempt at a group shot, Lily is starting to smile on command just as Michael has begun to refuse. Maybe in another 18 months they'll all look into the camera. ;)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Andrew has been reading for a while. But I am in a bit of denial as to how WELL he reads. I admit that he can read kiddie books and some signs. But I haven't changed anything that I do. Last week I wrote a note to his teacher the day he came back from getting tubes in his ears. Normally I send her an e-mail, but our router was dead, so I was handwriting it. Andrew was hanging around me as I wrote it...so were Lily and Michael...whatev'. I basically wrote that Andrew was doing great but that a) his ears were still oozing a bit, which is totally normal so don't send him to the nurse and b) he was acting kind of annoying because he was trying out sounds of things...like crumpling paper and banging toys. Andrew stops me as I am writing and says, "Why did you call me annoying?"

Oops. I apologized and told him I was just saying that his behavior was irritating, but that it wasn't his fault, etc. And then I threw the note away. It hearkens back to the first days when I realized that Andrew understood I was talking about him to other mothers...suddenly I had to learn not to talk about the "bad" things when he was around. Looks like I'm going to have to broaden that to writing notes as well. A few more years, and I probably won't write about him on the blog anymore either...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lily and Michael playing Dog. They were both eating Cheerios in bowls on the floor with no hands. It is so amazing to watch them starting to play with each other. Someday soon I'll bet this 18 month apart thing starts paying off...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lily...oh my Lily. She is turning more and more into a little girl every day. Not that she hasn't always been a female...she's just getting further away from the toddler phase. ;)

She is a SPONGE at school...I think I've mentioned how much her teachers love her and are amazed at her memory. It's almost annoying to me...I dropped her off one day and warned the teachers that Lily had eaten NOTHING all morning, so she might start acting punchy as her blood sugar got low. The teacher at the door patted my arm and said, "Oh, no...not LILY. She's always an ANGEL for us." Grrr....although I'm glad it's not the opposite.

Last Monday, her class talked about baby chicks. At dinner Friday night, she started to tell Jeff about it for the first time. She vividly explained, "The chick has an egg tooth on the end of its beak and the chick would tap tap tap and get out of the shell and then it would be a REAL BABY CHICK (said in hushed tones).

This Monday they talked about rabbits. Lily explained at dinner, "Rabbits have VERY LONG EARS so they can hear all the other animals who want to EAT THEM and then they can RUNAWAYREALLYREALLYFAST. And they eat grass and carrots but NOT other animals." She was even quizzing Andrew in the back of the car like a teacher would.

And she speaks so earnestly...it is hard not to just giggle as you listen. Today we took a sidetrip into the school office so we could see the chicks that the school hatched out of eggs. As we walked in, Lily said very seriously, "Now, Mommy, you cannot touch them. You must put your hands way behind your back, just like this."

God, I love her.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Michael, Mikey, Mike. We still don't know which name this kid will be primarily...we switch around so much.

Michael is going through a language explosion. He is still virtually incomprehensible to people that don't live with him, but for those of us that do...we are amazed. I love this stage. And he continues to act more and more like a kid. Yesterday, Andrew and Lily were playing nicely together (?!?!?), so I got a little one-on-one time with him. We were building and sorting with blocks, and he delighted in ruining all my projects. Then I lay on the floor and put a block on my forehead and instantly pretended to fall asleep. He grabbed it off and I woke up. He delighted in putting me to sleep and waking me for a good 10 minutes. So cute.

He is also becoming BRUTAL towards Lily. He randomly shoves her, hits her with cars, and yells at her. She is devastated by this, because she doesn't understand that she taught him all these things. Oh, how her own cruel behavior is coming back to bite her in the behind. The difference with Mike is that when you tell him NO very sternly, he crumples into pitiful tears. Another sensitive boy. How did I get a girl who is tough as nails and 2 boys gentle as lambs? Very opposite the expected stereotypes.

I am also training Mike proper behavior in parking lots, parks, etc. If we are going to do anything this summer and go anywhere, he has to learn to wait for me, not run away, etc. We've had many tears while out and about as he figures out that I mean business. Timer training has also begun...we're at about 50/50 with it working for him. And if he continues to smack his sister around, time-outs are soon to follow. Oh, terrible twos...you don't scare me anymore. All I can say is...BRING IT.

Michael enjoying a cupcake...well, the icing anyway. A little practice for a birthday just around the corner...

He prefers not to get his hands dirty...

Ten on Tuesday

1. Facebook sends you e-mails when people comment on your status updates or after you commented on someone else's page. Whatever. I have always had them sent to my hotmail account with no issues what-so-ever. Last week, out of the blue, hotmail decided that anything from Facebook is junk mail. Is hotmail trying to tell me something about my habits? Is it really that smart?

2. I made a new recipe in the crock pot today, Herbed Artichoke Chicken. A yummy looking mix of diced tomatoes, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, white wine, and various herbs and spices. As I reached for my dried basil, I realized that the bottle was Ralph's brand. The trouble with moving, and with buying generic? I instantly knew how old this basil must be. I haven't lived near a Ralph's since early 2005. At least I finally finished my last spice from Lucky's (went out of business in 1999). Yummo cooking at our house!

