Mommy Spirit

Potty Humor

2012-01-31T03:01:00.002-05:00

I've needed to write this post for a long time. You see, something happened to my innocent, angel-faced boy over the last year or so... As his vocabulary increased, so did his interest in...well...potty humor. I can't even say where it came from... Yes, my husband enjoys a good belch here and there after eating. He can also be a little bit gassy--he's known for letting a loud one rip and then blaming it on me or the little guy.

Still, even with my husband's occasional blip in manners 101, he doesn't crack "poopy" jokes all day long. My son, however, is a different story. Here are some of his many weekly, if not daily, antics:

"Urp (pretend belch)--I burp Mommy, I burp."

"I fart Mommy. I farting."

"I want poopy for dinner. I want poopy."

Poopy tends to be a favorite in his vocabulary, and when he gets silly (which is almost always), all his responses to my questions will be, yup, you guessed it, poopy.

Me: "Do you want yogurt for lunch Lewie?"

Lewie: "I want poopy yogurt."

Me: "What do you want to watch on TV?"

Lewie: "Ummm...poopy."

Yes, my little boy is addicted to potty humor, and while part of me says this is probably normal for little boys, another part of me cringes when I start to worry about how much he says these things in school. Am I going to be reprimanded for it? Do the teachers think I condone, or worse, actually contribute to this type of language at home?

I recently talked to one of my mom friends about it. Apparently, one preschool doesn't condone the word "fart" and actually scolded a mom by saying, "we prefer and encourage you to teach your son to say 'toot' instead." I laughed about it at first, but then it made me wonder. Should I be enforcing the word "toot" over "fart" in our house? Should I be asking Little Lewie if he needs to go "number two" instead of if he needs to go "poopy on the potty"?

For now I haven't been reprimanded, but I'm on high alert. In the meantime, I have a little stand-up comedian on my hands that will say almost anything to get a rise out of people. Unless his little personality drastically changes, I suspect potty humor will be a topic of interest for a long while.

Okay, so maybe I can even enjoy a "fart" joke, I mean "toot" joke, every now and then.

Do you have any potty humor stories to share about your boys or husbands?

Snowy Day

2012-01-22T01:25:00.001-05:00

I'm not a huge fan of winter. I've never been really good at ice skating or skiing. I've never been particularly good at building snowmen either. Since "enjoying" the snow doesn't come easily for me, and I don't like shoveling or driving in it, I'm usually pretty happy when the forecast calls for an uneventful week--no snow, no sleet, no ice.

However, I don't want my opinion to rub onto Little Lewie. For the past week, he's been practically praying for snow. Everyday he asks me if it's snowing outside, and then, out of nowhere, he created a little song he likes to sing in the car. It goes something like this:

"Snow day. Snow day. Snow day."
"It's snowing. It's snowing today. It's snowing."

His wishful thinking (or wishful chanting) seems to have worked because this weekend our snowless cycle was broken, and we picked up a good 6 to 7 inches. It also changed my mood. Instead of grunting under my breath about having to shovel the sidewalks or pay someone to plow our driveway, I, instead, couldn't wait to put on our snowsuits and prance in it. After all, we don't have to go anywhere since it's the weekend.

I brought our cheap plastic sled out, and Lewie and I spent hours chuckling like school kids as we glided, plopped, and sometimes landed face-first into the snow. Sometimes the sled managed to go down the hill without us, which prompted us to belly laugh so hard that I thought I was going to pee my pants.

Kids--it's amazing the fun they bring into our lives. "Thanks for reminding me of how much fun a "snow day" can be Little Lewie. I can't wait to enjoy it all over again tomorrow!"

The permanent grin on Lewie's face since he found out we had snow!

Warming up with hot chocolate and eagerly waiting for some marshmallows.

Do you enjoy playing in the snow?

Lewie-isms Continued...

2012-01-13T03:13:00.002-05:00

My little boy talks A LOT. To think that I made him watch Baby Babble videos again and again to increase his vocabulary now seems quite funny. A year ago I was concerned that he wasn't speaking enough. Today I can't get him to be quiet!

Here's a conversation I had with Little Lewie just this week; I had to write it down because it almost had me rolling over in laughter.

Lewie: "The sun is coming up Mommy. I so happy."

Me: "I'm glad. You're going to school today, are you ready?"

Lewie: "Hmmm...what should I think? Oh Man! Mommy the school is closing. I don't have school today. We can go to the mall."
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Now that Lewie's speaking in full sentences (and sometimes even paragraphs), he's quite vocal about what he likes and doesn't like and at any given point in time, feels it's his prerogative to list his demands:

"I want a BIG ice-cream sandwich."
"I want to go to the mall and ride P2 (word for elevator), Mommy."
"I want to watch my movies," or "I want to watch my shows."
"I want to go to my Lewie's park."
"I need my blankies."
"I want to go to the pool. Put my "baby soup" (bathing suit) on."

"I don't want to go to school today, Mommy. No I don't."
"I can't go to school today. I'm sorry. I have to go to work. I go to my office."
"I take a bath tomorrow, Mommy. Not today but maybe tomorrow."
"I don't want to go potty. Mommy, my pee pee won't come out." He's probably going to make me take this one down when he's older.

Finally, my boy, every now and then, surprises me.

"No big deal, Mommy. No big deal." This is usually when he does something wrong.
"Mommy, the sky is pink." Looking at the sunset...
"My snowman's all gone, Mommy. He went away. I'm so sad." Comment after the snow melted from our freak October snowstorm.
"I need my tools Mommy. The TV is broken."
"Check out my new car!" Showing off his tricycle.
"I like Maya. She's soo cute!" Should I be worried?

I probably can go on forever about all the cute and funny things he tells me everyday. At some point, I know we'll begin to have regular conversations, and he'll start to lose his "Lewie-isms," but for now, it's fun to record his favorite quotes.

Do you have a favorite quote from your son or daughter?

New Year's Resolutions Revisited

2012-01-07T21:11:00.001-05:00

Last year I had seven New Year's Resolutions; they ranged anywhere from living a healthier lifestyle, to saving money, to being the best mom, wife, daughter, and friend I could be. These resolutions came from the heart--there was nothing phony about them. However, now that I've had a chance to assess them a year later, I realize that I set myself up for the impossible. Once again, the perfectionist side of me got carried away, and my overzealous goals set me up to fail.

Courtesy of Google Images.

I'm not saying 2011 was a total wash. There were highs and lows--achievements and set-backs. However, since the perfectionist side of me always wants to shine, it was demoralizing to realize that after one year, I gained weight instead of losing it, spent our savings instead of saving, and let fear instead of gratitude guide my emotions.

This year I've learned. I've become wiser, and although I'll never have all "the answers," I at least know that perfection is not serving me anymore. I have reduced my seven resolutions to one goal and one goal only--to show appreciation for each day that I'm given this year.

For far too long, I dismiss days like they're unimportant. If something goes wrong (I eat the wrong food, I don't exercise, I have car trouble, I have a cold, etc.), I've been known to wish the day away. Tomorrow will be better, I say to myself, and then in an instant, I've already taken myself out of the present to daydream about a fictitious tomorrow--a tomorrow that never happens as planned.

I've also been known to ignore days and pretend they don't count, especially those where I have to work a 12 hour shift or I'm scheduled to run numerous errands. Instead of waking up with gratitude in the morning, I'm already catching myself praying that the day (or even the week) goes by fast...

This year, I say "no more." I refuse to wish my life away or spend hours of my day fantasizing about life instead of living it. There will be both good days and bad days, but in the end, I need to embrace them all--to be appreciative of the good days and to find learning lessons in the bad days. My life's not going to be perfect. It never was...but my life can feel enriched and fulfilled. All it takes is a change in attitude and an acceptance of welcoming it all--the happy, the sad, the great, and the monotonous.

To all--may 2012 be the year that we embrace and truly live each day. XOXO.

Welcoming the New Year--2012!

2012-01-01T08:59:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was immensely fun. We went to a "First Night" type event in Milford where Lewie had a chance to ride on an outside Merry-Go-Round, take a wagon ride around the town green, see a magician (not his cup of tea yet), play on several bounce houses, and see fireworks at 10 p.m. During the night, we hit a few milestones. For starters, Lewie never participated in a First Night event before. The last few New Year's Eves, he stayed with Gramy while Mommy and Daddy went out to celebrate. It was brand new for him to walk along busy, bustling streets at night. At first he was scared, but his worry soon turned to joy, especially since he had such a fun time at the "bounce house station."