3. 2010 is officially the "Year of Giselle Feeling Old." This month I've had weird spotting and back aches. Debilitating back aches. Time for Mikey to start climbing out of his crib...pronto. And why exactly do I suddenly feel like I'll be turning 83 this August instead of 33? Perhaps it is time to exercise and give my body a fighting chance. ;) And seriously. Still can't spell exercise. How can I be expected to DO it if I can't even SPELL it? Always want to spell it exersize. Again with the turning 83...

4. My husband loves me, which is a wonderful thing. But it is kind of irritating how unrealistic he is...how he doesn't acknowledge the rose-colored glasses that he wears. I was looking at swim suits, and he suggested that I get a rash guard (skin cancer runs in the family) with a bikini top to go underneath. And then I can have 2 swimsuits kind of. Um, hello? Bikini top? Have we seen the war zone that was my abdomen? My belly button doesn't even look belly button-ish anymore. Ew...just...EW. But sweet, in a way.

5. Shadow is an amazing dog. She looks like a puppy, doesn't come upstairs, hardly ever barks in the house, sleeps in her kennel like a champ, and is amazingly well behaved with the ear-grabbers that we call children. But with the advent of spring each year, we are reminded that despite all her wonderful traits, Shadow has zero social skills with other dogs. She doesn't allow the normal sniffing of the nether-regions and bowing in play signals...her back hair raises and she goes directly for the jugular. Unfortunately, because she looks like a puppy to other humans, the owners of wandering dogs assure me that it is okay, that the dogs will get along. I shake my head knowingly, but sometimes allow a meeting to occur. Perhaps she is mellowing with age, I tell myself. Perhaps THIS year will be the year Shadow barks but doesn't go for the kill. And then she snaps at the other dog's throat and their owner grabs the dog away with a gasp at how AWFUL my sweet-looking puppy is. She is a grouchy 40-something old maid. Maybe next year...

6. I need popsicles...I buy them in boxes of 500...you know the type...they come unfrozen in plastic sleeves...you freeze and then cut the tops off to enjoy. I love that they don't drip, I love that I can store them unfrozen, I love. We enjoy them in the summer by the dozens each week, and in the winter they are my catch-all boo-boo curing devices. But because I buy such enormous quantities, I never know where to get them once I'm out. They are not kept in the freezer aisle like the other popsicles. Juice aisle? Summer aisle? Special end of aisle random crap shelves? And when I shop with 3 children, there is no tracking-back. So each trip I check one place and then move on determined to find them the next trip. Haven't found them yet...Le-sigh.

7. I have been having dreams about babies. Apparently my sub-conscious is not aware of the chaos that 3 children have had on my existence and thinks it would be a great idea to add another kremlin to the mix. A few nights ago I had a dream that I was cradling and cooing to Tori Spelling's baby. And I only thought it slightly odd that Tori had put fake eyelashes on the teeny tiny baby before handing her over to me. ??? Where oh where did my Matthew Fox on a beach shirtless dreams go?

8. We are in the final planning/ordering stages of making over our kitchen. I cannot tell you how excited this project is making me. I cannot tell you how depressing it is that new cabinets are the most interesting things going on over here. ;) I promise I'll post before and after shots of the kitchen. But don't get too excited...we aren't doing it until the end of June. We move Sllloooooowwwwlllyyyy over here.

9. I read an article last fall about how to treat yourself to something special. The part that rang most true to me was that people tend to buy things that they wish they could use, and then what was supposed to be a treat ends up being a frustration. Like buying a new craft, when you don't have the time to do it. Or a manicure if you are going to ruin it with housework in a day or so. The article suggested looking at what you do a lot and then upgrading something. Like, if you are in the kitchen a lot, buy a really top grade chopping knife to make you happy while you work. So I went out and bought myself a fun little winter mug to have my coffee in each morning. Lame, I know. But it made me happy to look at my little snowmen each morning. Not so much anymore. So I am on the hunt for a springy/summery mug. No more than $5. Tougher than you'd think.

10. I find I am reading less and less to the children. I am a mother full of faulty parenting, but I've always felt good about how much reading I've exposed them too. But they are all in such different stages of reading, and I'm having a hard time finding sufficient time to settle them in for a read. While I'm reading a board book to Mikey about trucks, he is distracted by the wrestle/scream/fight fest that blossoms in front of us as Lily and Andrew try to amuse themselves. Or if I get them quietly coloring or watching tv, he just wants to do what THEY are doing...screw reading. Lily wants regular picture books, but nothing too wordy. She also has zero tolerance to Michael crumpling the pages or Andrew helping me to read. Andrew either wants to read or he wants a chapter book or he wants very detailed non-fiction that his siblings can't follow. -sigh- Why does reading even have to be difficult.

Bad word bowl

I've always been pretty good about watching my language around kids. I have years of babysitting and camp counseling and teaching/librarian-ing that trained me. I never even was a big curser...I kind of used it to embellish stories rather than blurt it out when upset.

Boy howdy, how things have changed. Jeff mentioned it to me, and now I am more aware of how often I get frustrated and slip. "Shit" "Crap" "Damnit"...no "f-bomb" thank heavens. Usually I think it's not that bad...I just curse when the kids are really pulling my chain and driving me to the edge of sanity. But apparently that edge is closer than I realized and I teeter over it multiple times a day.

Yesterday, Andrew was playing his DS after doing his homework. His little character fell into a pit and Andrew said, "Oh, crap."

I closed his DS and said, "We need to have a talk."

Andrew looks sheepishly at me, "What? What did I do?"

Me- "You just used inappropriate language. Crap isn't a horrible word, but it isn't a nice word and people will think differently about you if you start to use it a lot. And it will get to be a bad habit. Mommy has been using words like that too much and I need to break my habit. How about we make a "bad word bowl"? When you catch Mommy saying something that isn't nice, I have to put money in the bowl. At the end of the week/month/whatever, you get to spend it on anything you want. BUT, if I catch YOU saying something inappropriate, I get to take some of my money back. What do you think?"

Andrew- "Sounds okay."

Me-"Great! Let's think of what words will make me put money in the bowl. Can you think of a word that is bad that Mommy says a lot?"

Lily- "I know one!"

Me (inwardly cringing because my 3 year old is about to show me the bad language I've taught her)- "Okay, Lily. Tell me the bad word you hear Mommy say a lot."

Lily- "TIMEOUT"



My heart-to-heart talk with Andrew is abandoned as I can't keep from laughing. Yes, Lily, Timeout is a bad word...to YOU...but it is generally accepted in regular society.

A brand new set of ears

Aack. Computer problems! But with a new router in place, hopefully we'll be good for a while.

Tuesday was the day Andrew got a brand new set of tubes for his ears. I've noticed him really struggling to hear the last month or so...so I was excited to have it done for his sake. And I spent so much time being non-chalant about it for HIM, that I don't think I addressed my own feelings of nervousness that my BABY was going under yet again. I didn't realize how tense I was about it until they called me back to the post op room and I got to stroke his little head and kiss his cheeks. Okay, stroke his ginormous head and kiss his bony little cheeks ;)

Anyway, it obviously went fine. Andrew had the doctors and nurses laughing the whole time. When he walked back to the procedure room (is it call and OR in outpatient places?) with the nurses, he was talking a mile a minute...not nervous at all. I guess once he was back there, he wanted to looking in the microscope and then asked what each and every machine was for. Then they knocked him out with the happy gas...I've got to look into getting some of that stuff for my crew. ;)

He awoke much more peacefully than last year. Last year he woke up violently thrashing and crying/sobbing hysterically. Jeff had to pick him up and rock him. But since he didn't need the "giggle juice" (separation anxiety meds they give before taking the kids back to the OR), I guess he had a totally different reaction. Just peacefully opened his eyes and looked around dazed-like. And after just a few minutes, he whispered, "Can I have a popsicle? I want a green one."

And then he explained to the nurse that he was trying to break his popsicle record...he'd eaten 3 in recovery last time, and he was determined to eat at least 4 this time. This was one of my primary distractions that I set up when talking to him about getting tubes put in.

He came home happy as a clam, and feeling so good that we were thinking about putting him on the bus at 12:50. But we were good parents and let him stay home. He hasn't had any pain killers and even in the first few hours was commenting on how loud things were. Lily and Michael were playing with toys and Andrew said, "Mom, we have some really loud toys in this house." Pretty cool.

A huge thank you to my friends that took Lily and Michael for the morning so that both Jeff and I could be with Andrew. They both did well and neither wanted to come home with me. Nice.

More blogging laters...

With spring comes rain...

...and rain and rain and more rain.

This weekend brought a lot of wetness. We even have a leaking ceiling...not due to roof failure, but due to the sideways rain coming through grate on the side of our house into our attic. Lovely.

We have been doing a lot of hibernating this weekend. Well, Andrew hasn't. He went to a basketball game on Saturday and tried ice skating on Sunday. But the rest of us have been doing a lot of this:

I found these two like this. How cute? Shadow the pillow. Lily loves this dog more than she loves me, I think.

She would never cuddle this much with me, anyway.

Mikey didn't even get out of his pj's today...

But last week...last week we enjoyed some good, spring-time teasing. We were outside a lot. And I actually brought my camera with me one of those days... Enjoy! We're looking forward to more of this...

What the littles are saying

Lily is killing me over here. But not in a bad way. She is just getting...I don't know...less 3? She is still stubborn as heck and ornery and opinionated and picky...but she's just better than she used to be. It is subtle, but it is there. Hope for the future. At least until she's 12.

The other day, we were all basking in the sunshine and drawing on the driveway with chalk. Lily was making a picture of me making a picture, and she suddenly said, "Oh, for heaven's sake." It sounded so cute coming out of her mouth...and with such attitude. She watched me laughing for a minute and then said to herself, "And then they all went, 'a-ha hahahaha' at Liddy."