The second milestone came with watching the fireworks. On the Fourth of July, Lewie screamed in terror at the display. He hated the noise and begged for us to take him back home. Last night, we were able to get a great parking spot and view them from our car. At first he was scared, but after a few minutes of hearing Mommy and Daddy comment on how beautiful and awesome they were, he started to join right in... I wish I had a voice recorder with us. These are some of the comments we heard from the backseat:
"Cool dude!", "Awesome," "That one's red," "That one's a stop sign," "That one's stars," "That one sparkles," "Wow," "I say goodbye to the fireworks," "I give them a kiss."

For someone who was terrified in the beginning, he soon warmed up to them. Perhaps it helped that we stayed in the car since it muted the sound a little, and he felt protected...

All in all, we had a nice end of the year celebration to welcome 2012. I'm not sure what the New Year will bring for us, but I pray for health, love, and peace...not just for us...but for all families.

May 2012 bring many blessings your way.

XOXO.

Santa, Cookies, and All Things Merry 2011

2011-12-30T08:10:00.001-05:00

Each Christmas gets more and more exciting with my son. This is the first year that Little Lewie understood the concept of Santa Claus, knew how to unwrap gifts on his own, and vocalized passionately about how much he loved his presents. Even more, we were able to do some fun things together and start, hopefully, some long-lasting Christmas traditions...

The day before Christmas Eve, we went to Christmas Village and saw Santa Claus. Lewie didn't know how to answer when Santa asked him what he wanted for Christmas. Finally, as a last ditch effort, he said "toys."

Lewie was able to meet Rudolf too!

Still thinking about the Santa Claus question...

We practically had Christmas Village to ourselves...mostly because this was the last day.

Posing in front of the Christmas house...

One of the decorations Lewie used as a punching bag over and over. Thankfully, no one saw him.
Last year he was afraid of these things. This year he's doing Karate chops.

Making Christmas cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve.

"This is hard work Mommy. When do I get to eat them?"

"Just a little taste..." Actually, I had to keep telling him not to eat the dough.
If it was up to him, he'd eat it all.

Using our moon cookie-cutter.

Lewie's picture of me.

Lewie's artistic picture of our cookies. I swear he's better at photography than me.

All dressed up for Christmas Eve with the fam.

Milk and cookies for Santa.

Santa's Note. (He left some cookie behind for proof that he ate them.)

Presents after Santa's visit. (We had a real tree this year!)

Christmas morning. He couldn't wait to try out his Smart Cycle. (It's like he has his own stationary bike at home!)

"Here I go!!"

Intrigued by his Santa presents...

Just being Lewie...

More gifts to open on my mom's side of the house...

Christmas Day picture in front of my mom's tree.

Visiting my best friend Mary Ann who came up from New Jersey.
(She's on the left, and her sister-in-law is in the middle.)

Eating pizza at the kiddy table.

Little Lewie and the kids playing...

This Christmas was definitely one for the records. It was nice spending quality time with our family and friends and nice to watch the magic unfold before Lewie's eyes. I was really proud of our little boy. He accepted all of his gifts graciously with a big "Thank you" and hugs for everyone. In fact, he loved his gifts so much, he wanted time to play with each one. Therefore, we "spaced out" the gift giving, so he wasn't bombarded all at once.

The most memorable part of the weekend was when my mom gave him her gift on Christmas Eve--a Little People Wheelies Stand n' Play Rampway. One of his friends had this toy, so he knew what it was right away. He yelled, "Thank you, thank you, thank you. Oh thank you very much." It was one of those moments that I didn't get to capture on film, but I'll never forget.

Christmas Quotes 2011

2011-12-23T00:40:00.002-05:00

I'm not quite sure when it happened, but all of a sudden, one day, out of the clear blue, my little boy started talking in complete sentences. Everyday his vocabulary grows and grows, and like most toddlers his age, he's starting to say the cutest things. (I like to call them Lewie-isms).

Here are some fun holiday "Lewie-isms" that I just had to post. (I think I'm going to start a tradition and ask him the same questions each year...)

Me:      "Have you been a good boy or a bad boy this year?"
Lewie: "I a good boy!"

Me:       "What do you want for Christmas?"
Lewie:   "Phones."

Me:      "But you already have a lot of phones..."
Lewie:   "Yes, I do!"

Me:     "Do you want to see Santa Claus?" (A question at the mall.)
Lewie: "No, I want to ride P2" (a.k.a. his word for elevator).

Me:    "What is your favorite holiday drink?"
Lewie: "I like a the egg nog."

Me:     "Why are we bringing a Christmas tree in the house?"
Lewie: "Cause it's my Lewie's birthday."
Me:     "Well almost... It's Jesus's birthday."

Me:     "So what do you think of the tree?" (Mommy asked this after decorating.)
Lewie: "It's PERFECT!"

Wishing We Were Still in Vacation Mode

2011-12-15T07:26:00.001-05:00

As you can imagine, once our feet came off the plane and set foot in Connecticut, we were back to work and back to the hustle and bustle of getting ready for Christmas. Minutes have turned to hours, hours have turned to days, and days have turned to weeks all in an instant flash. While I love this time of year, all the rushing leaves very little time to savor the moment. If we're lucky, we'll finally have a chance to unwind and appreciate the true meaning of Christmas on December 25th. But before we can get to that place, presents need to be bought, gifts need to be wrapped, the house needs to be decorated, cards need to be mailed, and holiday parties need to be attended. For a day that's about taking comfort and peace in knowing that Jesus, our Lord Savior, is born, we sure do get stressed out. Each year I tell myself we're going to make Christmas simpler this year, and each year, we end up dropping the idea as we get caught up in all the buying hoopla. It's a tough cycle to break...

Today I'm going to dedicate the last part of my post to reminiscing about our trip (which now seems ions away). Besides the fabulous service at our hotel, we also had lots of fun memories going to the "Holiday Lights" at the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden, pretending to be a firefighter at Discovery Place, and visiting the University of South Carolina's Gamecocks Stadium, where my husband did his film and video editing internship for graduate school.

Each place brought unique experiences to our trip. The "Holiday Lights" at the Botanical Garden were gorgeous, and while I took pleasure looking at all the beautiful plants, my little boy took pleasure in watching the electric toy trains, eating at the hot coco and cookies station, and riding the tram car to see all the Christmas lights.

At Discovery Place Kids, we found ourselves in a world of pretend where you could be a firefighter, a banker, a pizza chef, a grocery store clerk, a farmer, a doctor, a stage performer, an auto mechanic, and even a crane operator. Each area had it's own building, so if you wanted to play firefighter, you could enter the miniature fire station, grab your firefighter gear, and head to the truck; you could also take calls at the desk. If you wanted to play pizza chef, you could enter the miniature restaurant and pretend to make pizzas in the back by the brick oven. You could also serve customers at the stools and booths as well. Little Lewie LOVED this place; I wish I could have taken it back with us to Connecticut.

Finally, we spent our last day traveling to the University of South Carolina, my husband's old stomping ground as a graduate school student. There he did a film and video editing internship for the University Gamecocks; he also toured in a popular band for a while. Memories for him were bitter-sweet as he showed me the Gamecocks stadium, the bars and restaurants he used to play in, and the old "band house" where all the guys lived... He's happy to be a daddy today, but when he was touring in the band ten years ago, both he and the guys in the band thought they were going to sign a contract with Epic Records. Band politics got in the way of the big dream, and like many bands, they eventually split up.

Here are some final pictures of our lovely trip:

Visiting the Botanical Garden during the daytime.

The fine detail of decorating...

Let the lights begin!

Captivated by the train...

Inside the greenhouse.

Electric trains everywhere!

The best museum on earth for toddlers.

All the little buildings and great places for pretend.

Ready to put out a fire.

Money!!! (Lewie seemed to enjoy playing with money a little too much!)

Opening the vault...

"I think I'll buy this ketchup please."

Ummm...more money!

"Oh yes. Can I have more money please?"

The little cafe/pizza joint.

Hard at work...(Notice how he wasn't willing to give up his shopping cart from the store.)

"I'll just throw this in the oven for a few..."

"I'll charge this battery for you!"

Okay. My husband enjoyed himself too.

Yup. He enjoyed himself all right.

Gamecocks fever.

Inside the stadium.

One of the beautiful classrooms inside the stadium.

My future football champ. (Actually, not really. I'm not sure if he's interested in sports yet.)

Lew and his former internship supervisor.

Words can't express how large this stadium is...

Nice for my husband to go down memory lane with his son.

A Life of Luxury...