There are a hundred moments like that each day. She is just coming up with stuff that cracks us up.

She was watching Loony Tunes (best rental from the library EVER), and she was belly laughing at the roadrunner and coyote. She out of the blue said, "Memere would really like this." So we called my parents so she could tell them, and she talked to my dad saying, "Pepere, there is this dog who chases the bird and gets dead and it is so funny. When you come to my house you should watch it all day."


And Michael is speaking more and more. Not that anyone can understand him but Jeff and I. He gets so excited when we figure out what he's saying, though. He pointed at the fruit bowl and said, "Ap-bum". We gave him an apple and he just giggled and looked so proud of himself. He also likes to say "Ba-nah-mah-nuh" for banana...and even though he HATES to eat bananas, when he says the word, he wants you to get him one. Which he will promptly try to eat, say bleh, and throw on the floor. Ugh. Don't give him a ba-nah-mah-nuh, and he will throw himself onto the floor in a fit. But after Lily's fits, his seem lack-luster.

Also, the littles are so much fun to watch at the park. The weather has turned so warm this week, that we are going to parks twice a day. And both Michael and Lily have gained physical skills over the winter that they are trying out at the park. Michael is the slide king...going forwards on his bum instead of face down on his belly. He thinks it is AWESOME...and laughs and says, "Weeeee!" every. single. time. And Lily has discovered the Superman pose on the swings...lying across it on her belly and twisting, then letting go and spinning around. The first day she did it, you could here her laughter throughout the park. And after she was done she toddled over to me and said, "My tummy hurts." No wonder.

I'm looking forward to this summer. I thought I would dread having a 2 year old and a 3 year old at the same time. But I think it helps that I'm so in love with this particular 2 and 3 year old. ;)

Neighbors

I have a vision of my ideal neighborhood that I doubt will ever be realized. I dream that our house is surrounded by quiet families with similarly aged children, all of whom are respectful and kind and not in 1,001 activities. I dream of calling them up and asking for a cup of flour...because we all know how much I bake and need said flour. I envision our kids playing outside together while we drink brewskies and chat in the driveways. Even though I hate beer.



Anyway, I pretty much have an unrealistic wish list for my neighbors. I am actually quite lucky with my neighbors. Here is a model of our nearest neighbors:





curve of street...no houses a___ b___ c ...


________________street_________________________


community open space/ US!___ d___ e ...
sled riding hill




Okay, so here's a run-down of the neighbors...

a= Couple about my parents' ages. Husband is a township administrator...like my dad. They have one son who is 9 or 10 and goes to a very $$$ private school. Nice people...who have a lot more in common with my parents than us.

b= Very nice Russian couple. Have 2 college age boys. They are never outside...we only wave when they drive home from work and check their mail.

c= Super wonderful young couple with 2 boys right around Lily's age. Both work full time with a 45 minute commute, so we rarely see them. But enjoy their company when we do see them.

d= Very quiet Asian couple in their 60s who don't seem to speak English very well. They told us not to worry about Shadow coming in their yard when we first moved in. At least I think that's what they said. ;) We see them so infrequently that when I was out pushing the kids in the swings last summer, the wife commented, "Oh! You had a 3rd child!" Michael was 15 months at the time.

e= A family in California bought this home as their vacation home. Their families live in NJ, and they come to visit each summer for a few weeks. Otherwise it stands vacant.


So we are lucky in that everyone is quiet, takes care of their houses, and is polite. But we certainly don't have relationships with these people.

Which is why it was so nice for our next door neighbors to shovel our sidewalk with their snow blower after each major snow storm this winter. We certainly didn't expect it and we appreciated the 20-30 minutes it saved us in shoveling. I decided this weekend to make a loaf of banana nut bread for them and write a little thank you note. Andrew was desperate to deliver it...by himself.

I coached him on what to say, because he tends to go on and on, and I worried that if their English is shaky it would really be confusing. Heck, I'M confused half the time when he starts off on a tangent. So we rehearsed that he should tell them his name and that he lived next door (in case they didn't recognize him) and that his mom wanted to give them this. That's it.

Andrew went over yesterday and came back empty-handed...success! Here's our conversation:

A- I gave it to them, and you were wrong, Mom, they speak English really good.

G- Great! Did you say what we practiced?

A- Yeah, and a little bit more. I told them I was Andrew and I am 6 and I have a little brother that is 1 but almost two because his birthday is in April and a sister who is 3 but she won't eat banana bread because she is really picky and that this was really yummy banana bread for them because they shoveled our sidewalk and we were really thankful so we made them this yummy bread so they could eat it and enjoy it and that you wrote a note saying all those things and maybe tomorrow you were going to make ME some of that yummy bread. And then he said thank you and smiled and closed the door, so see? He DOES speak English and understood everything I said.


I have a feeling if I just let Andrew loose in the neigborhood, we'd soon know everybody really well. Or at least they'd know enough about us to avoid us intentionally. :)

You know

You know you keep the house cold when you casually mention that you feel chilly while eating dinner and your husband bolts up out of his chair and runs to the thermostat saying, "I'll turn it right up."

You know the toddler is growing up when he starts to wipe your kisses off and smile mischievously as he does it.

You know your Kindergartner is strange when you are watching a horrible live action Little Pony's movie and he says, "Even though it was a bad movie, I've gotta respect the way the movie was made, with the acting and sets and things."

You know your husband is frustrated at work, when he throws the basket of tea into the pot of rice when you ask him how his day was.

You know your aggravating toddler girl is finally becoming a charming little girl when you find her dancing with an imaginary prince in the kitchen.

You know the littles are finding their own dynamic when they chat and giggle and enjoy each other while eating a snack.

You know that Kelloggs is spying on your family when they create the most perfect cereal ever created for your daughter: Chocolate Mini-wheats (6 grams of fiber per serving! I won't say how much sugar!)

You know it's been a long winter when you and the kids declare it is too warm for coats...and it is 39 degrees outside.

You know you need to stop visiting pet stores when it starts to seem like a good idea to get another dog.

You know you love your husband when his misery makes you search Monster.com for 45 minutes looking for a job for yourself so he can stop feeling so responsible for the family. So what if it was jobs in Ohio.

You know Giselle's monitor is working again when you read a long boring post about nothing.

Little Miss Empathy

I am realizing that Andrew was a very unusually empathetic pre-schooler...or else Lily is a cold cold emotional fish. Or a little of both, probably.

We went to a playdate this morning, at the home of a little girl in Lily's class. Or, as she puts it, "My best best best girl Sara." She talks about Sara a lot, so you'd think that they were best buds. But I have yet to see them even ACKNOWLEDGE each other...much less act friendly...much less be the BEST FRIENDS that Lily claims they are. Still...I have to remind myself that when Andrew was in this program, he didn't even know anybody's name.

Back to story...Sara's house. Lily high-tails it to their playroom, where she proceeds to ignore everybody...unless they try to play with her, in which case she gets highly protective and possessive of her borrowed toy. Standard Lily playdate behavior. Andrew and Sara proceed to play very well together...as if they play date was set for those two. Michael entered a kind of nirvana, what with all the new choking hazard and places to climb to and the buttons on computers to touch and the giant bouncing rocking horse...Lord have mercy, I have seen Michael's heaven, and this was it.

Lily and Sara managed to spend 2 hours in each others' company not saying two words to each other. Best best best friends indeed. Then Sara tripped and landed face first into a window sill...cutting her lip pretty significantly. She was bleeding everywhere, crying (although not hysterically...which impressed me), and her lip was kind of flapping in a way that lips should not flap. Andrew was by her side, asking her if she would like a popsicle (our standard ouchie mouth treatment). Luckily, Sara's mom HAD a popsicle, because Sara thought it was a great idea. As Sara sucked away on her frozen treat and her mother debated taking her to the doctor or the ER, I was putting away toys and trying to get my crew out of the house so Sara's mother could take care of the situation.

I mentioned to Lily that we had to leave because Sara hurt her mouth. Poor Sara. I asked Lily to go tell Sara thank you and tell her she hoped her mouth felt better. Lily sulks over to Sara (Lily wasn't ready to leave), and mumbles thank you as she eyes Sara's Popsicle. Then Lily comes over to me and says indignantly, "Mommy! Sara won't share with me!"

She has a little way to go in the being a good friend department. ;) But I suppose that is why we have play dates and send them to pre-school in the first place, right? We just aren't born with empathy.


(as a side note, Lily had her very first dentist appointment yesterday. She did awesome and let the dentist brush her teeth and do a fluoride treatment. Because that is what I told her would happen. I forgot to mention the little mirror. Lily REFUSED to open her mouth to let the mirror in. He even let her hold it and told her to put it in her mouth to see what it was like. She pursed her lips together and held it up to her cheek and shook her head no. Stinker. Then he picked up a toothbrush, and she opened as wide as could be. Pick up mirror...mouth shut. -sigh- )

Another pause

Our monitor is going all blurry lately...and I didn't even realize it until I almost got a monster migraine after reading a bunch of blogs a few days ago. I have had a headache every day for about 4 days until yesterday when I didn't check the computer at all. And didn't have a headache at all. Coincidence?

Anyhoo, Jeff has checked it all out, and turns out it ISN'T our monitor but actually is our video card in the...ZZZZzzzzzz....

Oh! Sorry! Turns out I don't care what it is...I just want the computer to work.

Without headaches.

I'll be back when my very own Geek Squad takes care of the problems.

Some people

Some people pull their weight around here...


Others just expect service like royalty:

yea...more snow...yippee

Okay, I'm over it. Snow is fun and beautiful and wintery. But can't there be SCHOOL?