2011-12-01T06:47:00.001-05:00

On Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, we packed up our things and went on a long awaited family trip. I say long awaited because it's been a year and a half since we took a vacation as a family anywhere. We've been on day trips, but our finances wouldn't allow for much more than that...

Since November is considered "out-of-season" for many places, we got a wonderful deal on a four-star resort in Charlotte, North Carolina. Most people at the airport looked at us like we had two heads when we said our final destination was Charlotte. "You mean you're vacationing there?" one woman asked surprised. Her final destination was Atlantis in the Bahamas.

Yes, I suppose going to Charlotte, North Carolina sounds like an unusual travel destination, especially since we don't have any friends or family there, but we had a WONDERFUL time. We enjoyed four-star, luxury service at a fraction of the cost, and we found tons of family friendly places to bring little Lewie. Since most people cleared out of the hotel the day after Thanksgiving, we found ourselves enjoying the resort (and all its amenities) practically by ourselves. And the service...

The Ballantyne Hotel lobby. (Can you find Little Lewie?)

More of the hotel lobby...at night.

Our view from the second floor balcony.

The flowers that were waiting for us in the hotel upon arrival.

They gave us complimentary breakfast in bed everyday during our stay...

My order of fruit...almost too pretty to eat...almost.

One of the many centerpieces they used to decorate our breakfast-in-bed table.

The hotel lent us a golf cart for free and allowed us to ride around their 18 hole golf course.

Little Lewie and Big Lewie took turns driving.

Little Lewie's picture of my husband.

Another picture by Little Lewie. (I swear he's a natural.)

Our resort (from a golf cart point of view).

Chillin' at tee number three before returning to the hotel.

The beautiful pool we had a chance to enjoy by ourselves.

Another view of the indoor heated pool. (They were open from 6 am to 10 pm everyday!)

Our luxurious marble bathroom.

A bubble bath fit for a prince.

Pure joy!

Our glass shower. I wrote messages to Little Lewie when it steamed up.

My husband even had a chance to enjoy an over-sized bubble bath.

A surprise for Little Lewie...compliments of the hotel.

The service was to die for!! My husband and I have stayed at pretty amazing hotels before (especially on our honeymoon), but we never stayed at a hotel so friendly and dedicated to making you feel like royalty. I knew breakfast in bed was included in our package, but I never knew we'd be allow to order up to $70 worth of breakfast in bed. Even more, we were given little "surprises" along the way like the flower arrangement when we arrived, the milk and cookies waiting for us after our evening gaunt, or the little chocolates they brought to us every night when "turning down" our bed.

Yes, for five nights and four days, we lived a life of luxury. After this experience, I don't believe staying at a hotel will ever be this amazing again...unless we come back!

Shark Attack!

2011-11-20T06:15:00.000-05:00

About a year ago, my mom brings home this ridiculously cute shark towel that she ordered through Avon. At first, Little Lewie wasn't too interested. In fact, he resisted any towel after taking a bath. I don't know why. He just preferred the "air dry" method, which I still think might be a boy thing.

Now, almost a year later, he gets upset with me if I don't have the shark towel waiting for him after taking a bath. Don't get me wrong...he still doesn't like being "dried off", but at least I'm allowed to drape the shark towel over his head. Here's what a typical day looks like for us after taking a bath...

Lewie loves playing the shark role very well.

After having some experience playing "Vampire" for Halloween, Little Lewie has now become the ultimate shark...fierce white teeth, scary growl (although I don't think sharks growl in real life) and excellent running (I mean swimming) skills. He has no mercy on his victims; although, he can be easily sidetracked or tempted with M & M's. He's got an excellent nose for chocolate (I mean blood)....

An Interesting Fall

2011-11-14T05:57:00.001-05:00

It's been an interesting fall. In most of September and October, we had much warmer weather than normal, which meant that are leaves stayed green and didn't fall off our trees. (We definitely didn't have one of those gorgeous, colorful falls that New England is known for...)

Then, after a balmy 60 degree week of weather, we have a freak snowstorm, which brings 12 inches of heavy, sloppy snow. (This October storm was definitely a record-breaker for the state of Connecticut since we usually don't see snow until late November or December.)

Now our weather is back in the 60's (unusually warm for November), and there are still leaves on the trees (also unusual). The trees in our backyard and all over the state look sad and injured; many lost limbs because the snow was too heavy for their delicate branches.

So, our fall has looked something like this:

Pumpkin picking on the third week of October.

The March Farm pumpkin patch.

"I'm ready for a ride Daddy."

Our first snowfall...the last Saturday of October!

I'm so glad I bought the snowsuit and boots early this year.

"Look Mommy. It's sticking to my glove."

The pumpkins from the March farm pumpkin patch.

"Time to build a snowman!"

This weekend was the cleanup. We had large branches down in our front yard, side yard, and backyard. While it was tough work to remove the branches, we did have fun.

1) My husband had the chance to go to Home Depot and pick out a brand new chainsaw. (He was like a kid going to a candy store.)

2) Little Lewie enjoyed playing in the leaves. In fact, he loved them so much that they became "Lewie's leaves." I wasn't allowed to rake his leaf pile.

3) We tied Lewie's plastic kiddy pool to the back of our mower. It helped us move the large branches to our front yard. (The town is supposed to come and pick up the branches.) It also made a great ride. It was like water tubing but without the water!

4) Lewie had fun taking pictures with our camera. The last picture is either of me or our trampoline. I'm not sure which one he was aiming for...

A Stormy Halloween in Connecticut!

2011-11-04T07:09:00.001-04:00

Wow, so after four very LONG days, we finally have our power back. We lost it during Hurricane Irene too, but this time, with 20 and 30 degree temperatures at night, staying at home in the cold and dark just didn't work well. After spending one night of having my husband and I and Little Lewie try to snuggle together in our queen bed, we realized that it just wasn't going to work. For one, my husband was pushed off the bed by Little Lewie, and so he was forced to make his way to the couch. Then, when Little Lewie woke up at 5 in the morning coughing and shivering, I just knew we had to do something. Something. Even I could feel the chill in my bones.

The next morning, Halloween morning to be exact, we went to Friendly's in the next town over (one of the few places with power in the area) and started making phone calls to hotels. We had tried the night before but with no luck. Every hotel in the area (and probably in Connecticut) was booked. This time, our second call--a call to the Omni Hotel in New Haven--was the charm. Sure it was an expensive hotel--$200 per night--but we had no friends or family to stay with since they were out of power too! We also found out that our entire town (98%) was without power, and they had cancelled trick-or-treating activities.

We made reservations to stay at the hotel for two days, and then went home eagerly to pack our bags. To us, heat and a nice hot shower just couldn't come fast enough. We reserved a room with double beds; the agreed arrangement was that Little Lewie and my mom would sleep in one bed and my husband and I would sleep in the other.

While my mom, Lew, and I felt displaced from this experience, Little Lewie loved it and probably had the best Halloween ever. Once at the hotel, we dressed him up in his little vampire costume, and brought him with us to my place of work. (My college was open and running, but my husband's college was closed due to no power.) After he had fun entertaining everyone at my work, we did a little trick-or-treating in New Haven. (This part of Connecticut felt like it hadn't even been hit by the storm.) He would very carefully select a piece of candy and then ask if he could go into the person's house to "see" it. After trick-or-treating, Lewie got to enjoy riding up and down the elevator of the Omni Hotel over and over again, scaring unsuspecting passengers with his very grown-up growl. (Yes, he took his role as vampire very seriously.)

Now our power is back, and Little Lewie had a make-up Halloween party at his pre-school yesterday--another chance to wear his costume! The experience definitely cost us some money, but all in all, I feel blessed. For one, we were very lucky to be able to stay at a hotel and still be able to celebrate Halloween. (I was even able to show my mom a few nice restaurants in New Haven--an experience she never would have had otherwise.) And two, we are back home safely and soundly to our happy, warm house. I'll never take our home or electricity for granted again!

My little vampire sitting at my desk at work.

Little Lewie at the hotel. (I couldn't peel him away from the elevator even to take a picture!)

Captivated by the elevator.

Getting ready to scare his little friends at his pre-school Halloween party.

Posing in our yard.

This picture speaks for itself.

And for the grand finale, a short video clip of his roaring/growling in action:

(Very scary and only for the brave of heart!)

Birthdays Galore!!

2011-10-30T08:38:00.000-04:00

In my last post I mentioned how many birthdays we celebrated this month--eleven to be exact! For all four weekends in a row, we had parties to celebrate both on Saturday and Sunday, and sometimes we even had two on the same day! Since these parties are for both good friends and close relatives, I'm realizing that October will always be labeled as the birthday month for us! Now, in all honestly, we probably won't have another party to celebrate until March!