***And just so you know...I sent an e-mail out to my playgroup friends before I posted that last entry. I think they knew it was coming, because I'd been feeling them out to see if anyone else was getting unhappy with the way playgroup was getting crowded and crazy (they were NOT...which is why I decided it was just time for me to leave for a little while). They were wonderful and kind and non-judgemental...which is why I love them. They even insisted that I keep coming even if I don't host. Which I won't do, because that is totally unfair. But we are already planning a Mommy-Night...so I can tell I will still have their support and friendship as we move forward. I am so lucky ;)***

When to say goobye

When I moved to PA, I quickly started attending a playgroup set up randomly by the local MOMS club. Now, I've joined lots of playgroups and set up lots of playdates over my years as a mom. And playgroups are very tricky...it is rare to find a group of women that doesn't break into cliques or fight within...it is even rarer to find women like that who ALSO have decent kids that don't bite, bully, and cause problems. Well...more than NORMAL kids, anyway.

This group of women has always been awesome. It hasn't stayed the same...we've added some and lost some. But through it all, this playgroup has been a life line in an otherwise lonely SAH week.

But I kind of feel like it is time for me to leave.

-gasp-

I would go every week...if we could go without our children. When we started, our kids were 2 and 3 years old. Little fries. Since then, our kids have grown a lot, we've added younger siblings...and they've grown a lot. At this point, when we meet, it is 15 kids ranging from age 20 months to Andrew (6). It is A LOT. They destroy the house...even though they really get a long great. And we meet at night now...from 4 to whenever. So the hostess feeds the kids dinner. And now we've gotten into the habit of making something for the women for dinner too. And the meals get fancier and fancier and then we started adding dessert and then people started dressing their kids in pjs so they could stay later and...

Let's just say...it's gotten out of hand. I readily admit that crowds are one of my least favorite things on earth. And our playgroup has gotten to be a crowd. I really enjoy it...especially if only a few of us show up for whatever reason. But there are 7 of us women...and I couldn't choose which ones I'd prefer to hang out with. I like them all for different reasons.

I feel like I spend all afternoon preparing Andrew: "Now you are the biggest. No chasing, no wrestling, no putting your hands on other kids." And then once we're there, he inevitably gets in trouble and spends time sulking in a corner or on the couch. Lily is fine. She disappears and plays without interacting AT ALL with the other kids. Michael is a disaster...always climbing on things, finishing up other kids' juice boxes and eating off the floor.

It's just so weird, because I've always moved away before I had to deal with something like this. I am going to have to learn how to bridge the social gap when there aren't any children there to give us an excuse to get together. It's like I'm socially retarded all of a sudden. And I just hate to see this one go. Darned kids getting older and shit.

-sigh-

Catch up

Okay. Let's recap. I took a 4 day weekend break from my life. And it took me about 7 days to readjust to my life once I got back. Still...totally worth it. ;)

A few catch up updates...

--The tooth--
Negative: I went last Friday to have the permanent crown put on the problem tooth from hell. But, of course, he decided NOT to put it on yet. I am still having pain when I chew, which he said is ligament pain. That's right. Clean all the nerves out of the tooth and you can STILL have pain. I guess it is normal with all the messing we've been doing with that tooth for the last month (yes...4 weeks...cripes). He said it is normal to have ligament pain for 4-6 weeks, but not unheard of to last 6 months. Yippee!
Positive: I have lost 8 pounds in the last month. Not eating really works!

--Andrew--
-Negative: It is driving me crazy that he won't play with his siblings unless I am also playing. They have a great time together...but he insists that I tag along. Argh! I have set a very bad precedent. My advise to new parents? Don't play pretend games with your kids...
-Positive: He really has been delightful the last few weeks. He's eased up on the constant tackling his sister, he's been funny and helpful and pleasant. And we're reading Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing at bedtime, one of my favorite books as a child. And there are NO pictures and he LOVES IT. I see a whole new world of books opening up in front of us. And speaking of books...he is reading like a champ. He doesn't need pictures to help him figure out the context, he has incredible reading comprehension, and most importantly he doesn't get frustrated when he comes to a word he doesn't know. Which is HUGE for Andrew. I am just beaming with pride.

--Lily--
-Negative: Lily refuses to learn to pull her pants up and down and sit on the potty herself. Yet she INSISTS on privacy while she goes to the bathroom. (with the exception of the Pooping Parties she has with Andrew.) (which, let me say again, Eeewww.) So basically she hollers at you that she has to go to the bathroom, then the second you scoot the pants over her teeny tiny bootie, she is hollering at you that she needs to be alone. And the door closed so Mikey and Shadow don't come in. And then 15 seconds later she is bouncing half naked yelling, "Mommy! Come see this!" and getting drips of pee all over the floor. Oh, yes, she doesn't wipe either. Argh. And if I even mention trying to show her and teach her how to do any of it, she yells and won't even listen a teeny tiny bit. THAT CHILD WILL KILL ME.
-Positive: Lily hasn't had an accident in...I don't even know how long. And she's been dry at night for weeks and weeks. And I try and remind myself how she just one day did it, so I'm sure that one day she'll just start pulling those pants up and down. Right? Also, Lily has been really pleasant (for Lily) and funny and wonderful lately. She says hilarious things on purpose to make us laugh and accidentally which makes us laugh. She is cuddly and sweet with Shadow almost to the point of bringing me to tears it is so sweet. She is still brutal with Michael, but there are glimmers of sharing and future play.