The month of November is already shaping up to be baby shower month. I have two scheduled...one for Saturday and one for Sunday...on the same weekend! Sometimes I wish everything could be spaced out evenly...like it would be nice to celebrate one birthday a month instead of eleven right in a row, but life doesn't work it's magic that way... Sometimes it's either all or nothing!

Here are some random pictures from our birthday parties. The kid birthday parties were the most fun; we went to a bounce barn, Chuck E. Cheese, a hall with a DJ, and a house party with face painting and balloon animals. I need to diet from the amount of cake I ate this month. Ugh!

My mom and I started the birthday month by celebrating ours together.
(Hers in on the 8th and mine is on the 3rd.)

Wyatt's 3rd birthday at the Bounce Barn.

Lewie and I at the bounce barn.

The two Lews at the bounce barn.

Maya's 3rd birthday party at her home.

Lewie enjoying yummy cupcakes at Maya's birthday party.

Lewie's cousin Sarah celebrates her 6th birthday at Chuck E. Cheese.

Lewie patiently waiting for pizza.

Sarah, the birthday star!

Lewie's first driving arcade game. (He looks way too excited about driving!)

On the merry-go-round.

Riding the mechanical horse...

"Slow down there fella."

Our Second Field Trip!

2011-10-21T07:55:00.001-04:00

This month has been a complete whirlwind! Every weekend we have celebrated somebody's birthday. After celebrating mine on the third, we then celebrated my sister-in-law's, my mom's, my six-year old niece Sarah's, my husband's boss's, my father-in-law's, and now my mother-in-law's. Then, sprinkle in a few more kid birthdays parties of Little Lewie's friends. I think Little Lewie now expects that we have a birthday celebration at least once a week. Just yesterday, he started asking about when he can have some more birthday cake!

This month has also been quite busy at Little Lewie's pre-school. There have been projects for us to complete at home, an Open House, and a field trip! Since I volunteered to chaperone, which basically means I volunteered to watch my own kid, I made sure I took the day off from work so Little Lewie and I could have some mother-son bonding time. I knew he was going to enjoy taking the school bus from the last field trip we had, but other than that...I had no idea what to expect.

Enjoying the school bus ride!

The farm.

Hanging out with Miss Kim (Lewie's teacher from daycare last year).

Bonding time.

Lewie and one of his little "pumpkin" friends.

Nice horsey.

"Hey, you can't eat my sleeve!"

Driving the apple truck.

Picking out a pumpkin. (Mommy had to pick it up since it was "too heavy.")

I love my boy!

First game of "Duck, Duck, Goose!"

In some cases, this field trip was a lot like the one we took in the spring. Little Lewie loved the school bus, he still got impatient with the 15 minute hayride, and he didn't always listen to given orders either by his teachers or by me. However, there were signs that he's getting older too. This time we used the potty, and Little Lewie had a chance to test out his camera taking skills. (He's become just as fascinated with the camera as he is with the phone--hmmm...I wonder who he's learned that from?) He also learned how to play "Duck, Duck, Goose" for his first time. When he was picked, he didn't know what to do, so I had to ask him to stand up and show him. Unfortunately, like all kids, he didn't want his turn to come to an end, so even when we told him it was time for him to sit back down in the circle, he still continued to tap everyone's head. Evidently, his little friends didn't know the exact purpose of the game either, so then some of his other little boy classmates got up and started chasing each other around the circle. It was pretty silly; only the girls stayed in the circle and actually followed the directions (Ha!)

It was nice to have some mother-son bonding time at his school. Ten years from now, I picture myself chaperoning his field trips to NYC or his first school dance (gulp). Okay I'm going to stop thinking about that for now...

Another birthday?!

2011-10-07T08:07:00.021-04:00

This week I turned 36. I feel pretty ambivalent about it, except I look back at pictures of when I was in my twenties, and then it hits me--I've aged. I have wrinkles. I have cellulite. I have aches and pains. I'm tired. Since the clock is ticking, I still wonder if Little Lewie will ever have a sibling. One part of my brain says I have to try now, and another part says I may not have the stamina to keep up... Little Lewie is already a whirlwind of energy that keeps both Mommy and Daddy on our toes.

Courtesy of Google Images

Yes, the signs of aging are there in spite of my best efforts to exercise and eat right (at least most of the time). Still, I'm a year wiser and a year more experienced. I've learned a lot in one year--this must count for something. I've grown a little more tolerant of my messy house. I've learned how to stretch a dollar. I've learned to be patient during three year-old temper tantrums. I've learned that marriage is worth fighting for, and I've learned to accept imperfection at most every level.

However, I've also learned that gratitude is everything, and if we ask enough, our prayers are answered (even if they are answered differently than our expectations). I have a lot to be thankful for, and so while I'm "aging" and "learning" , I'm also celebrating moments both big and small. This year, I suppose, will go by just as quickly (or maybe even quicker) than the rest, and no doubt, I will find a new laugh line that never appeared before, but as long as I've got an attitude of gratitude, and I've created a new laugh line instead of a frown line, 36 will be a wonderful year.

An Apple Picking We Will Go...

2011-09-30T07:52:00.000-04:00

Since the start of September, I've been craving caramel apples, apple pie, and my favorite-- apple crisp. I pinky swore we were going to find time to go apple picking, and last week, we finally had a chance to do it...not just by ourselves but with some of my friends' families too.

It was a warm, sticky day (definitely more July like than Autumn like), which made us feel pretty exhausted all around. Still, my little guy had a chance to really pick the apples off the trees (and take a few bites of one too!)

This week the apples have been sitting on my counter, a daily reminder that I now need to do something with them. If all goes well today, the goal is to make apple crisp. I'll peel and slice the apples, and I'll let little guy arrange the apples in the pan and put on the crumb topping. I can't promise that some of the crumb topping won't get eaten along the way...I guess I'll have to see how it all works out...

Here's some pictures from our apple picking excursion:

"Give me a high five!"

"I'm ready Mommy!"

"An apple picking, we will go..."

"There's one!"

"Thanks for the lift Daddy!"

"Don't drop me!"

Yay for friends!

"Time to rest!"

"This is the life."

All in all, it ended up being a short trip for us, but I still enjoyed being outside in the orchards. If I get to making apple crisp today, then my September will be complete!

It's Fair Time!

2011-09-22T10:34:00.001-04:00

When I think of September, I think of apple picking, apple cider, and my favorite--country fairs! So far we've been to at least three of them, and everyone in the family seems to have their preference. My husband loves the food (especially the "bad" stuff like fried mushrooms, fried oreos, and onion rings galore). Little Lewie loves the rides (especially the cars and the merry-go-round). My mom loves crafts, and I love the animals. (Actually, I love it all, which is the reason why if my husband doesn't want to go, I invite my mom and vice versa.)

While I've taken Little Lewie to country fairs before, this year is the first time he's really "understanding" them. In the past, we kept him in the stroller, and he had a chance to "observe" the animals, the crafts, and the fair happenings. This time, for the most part, we let him run the show, and he had a great time getting his first "tattoo", visiting the animals, going on a few rides, and enjoying the food. The pictures below capture a few highlights of the past three weekends.

"Look Mommy, I'm gonna get a real tattoo like Daddy has..."

"I'm still being brave Mommy."

"Check out my tatt!"

Daddy and Lewie at the Slurpee Station.

"This is awesome Mommy!"

This pumpkin weighed a mere 521 lbs.

My little boy and me.

"Say cheese with Daddy..."

"Ice cream too? This is my lucky day!"

"Yum!!!"

Let the rides begin...

"Check me out on my Harley!"

"Just wanted to let you know how much fun I'm having Mommy."

Just chillin'.

My mom and Lewie.

Lewie and his "cake pop"! (Yes, cake on a popsicle.) Can you tell that over three weekends
we went from shorts and tank tops to sweatshirts and pants?

We're going to try to squeeze in a few more country fairs over the next few weekends, but by mid October, the season will have ended... Time just flies...

First Amusement Park Adventure

2011-09-13T02:54:00.001-04:00

My local mommy friends spent all summer long encouraging me to take Little Lewie to a small, local amusement park called Quassy. To be honest, I considered it, but I thought the rides would be too advanced for my little guy, and the tickets would be too expensive. After all, my first trip to Quassy Amusement Park (yes, it's been around that long) didn't happen until I was seven years-old. Let me repeat...seven.

"Did you take him yet?" My friends would ask impatiently. "I'm telling you...he's the perfect age. He's gonna love it!"

Well, it turns out that my mommy friends DO know what they're talking about. After getting five gushing reviews about the place and how much their toddlers loved it, I decided maybe it wouldn't hurt if we checked it out before the summer ended. My husband took a half day on Friday, and so we went during the week, when most children have already started back to school, and got to share the amusement park with only a few dozen people; it was great!

Having not been to the amusement park in quite some time, I was elated to see some of the old rides from my childhood and surprised to see some of the new rides. Indeed, if the park seemed amateurish when I was a kid, the park looks like a "real" amusement park now with a "real" gated entrance, a "real" roller coaster, and a "real" map/layout of all the rides.

While there were definitely more advanced rides to satisfy the elementary school, middle school, and even high school crowd, there were also a dozen rides or more that were perfect for a three year-old. It didn't take long for Little Lewie to remember riding the carousel or the little cars from experiences before, so when he saw both of these rides this time, he was tickled pink. Even more, since we had the park mostly to ourselves, Little Lewie could choose to go on the same rides over and over again without even having to get off and wait in line. We were spoiled--big time.

Here's a chronicle of some of the rides Little Lewie went on for his first amusement park adventure. If he didn't exactly know what it meant to "go on rides" before, he certainly knows the phrase now. I may have been seven years-old for my first amusement park experience but what can I say? Three is the new seven.

The new, updated entrance gate to Quassy.

Lewie's first ride at the park. I have to admit...the stairs made me nervous.

"Again Daddy. Again!"

"Look. I'm a sea captain!"

"Don't you love my shark torpedo!"

Lewie's first "big" ride and all by himself too! (We weighed too much to go with him.)

"I guess that was fun. Can I go on the cars again?"

On the choo-choo train. We each had our own seat!

"Watch me drive!"

The three Muskateers.

Pure fun!

We definitely had a beautiful, fun-filled day at the park. Probably my favorite experience, which I was having too much fun to capture on camera, was all of us going on the carousel together. Each of us took a horse and hung on because this ride was fast! The carousel is one of the original rides that existed when my husband and I were kids. It definitely felt as if we went back in time. Thank you for the advice mommy friends...we had the best time ever!

Little Lewie's First Day of Pre-School...(Yikes!)

2011-09-08T09:57:00.001-04:00

Last Monday was Little Lewie's first official day of "Pre-School." His days of daycare are now long gone. While it's exciting to start him in a "school readiness" program, it's also a little bit intimidating...not for him...but for me. The week before, we had an orientation, and I was already told that he would need to wear full blown underpants. (No more pull-ups.) Even more, besides getting him fully potty-trained, the pressure's on to get him better acquainted with his numbers and letters. I'm proud that my little boy can count to thirty and, more or less, knows how to sing at least some of the alphabet song. Still, now it's "GO" time. Mommy is expected to work with him at home.

So, the big first item on my agenda is to get my little guy potty trained. While he's good about going pee pee on the potty, he's still shying away from the other. He also still prefers going in his pull-up instead of telling me that he has to go...which means that both the ladies at pre-school and my family have to bring him into the bathroom at least every 20 minutes or so to make sure he stays dry. I've bought a couple of cool aids (a book, DVD, and potty chart) to help me with the training. I can't wait for them to arrive...

Yes, the milestones keep on coming...Last week was his first day of pre-school and his first time wearing big-boy underpants. Who knows what this week will bring?! I'll just work on trying to keep up with it all!

Little Lewie's first day of school--the day after Hurricane Irene.
We had no power and were still picking up branches.

"Common Mommy"

"Cheese!"

"I'm growing up."

"Ready when you are..." (Of course, I'm not ready...Oh, I'm still not ready.)

Still No Power after Hurricane Irene!

2011-09-05T08:22:00.002-04:00

Hi Everyone,

I'm happy to report that we finally do have power after Hurricane Irene! A crew from New Jersey hooked us up on Friday, and another gentleman from AT&T got our U-verse running on Saturday. I wrote a blog entry during the week on another computer but was unable to post. It was difficult to be without power. I didn't mind not watching TV for the week, but I didn't realize how 'addicted' or 'dependent' I'd become on using the internet! It was tough not to be able to blog, answer work emails from home, or even get updates from friends and family. I LOVE my computer, and even more, I LOVE my electricity and internet access. I'll never take these for granted again. Anyways, here is my mid-week rant about having no electricity and another tree falling in our yard (we had one fall on the house only a few months before)--the tree mess is still yet to be cleaned up!

As many of you know, Hurricane Irene "visited" the East coast last weekend and caused quite a bit of destruction. For Connecticut, we had lots of beach erosion, fallen trees, and knocked down power lines. While we don't live anywhere near the beach, we did have another tree come down in your yard. Fortunately, it missed the house, but as it fell on the side of our house, it took down our power lines and the pole on our house that attaches the power lines to our meter. After hearing a large thud in the afternoon, we looked out our window only to see the mess--the scariest part is that even with the power lines being knocked down and entangled in the tree, we still had power.

To be safe, we called our town's emergency number. After they came in record time to survey the damage, they decided we needed to shut our power off to avoid a fire. Now, here it is...day five after the hurricane, and we are still without power. We've been told it might not be restored for another ten days... The frequent trips to my in-laws to take showers, the visits to the laundromat, or the daily trips to get ice haven't been my idea of fun, but it certainly has made life interesting this week... At the same time, this week was Little Lewie's first day of pre-school. Not only is he trying to get adjusted to a brand new classroom and brand new teachers, but he's also trying to make sense of our lifestyle change--no lights, no TV, no baths, and even no cooked meals, to name a few. He's been telling everyone..."Fall down tree and no TT." The translation is "our tree fell down in our yard, and now we can't watch TV."

Finally, Little Lewie has been a little traumatized by other changes. I tried to give him a bath this week at my in-law's house and he screamed bloody murder. With his strength and persistence, there was no way I could get him in the tub. He still wouldn't go in after we put toys and bubble bath in the tub either. Then, today, I took him to a laundromat for the first time. Once we stuffed everything into the dryer and left to go back to the house, Little Lewie started to sob hysterically. "Clothes Mommy. Clothes!" I guess he thought we were leaving our clothes behind for good. Poor thing. I do hope things improve next week...

Here are some pictures of our "fall down tree":

We're very lucky the tree didn't hit the house!

It's hard to tell in this photo, but we have at least three other trees that are ready to fall down too!

The glorious pole to our meter that came down with the wires.

Partying with the Fam

2011-08-26T08:40:00.002-04:00

Before we had our special "Choo Choo Train Party" for Little Lewie, it'd be unfair for me to say that we didn't have a fun time leading up to his party...

On his special day, we first had a play date with his little friend Patrick. We met at Silverman's Farm in Easton where we had a chance to feed goats, reindeer, sheep, pigs, and ostriches...among other friendly animals...

It was a bright, sunny day!

The ticket stand and entrance...

Patrick's mom helping Little Lewie feed the animals.

Feeding the reindeer--Lewie's favorite part of the petting zoo.

Getting feed from the machines--Lewie's second most favorite part of the petting zoo.

Watch out for Farmer Lewie! He'd drive this thing if he had keys...

One of Lewie's buddies...

"Here deer. Have some more..."

"Lewie so happy."

After a fun day on the farm, we had his family birthday party a day later...There he was doted on by his older cousin Sarah who just loves him, and he had a chance to play with his "flying balloons." Daddy helped pump all of the balloons up, and the kids had a chance to release them screeching into the sky all at once. (I captured a video to show the fun they were having...)

Ninny, Aunty Missy, and Papa

Aunty Kiki (Lewie's Godmother)

Cousin Brooklyn...5 months old.

Cousin Gabe and his large balloon ears...

Lewie's reaction to the large balloon ears...

All the kids having fun with Daddy.

Lewie and cousin Sarah on the swing...

Playing "B-ball" with Aunty Kiki.

"Cake"

And more cake. Yum!

All in all, Lewie had a great birthday celebration that he continues to talk about. Occassionally, I still catch him singing Happy Birthday to himself too. Age may only be a number, but at three--it's a number for me that represents the beginning of pre-school, friends, independence, and a new mother-son relationship that still offers love, guidance, support, and discipline, but now, too, some room for Lewie to grow into his own.

Lewie's Choo Choo Party

2011-08-14T23:02:00.000-04:00

This weekend has been a birthday party blur. We started out by celebrating Little Lewie's "real" birthday on Thursday by taking him for ice cream at Rich's Farm in Oxford. (They make homemade ice cream--Yum!)