--Mikey--
-Negative: Michael has discovered that he can drag the bathroom stool all over God's kingdom and reach anything he wants. The knife block, the fruit bowl, my drying rack. Nothing is safe. He also climbs on top of the couch...like really on top of it...and rolls down towards the stone fireplace. He dismantled my Dad's careful baby-proofing in 2 minutes. He really really wants to figure out how to walk on our window sills. Our 2 inch windowsills. He is really wanting to do everything the big kids do. Andrew picked up Shadow yesterday, and immediately Michael was right there, trying to pick her up. You're playing with tiny beads? Michael is right there, except he also will eat them. It is frustrating trying to do anything with the older kids, because Mikey wants to do it, but cannot do it safely. I'm willing to bet anyone with kids spaced 4 years apart or more has felt this very same frustration.
-Positive: Michael continues to be so stinking cute. He is a dancing fool, and cannot resist music. He stands very stiffly, and bounces and moves his shoulders from side to side. Very serious in the face. Unbelievably cute. He has started wiping my kisses off and giggling maniacally when I protest. He is still so far behind with speaking...but he gets new words every day. Kind of. Like if he starts yelling, "Geeee. Geeee." to you, I clearly know he is talking about shoes. So basically we are in the stage where I am learning his language more than he is learning ours. He loves to build with anything he can get his hands on. My first builder. He can figure out how to turn things on and open things up. My first mechanically minded kid. He understands EVERYTHING you say. So he's smart. He's just the strong silent type ;)

Okay...now back to our regularly scheduled blogging.

Blast to the Past

I met Pamela in August of 2000. We were both starting a new job at the University of Phoenix, at a newly opened branch with only 5 employees. Out of the 5 of us, Pamela and I happened to share a birthday...which I believe was the week we started work.

I only worked there for 9 months. And yet, we continued to keep in touch. We lived almost a half hour apart (only due to SoCal traffic...grrr..). We got together as much as two working people could. She quit working when she had her daughter, and I began the 18 month process to have my first child. We still managed to stay close. She brought me a meal and a hug when I had my miscarriage. She called me a bit nervous to tell me she was pregnant with her 2nd child...worried that she would upset me since I STILL wasn't pregnant. I harbored no bitterness towards her and was only excited. And then even MORE exited to call her 6 weeks later and announce that I too was pregnant. We had our sons 6 weeks apart. Now I was a SAHM too, and we saw each other more frequently. But then we moved. There were many tears.

It has been 5 years since we moved away from Southern California. And yet, just about every week we call each other. The darned time difference really does us in. But we have always managed to keep calling. We've talked each other through more babies, changes in husbands' jobs, moves, family crisis, and just general gossip. We cheer each other on and moan in sympathy. We pass no judgement and eagerly pass on useful information. It is a very freeing friendship because it is so isolated from our everyday lives.

I am, in a word, very very lucky to have a friend like Pamela. And now you know why I went to visit her. And now that we are both done having babies, you can bet we won't wait 5 years to visit each other again.

Some photos:

Here we are...Amazon woman and her tiny friend. And, yes, we could've posed in a million better places throughout the weekend...but we kind of forgot to take a picture until I was leaving for the airport. We were too busy TALKING to take pictures, people.
Let's just remember for a minute what I left behind in PA...

Do you see that slide? Holy crow, I've never seen this much snow!

The trees were stunning. Stunning. But I had to enjoy looking at them while I shoveled for 2 hours. And that was just my shift. Add in my dad and Jeff's hours...whew.

Why, yes, we DO have a driveway. Somewhere under that mess.

Our mailbox. Somewhere under that mess.

And then I flew away to a warm wonderland. It was so...surreal to be back there. I just can't believe that I ever lived there.

Admittedly, I didn't take very many pictures. I kept my camera in my purse. I hate carrying a purse, so I'd often leave it behind in the car. Which isn't good for taking pictures.


Pamela posing in front of a vineyard.

I'm pretty sure her ward is petitioning her to never speak to me again. Taking one of their flock to wine country. But even I didn't drink while we were there. I've taken WAY too much Tylenol and Advil in the last few weeks. I was pretty sure a sip of wine would make my liver just leap out of my throat and quit.

Me eating the coveted Chocolate Chip Calzone, from Claim Jumpers. Don't ask why it is so good...I cannot explain. It is horribly bad for you and fantastically delicious. I can't keep up this figure if I start eating SALADS and such, people.

We went for a walk at a nature preserve with Pamela's husband and 4 kids. I don't remember the park's name, but I know it will probably be the last time those kids go there. At least for the next 5 years or so. They were MISERABLE. We walked and walked to these vernal pools...and there just wasn't much to entertain the kids along the way.

I can't quite do the mountains justice. Their community is almost surrounded by picturesque scenery. And it was in the 70s. I almost died from pleasure walking in the warm sunshine.

Here are the poor tortured souls. She has almost the same spacing of kids, with the same genders, except for a bonus little girl at the top. Such sweet, good-natured, fun-loving kids. They're doing a great job. They get the "Giselle Star of Approval."