On Saturday, Lewie had a family birthday party that started at five in the evening. Being a gorgeous day, the kids played outside on our trampoline while the adults congregated by the food and socialized. (There will be a blog post to come.)

On Sunday, we had the train party for Lewie and his friends scheduled at 2:30 in the afternoon. The focus was on hiring a "trackless" train to come give Lewie and all of his little friends rides around the house. While it poured on his special day, we were lucky to learn that the train conductor was still ready to come with his train and that all of the train cars had covers... So even though it was a sloppy day, everyone--kids and adults--still managed to have a fun day. Here are some highlights from his party:

"All aboard to Lewie's Choo Choo Train Party"

The Invitation

The Train (4 ft. wide by 30 ft. long)!

"Let's get this party started!"

Lewie's happy friends--well, at least most of them.

The Conductor

"Seatbelt check!"

"Here they come!"

Driving around the yard...

Little Lewie, Daddy, and Cousin Sarah

Now it's time for the adults to ride!

The Cake

Time to sing--Lewie's the first one to start singing Happy Birthday to himself.

A little help from Daddy to blow out the candles

All done--wish complete!

Time to open presents...

Lewie needs help from friends because he opens his presents a little too slowly.

Now it's Lewie's time in the driver's seat.

Ringing the bell.

"Ring, ring!"

Happy Birthday Letter to my Three Year-Old

2011-08-11T08:30:00.002-04:00

Dear Little Lewie,

Today you turn three years-old, and it's hard for me to believe where the years have gone. I still remember delivering you in the hospital, and seeing your big beautiful eyes look into mine for the very first time. "Hi Little Lewie," I said with tears in my eyes, "I'm your mama. It's so nice to meet you!"

I was a neurotic first-time mom...so worried about giving you love and attention around the clock and instilling good eating habits for later on in life. We sang songs, danced around the house, read books, played peek-a-boo. Those were the days that you relied on me for everything...

Now you're three years-old and have become quite the independent little boy. You look in the refrigerator to grab your own food when you're hungry (even if mom doesn't approve of your first choice), you insist on climbing the stairs all by yourself, and enjoy playing make believe on your own with your cars, trains, and toy phones.

It seems that each year you become cuter and cuter. I love the things you say and do, and everyday you provide me with hours of entertainment. Just for you my Little Lewie, I'd like to write again about the top ten things I love about you and your age--two going on three.

1. I love when you tell me that you love me.

This was the first year that those three little words came out of your mouth. (Actually, four words.) "I love you, Mommy," you respond to me after I tell you how much I love you. Or, sometimes you say, "I love you too!" You always say it with the most perfect smile on your face, and I can always count on getting a hug afterwards. (I love those hugs!)

2. I love how sweet and thoughtful you are.

There's no question that the two's are a difficult stage both for toddlers and parents. There were times that you'd throw yourself on the floor kicking and screaming when you didn't get your way. Other times you'd hit, run away from me, or screech at the top of your lungs. I'd pray that these temper tantrums wouldn't last long (especially when they were in public), and I'd pray that I was doing everything right to make these teachable moments instead of losing my own temper. "Don't hit," I'd tell you again and again and put you in time-out until you apologized. I know that these days aren't over yet. There will be more days ahead. However, just a week ago, you taught me that all my "parenting" is working. I told you that you had to take a bath. Since you didn't feel like it, you began to go down the stairs instead of in the bathroom. "Lewie, don't you want to be clean?" I asked.

          "No, I'm fine!" you yelled, wrapping your arms around yourself in a scolding manner.
          "Lewie, we can't have you dirty. You have to be clean," I said again patiently.
          "No, I'm fine!" you told me again before stepping off the stairs into the living room.
I took a breath. I knew I was going to have to put you into time-out for not listening to me. I finished letting the bathtub water run when all of a sudden, you started walking up the stairs on your own. Before greeting me again at the top of the staircase, you said, "I'm sorry, Mommy. I take bath!"

I was astonished! My little boy thought about his actions and realized he was wrong for giving me a hard time. My heart melted.

3. I love your passion for things.
Little Lewie, when you love something...you really love it. You have two passions in life at this very moment. You love pretending to answer the phone and have conversations with all of your aunts, friends, and family members. You also enjoy playing "elevator" by using the sliding doors to our bookcase or the gliding closet doors in our master bedroom. "Ding, ding" you say as the pretend elevator doors open and close. You then make a humming sound to imitate the elevator going up or down to each floor.

You specifically ask to go to the mall so you can ride on the elevator again and again. (You often refer to the elevator as P2 because when Mommy picked you up from the college daycare, we would have to ride the elevator to Parking Lot Level 2--the button, of course, to push was P2.)

4. I love your sound effects.
Both Daddy and Mommy love to make sound effects when we describe things, and now you love to do the same thing. Some of your favorite sound effects and words are "choo choo" for choo choo train, "coo coo" for a coo coo clock, and "tick tock" for a clock. However, you also have a lot of made-up sound effects--all sorts of hums, groans, and dings when you play with someone or all by yourself.

5. I love your little singing voice.
You love singing "row, row, row, your boat," "the alphabet song." "happy birthday," "old McDonald" and "eight little monkeys jumping on a bed." In fact, on some mornings, you lay in your crib and just start singing. Sometimes you'll let me join in, and sometimes you stop me, and say, "No, I do Mommy. I do."

6. I love your "knock knock" jokes.
As your vocabulary started to improve, I couldn't believe that you decided you would already begin your stand-up comedian career by telling knock knock jokes. Your favorite is...

          You: "Knock, knock" (Sounds like gonk, gonk)
          Me: "Who's there?"
          You: "Boo"
          Me: "Boo Who?"
          You: "Don't cry it's only a joke."

You're proud of your first little joke and love to tell it to new people that you meet. In fact, you can be quite the clown when you want to be...always making faces, sound effects, or silly noises to make people laugh... You love to make fart noises and belching sounds; you probably learned them from Daddy one day and decided they were way too funny to pass up. You also love to pretend like you're sleeping only to surprise me by jumping up.

7. I love your fascination with counting.
You love to count, especially backwards. You say, "Five, four, three, two, one...blastoff!" You can count to thirty with no problem, and we often practice saying our numbers as we pass by mailboxes on our walks. It's become a game for you, and as we pass by each mailbox, you'll try to give me the number or numbers that you see listed on the side.

8. I love that you refer to yourself in the third person.
For a short time, you referred to yourself as "Lew Lew." I think this came from your first daycare at the college. However, after a few months, you insisted that you were not "Lew Lew". "I'm Lewie!" You'd say proudly. After that, everything became about Lewie... Here are some of my favorite quotes:
          "Don't cry Mommy. Little Lewie's here."
          "My blanket. Lewie's blanket."
          "Hey kids," (to your friends at playgroup), "Lewie's here!"

9. I love that you give me an itinerary of things to do when you first wake-up.
You have become quite the night owl--sometimes not going to bed until 10:30 p.m. at night. As a result, you do like to sleep in the mornings (waking up anywhere between 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.). However, when you wake up, you're full of energy, and you're already rattling off a list of things you want to do. (It's almost like you've been making this list while you were sleeping.)

"Go Mall, go P2, go pool, go swings. Go see Ryan. Go see Maya. Go see Ma. Go see Ninny. Ice cream Mommy. Ice cream."

I'd like to say that this list of demands is only given to me in the morning, but instead, they start in the morning and continue all day long. What can I say, except I love your persistence and enthusiasm for life. Okay, the persistence gets draining at times, especially when I have to explain to you forty times that we can't go on the swings today because it's raining, but I do love your passion!

10. I love that you have a photographic memory for driving and directions.
I'm amazed at your interest in "playing car", and especially amazed that when we drive anywhere you have a keen sense of where we are... If we head in one direction, you proudly announce that we need to go "that way" to Ninny's house, "that way" to the swings, or "that way" to Maya's house. If we drive in another direction, you already tell me you want to go "that way" to the mall or "that way" to the other park we visit. If I had to guess, I'd say you know how to "drive" to at least 15 different locations. If I had a lapse in memory, I'd be able to rely on you to tell me "what way" I need to drive home.

Bonus: I love that you hold my hand.
For a long time I made you travel in a stroller to avoid any meltdowns and temper tantrums.  You'd ride in a stroller at the mall, in the store, in church, or even on our way to your daycare at the college. Your independent spirit this year, however, has tested the stroller, and now you know that if you request "my hand" you can go without the stroller. You politely tell me, "Hand Mommy. Hold Hand." How can I resist? When we go places, you are good about holding my hand, and again, my heart melts to have your little hand in mine. Sure sometimes you want to "drag" me to places because of your excitement, but nonetheless, you hold my hand. It's amazing how something so simple can be so meaningful!

Happy Birthday to my Fun Little Boy!

First Trip to the Zoo

2011-08-07T07:52:00.002-04:00

We have a small zoo in Connecticut called the Beardsley Zoo that's perfect for toddlers. All the exibits can easily be seen within a few hours, and they have a huge carousel ride under a dome that completes the experience. My mom and I wanted to bring Little Lewie to the zoo last year, but for some reason, it never happened. He'd been to farms and petting zoos but nothing with lions, tigers, and bears...Oh my! (Actually, this zoo had a tiger and a black bear but no lions...)

Little Lewie with my mom going through the wolf exhibit.

Any exhibit that was large, where you had to struggle to find the animals amidst the rocks and trees, Little Lewie showed no interest; he also could care less about anything in aquariaum tanks like fish, frogs, or snakes. (I hope he stays like this--his father, as a teenager, used to own a large pet snake that he wrapped around his neck.)

Little Lewie's favorite exhitibs were the owl, the Bald Eagle, and the tiger. (The snack bar and sprinkler were other favorite exhibits.) My favorite were the monkeys, and my mom's trusted favorite were the otters.

Lewie's favorite--the owl. He stood by his cage for almost 20 minutes going "Who, who, who."

The Bald Eagle's Nest!

Finishing lunch and ice-cream with 'Ma'.

Enjoying the sprinklers with his two new friends.

All in all, we had a wonderful day that ended with a fun carousel ride. The best part of going to the zoo for me was learning how "good" my son could be...We had no meltdowns, crying fits, hitting episodes, or temper tantrums. In fact, I brought his stroller thinking he'd probably have to be in it for most of the day, especially if he started getting brave and wanting to run off on his own. Instead, my mom and I took him out and were amazed at the fact that he held our hand and stayed with us the whole time. He waved hello to people and was really just the perfect little gentleman when it came to looking at the animals and letting others have their turn. There's no doubt...my little boy is growing up!

Me and my little boy. He wanted to ride on the tiger!
(My mom's first time taking a picture with a digital camera-hee hee!)

"Shopping Trip" to the Mall

2011-07-28T08:03:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure how, but Mommy got her number one wish. I always wanted to have a little boy or little girl that would become my shopping buddy. So, when Little Lewie started mentioning that he wanted to go to the mall on a repetitive basis..."Mommy, go mall. MOMMY, go mall!" I was tickled pink. Words couldn't express the sense of gratitude I felt that I had a little boy that loved the mall just as much as me!

However, my little boy's love of the mall comes with certain conditions. When we go, we have to ride the elevator at least a half a dozen times, we have to ride several of the 50 cent kiddie car rides, and we have to go on the trackless train ride. Oh, a stop for ice cream usually has to be on the agenda too. So, while Mommy may get about 30 to 40 minutes of shopping done...she spends the other 40 minutes to an hour satisfying Little Lewie's requests...

Here are a few fun videos of our most recent mall experience this week. (I have to admit that I enjoyed satisfying Little Lewie's requests just as much as I enjoyed shopping!)

The trackless train ride!

The 'Get Your Red Hots' Ride

May you have a wonderful shopping experience with your toddler/s this weekend too! :)

All Aboard!

2011-07-21T08:07:00.004-04:00

I'm not sure when Little Lewie's fascination with trains started...it may have been when we went on the trackless train ride at the mall...or...it may have been when we visited a little friend of his that had a Thomas the Train wooden train table. All I know is that Little Lewie has been fascinated by them ever since...It's so much fun to hear him yell, "Choo choo! Choo choo!" (especially while riding the train at the mall and waving to shoppers).

Since Little Lewie's third birthday is coming up on August 11th, I decided I could either have an elevator party (his other great fascination in life) or a choo choo train party. Since elevators are hard to come by, we opted for the easier train theme. I'm still trying to see if I can secure a trackless train for his birthday pary, but in the meantime, we already decided to buy him his birthday gift--his very own train table. The Thomas the Train wooden tracks and train sets are pretty expensive (even the used ones on eBay), but we did find an awesome Imaginarium train table at Toys "R" Us on clearance for under $100.

Last Sunday, we decided to center the day around getting his present. Since Toys "R" Us will not deliver the table, we had to use the store locater to find a store that had the item available for pick-up. The closest store wasn't even in our state, so we opted to drive to Yonkers, NY (an hour and 15 minute drive from our house) to get it. My husband wasn't thrilled about the idea of driving so far at first, but once we got the table and came home, our little boy's excitement made up for the long ride. He was such a good boy during the car ride, and he couldn't be happier when Daddy put together his table.

Here are some highlights from our day including a fun video showing Little Lewie tackling the box and yelling "Choo choo":

One excited little boy!

Giving a thumbs up!

Looking for an opening...

Playing with his train set before Daddy is even finished...

Poor Daddy still trying to put together the thousands of pieces...

Proof that our long trip for the train set was well worth the wait!

These Lazy Days of Summer

2011-07-15T08:30:00.001-04:00

I love the summertime. Simply put, I don't have to feel guilty about the endless hours of TV watching indoors. No, but honestly, there's nothing more fun than going for a swim, relaxing under a tree with an ice cream cone, going for an evening stroll, enjoying a good old-fashinoned picnic, roasting marshmellows...etc. etc.

I'm happy to say that we've been enjoying the great outdoors. Sure our work schedules sometimes get in the way, but over the last few days we've had a chance to take in some rays. Here's some pictures from our last few adventures...

Swimming in Ninny and Papa's Pool

Happiness is swinging on the "Big Boy" Swing

Shark Attack?!

Getting some R&R on the beach with his pal Ryan.

Scoping the scene for chicks.

Searching for buried treasure.

Watching the campers across the lake.

"May we please have some ice cream?"

"Don't worry. It's on me today."

Fast asleep.

The Potty Monster

2011-07-07T04:37:00.001-04:00

Okay, we've created a "potty monster." If you're not sure what I mean, please...let me explain.

Scenario 1:

Little Lewie and I are on our way out the door. I'm late for work and call daycare to let them know that I will be dropping him off later than expected (again). As I go to lock the door, Little Lewie annouces...
     "Potty Mommy, Potty."
     "What? Now? Are you sure you need to go potty now?"
     "Yes, pee pee Mommy, pee pee."

I unlock the door, bring Little Lewie to the bathroom, and help him pull down his pants and pull up. We stand there for three minutes. Nothing happens, but Lewie proceeds to tell me that he's done, so he can flush the toilet and celebrate...

Scenario 2:

This lovely picture is provided to
you by Google Images.

We're at the park. We just finish playing on the swings and instead of being interested in going on the slides, Lewie announces...

"Potty Mommy, Potty."

Well, what do you know? Way out younder, yes beyond the parking lot and the ball fields, there's a pavillion that most likely has a potty. If not, next to the pavillion are porta potties. Well it must be our lucky day!

     "Are you sure you have to go potty, Lewie?"
     "Yes Mommy, poopy. Go poopy Mommy. Go poopy."
I hold his hand, and we walk through the playground, across the parking lot, across several ball fields, and arrive at the pavillion. There's a bathroom that's open at the pavillion; although Little Lewie has his eyes on the porta potty. (Even though it's stinky, evidently it's way cooler because it has a swivel lock.)
     "No Lewie. We're not doing the porta potty. It's stinky.  Let's go to the regular bathroom."
     "No Mommy. No!" he screams grabbing onto the porta potty door and not letting go.
     "We're going to the other bathroom Lewie," I say sternly, trying to release his grasp on the door.
Now my kid is really screaming. Fortunately, we're not making too much of a scene since we're pretty far away from the park. (Although I'm sure some moms can see us out in the distance--me yanking my little boy, and my little boy grabbing onto the porta potty for dear life.)

After what feels like a ten minute struggle, Mommy finally wins, and we get to the regular bathroom. I proceed to pull down Lewie's pants and realize he's more interested in playing with the stall door.
     "Lewie. I thought you said you have to go potty."
He looks at me and continues playing with the lock on the door.
     "I'm not kidding Lewie. No more playing with the door. If you have to go potty, we need to go NOW."
The potty never happens; instead my little boy is fixated on playing with the doors, and going potty was just an excuse to get here.