That's it. It was a refreshing, lovely weekend. We didn't do anything crazy or out of the ordinary. But it was totally out of the ordinary for those of us stuck at home with small children. We went out to eat. We browsed a book store. We went walking without having to carry a single diaper or snack with us. We went to a movie. We went through lots and lots of model homes...and we never had to worry about someone breaking something.

I cannot thank Pamela and family enough. I cannot thank my mother-in-law enough. All I can say is that it is a wonderful thing to be loved by such people. And I feel ready to face the rest of winter. ;)

Going, Going, GONE!

I. Am. Outta. Here.

Goodbye snow! Goodbye children! Goodbye Jeff! Although all of those things will be here waiting when I come back ;)

Grandma arrived yesterday afternoon after a short flight delay (the Philly airport was closed yesterday morning...). She is geared up and excited to have a day alone with the 3 kids, even after they have been housebound for 3 days. She may be Cr-AY-Zee...but I love her for it. ;)

Actually, all 3 kids are healthy as horses...not even a runny nose amongst them. So that makes me feel better.

My tooth is behaving quite nicely. On Tuesday, just before Snowmaggedon 2010, I had my root canal finished off. There was one snazzoo...one of the teeny tiny instruments broke off inside my tooth, and he was unable to retrieve it. So I have to go back in 6 months to make sure it isn't moving around in there (he tried to completely encapsulate it in the tooth filling). The fun of this tooth just never ends! But when he put the temporary back on (that's right, next Friday I get numbed up AGAIN and messed with AGAIN), and it seems to be sitting better. So my other teeth are virtually symptom free and the gums are healing and compared to the last 3 weeks, it feels GREAT!

Okay, okay...off to California now...YIPPEE!!

Holy snow, Batman

Holy FREAKIN' snow. This is so cool. I am starting to wonder when you have to worry about your roof...but we still have power and the snow keeps coming and it is the most snow I've ever seen in my whole entire life.

-gasp-

Just as an example, below is a picture of my Dad's car, taken at 7:45 pm this evening. Please note that at 4 pm, the driveway was completely shoveled and the car was brushed clean. My dad continued to go out every hour and shovel by the front wheel for reference.

That's a lot of snow.


I didn't take too many shots, because it is still snowing quite a lot, so I think tomorrow's pictures should be even more impressive. But I had to take one of my poor bird feeder. I brushed off the snow so the little birds will be able to get to it tomorrow. Or the squirrels. Whatever.

And if my flight to California is cancelled Friday morning, I swear to Frickin' Heaven Above that I will cry big crocodile tears and need professional help. And maybe lock myself in the bathroom all day long.

I swear.

Eli

Meet Eli.

We made Eli the Snowman today during the Littles' naps. The snow was perfect packing snow. Perfect Snowman snow. I don't know why his name is Eli. Ask the other little guy next to him.

Eli is the first "good" snowman to live in our front yard. Not that I've had any "evil" snowmen...just deformed ones.

Say "Hi" to Eli!

Oops. Here's Eli 90 minutes later. Apparently, you are supposed to make your snowpeople after it has stopped snowing. Eli is bigger, but almost unrecognizable.

Poor Eli. The opposite of a melting snowman.

Pictures from the last month

I finally downloaded some pictures from our camera. Turns out it has been a month since I last downloaded. Oops. We've been having some camera issues, some barfing issues, some Mommy-the photographer-is ouchie problems and some hair issues (Lily always looks homeless...2 seconds after I do her hair she is rubbing her head on our couch or wrestling or whatever.)

But here they are...

Mike the construction worker. My FIL got me this hard hat after I was taken out by the monkey bars last fall. Hardy-har-har. But Mikey sure is cute in it.

He also likes football helmets. But not for long enough to get a picture.

This is supposed to be a shot of how Mikey can get into the pantry now. Which Lily still hasn't figured out. He also can get into the fridge and knows to go get the step-stool to reach counters/microwave/knives. Good times.

Me and my trouble maker.

Lily. The Hair. Good God...would it be terrible to shave a little girl's head?

Who needs couches? Michael loves sitting in the baby carriage.

Mr. Mike does not want to sit in a high chair or booster seat anymore. Can't climb on the table and reach other peoples' food/crayons/milk that way.

I don't even remember what this was about. Playing without tackling perhaps? That would be noteworthy enough to crack out the camera.

No idea what this photo was about.

This is pretty much how sick-fest 2010 went. That day Jeff and I were both down. Good times.

Laundry baskets are fun. Fun enough to fight over.

Jeff buried Andrew in snow last week. Andrew decided it was NOT as much fun as being buried in autumn leaves. Brilliant.

Rooting for the Saints. Until the game started, and wrestling Lily became MUCH more interesting.

My parents are here. They are on their way to Virginia to have a birthday weekend with my Uncle Mark. Because Philly is on the way from Ohio to Virginia.

But with cuddles like these, I guess I can understand why they take the detour.

We had a birthday cake for Pepere.

Mike enjoys cake now...in case you were wondering.

That's all for the random photos today. ;)