* * *

Now don't get me wrong. I'm very excited that Little Lewie has been doing pee pee on the potty. He's really trying, and I don't want to discourage or reverse his efforts. Still, since I made going potty into this fun celebration, Little Lewie wants to do it all the time, even when he really doesn't have to go, just to receive the praise, flush the toilet, or if we're out somewhere, to play with the bathroom stall/lock. It's become way too fun for him...to the point that I'm battling with him over the difference of using the porta potty vs. playing with the porta potty lock. Ugh!

Oh yes, and in case you were wondering what eventually happened in Scenario 2...let's just say I ended up carrying my little 45 lb. boy to the car since he still wanted to play with the bathroom doors...Sometimes it's better to go to a park that doesn't have any toilets...at least for now.

Father's Day 2011

2011-06-21T23:59:00.003-04:00

Now that Little Lewie is getting older, he's starting to understand the concept of holidays a little more. And yes indeed, his little mind is catching on fast--he knows holidays are all about family, friends, presents, and CAKE (his favorite).

This week, we started celebrating Father's Day by making presents and buying a special card. He made his own special present for Daddy at daycare, and then on Friday, we went to a cute little children's art studio called the Giggling Pig, where Little Lewie and his friend had a chance to make special wooden picture frames and finger paintings for their daddies.

The only problem was...

Lewie's friend Ryan being attentive and ready for his art project.

Lewie deciding he'd rather play with the toy blocks in the corner.

Lewie deciding that he really, really LOVES knocking down the blocks.

Lewie watching Mommy make Daddy's picture frame from afar.

So, ahem...the only problem was that Lewie didn't want to do any art projects. Both the picture frame and the finger painting captured his attention for point nine seconds. After that, he played with blocks and the doors to both the art studio and the bathroom. When I suggested he sit down to help me, he decided to do the complete opposite; instead, he ran around in circles trying to get his friend Ryan to chase him. It, to say the least, didn't work out quite exactly as planned, but at least Daddy received a present made from Mommy's TLC. (I didn't include a picture of it because you'd laugh at my extreme lack of artistic talent.)

The one gift, however, that Daddy received that was created by Little Lewie was his Father's Day card. I bought a special Hallmark card that lets you record your own message, so after only two tries, I managed to get Little Lewie to say, "I love you Daddy," and "Happy Father's Day." I'm not sure how long these cards last, but I thought it'd be great if Daddy could save the card all the way until Little Lewie becomes a grown adult. It'd be so much fun to listen to his little two year-old voice again one day.

On Father's Day, Little Lewie had the joy of spending the day with the other two Lew's in his life--Papa Lew and Daddy Lew. Indeed, I was happy to capture a picture of the three generations of Lew's. The reality is that Papa Lew continues to be a walking miracle. In his lifetime he has survived two bouts with throat cancer, Mesothelioma, a heart attack, and as of only a month ago, several strokes. (We are still in awe at how well he is getting around when his doctors thought he wouldn't be able to speak, let alone walk!)

Lewis, Sr., Lewis, Jr., and Little Lewie Jayden

Yes, Father's Day is a day to celebrate with friends and family, open presents, and have cake. The only thing that could have made it more fun for Little Lewie would have been the chance to blow out candles. (Little does he know that he will be doing that in only a few short months--yes my little guy will be turning three--gulp!)

Bossy

2011-06-17T07:20:00.000-04:00

I have to say that the "two's" are unpredictable. One minute my little guy is as charming as can be--listening to me and even helping me around the house. The next minute he's screeching on the top of his lungs, throwing punches, and kicking because he's not getting his way. Usually scenario number two happens when he's tired, but sometimes it just plain old happens. Since he's a strong, solid little boy, I sometimes I have a hard time "making him" do what I want and yet, he has to learn that what mommy says "goes." (My chiropractor is going to have to make a lot of adjustments this month. My back has especially been thrown out of whack from all the times I've had to try and carry a 45lb screaming, hitting, and kicking toddler from the park swings to my car.)

Still, the most interesting part of this age is his desire for independence. He wants to do everything and call the shots, and I find myself more often than not questioning who is the "real boss." "Don't be so bossy," I find myself telling Little Lewie at least once a day. He constantly tells me, "Mommy I do. No Mommy. I do. I do it. I do it." This can include everything from opening our house door with a key to wanting to be the one to sit in the driver's seat. If he had it his way, he could get his driver's license (or at least his permit) by age two!

In some cases when he feels like I'm threatening his independence, he will tell me to "Sit down" or "Stay there." Like a cautious mom who's afraid he's going to dump milk all over himself (including the kitchen counter), I hover, and he can't stand hovering. "No Mommy. I do. I do. Stay there. Sit Mommy. Sit down."

So, what can I ultimately say about his bossiness? Well, sometimes it's cute, sometimes it's annoying, and sometimes it just makes me late for work. It's thrilling to see him have an interest in so many things and to be able to do things by himself, and yet, it's tough because there are many, many things that he just can't do at age two. Ultimately I want him to learn to do things for himself, so I do my best to give him some free reign. Still, there are some mornings that I wake up wondering, who's the one that's really calling the shots?

Here are a few pictures I managed to take yesterday at the park before he insisted that he wanted the camera. "No Mommy. I do."

Silly Antics

2011-06-11T00:38:00.002-04:00

My little guy makes me belly laugh at least once a day--sometimes by the things he says, sometimes by what he does, or sometimes because he is deliberately trying to entertain me and make me laugh. (Yes, my little two year old likes to tease me and is a practical joker...already. Gulp.)

Anyhow, this week two things happened, which I need to document before the moment and memory of them fade. They were, of course, two things that made me laugh so hard I almost couldn't catch my breath.

Scenario 1: My mom and I decided to take Little Lewie to the mall for a special trip. He likes to go on the kiddie rides, and even more, he LOVES to push the buttons and go up and down the elevator. (Yes, anyone who's been following my blog for almost a year now knows how much this kid loves elevators. It's been a fascination of his for almost a year, and there's still no sign of him letting up...) My mother's car is older, and we still don't know quite how to make the back window baby proof. So, as you can imagine, a toddler that loves buttons, absolutely adores making the window go up and down in the back seat. When we pulled into the diner parking lot, he put down his window and shouted "Hi" to a few people talking outside their car. They stopped and laughed at how friendly my little guy is. It was almost as if he was trying to pick them up.

Then as we pulled up to a red light, a guy (probably in his twenties) was sitting in his Mustang convertible with the top down. Little Lewie decided to put his window down once more and yell out to him. It sounded like he said, "Nice car." The guy didn't expect someone to yell a compliment to him from such close proximity and literally almost jumped out of his car. (I swear my little guy was a comedian in his former life.)

Scenario 2: Three days after seeing such a beautiful rainbow by our house, we had a terrible thunder storm with such strong winds that a tree in our front yard smashed down on our house. (Oh yes, it looks like we have several thousand dollars worth of damage!) Little Lewie was napping at the time and didn't quite know what happened. The very next morning I told him if he steps outside the house, he's going to see that a tree fell down. He went outside, picked up a thick stick, brought it in the house and said, "Mommy...fall down tree...fall down tree."
"Oh no Lewie," I remarked, "that's not the fallen down tree..." I led him to the front of the house and pointed to it. The look on his face was priceless. It was almost as if he said, "Holy Sh*t!" He surveyed it from all angels, and after a few minutes, he looked at me and said, "It's fine, Mommy. It's fine."

Kind of the look he made when he saw the "real" fallen down tree.

The lovely tree. This is shot # 1 for our house insurance.

Another shot of the tree. I was so eager to get a picture that the storm
was still rumbling in the background as I took it; if you look close to
the TV, you'll see that the news is still tracking the storm with all the
bright red, yellow, and oranges.

Needless to say, the taking down of the tree is definitely going to be the excitement for the weekend. He's already had the pleasure of meeting two tree guys, and in just a few short days, the guys are going to be out here with their bucket truck, the rope pulleys, and chainsaws. As long as he doesn't open the window on the second floor and startle them by saying "hello" or "nice saw," we should be fine!

Promise

2011-06-07T07:05:00.000-04:00

It's funny how life/God sends messages your way, especially when you are least expecting it. This month Lewie's daycare has chosen a theme called "Rainbow Gardens." As a result, he is doing all sorts of rainbow crafts--hand print rainbows, rainbow bubbles, rainbow sand art.

He started talking about rainbows in the car. At first I didn't understand what he was saying, but once I remembered this month's theme, I blurted out, "Oh rainbows. Yes, did you learn how to paint a rainbow today Lewie?"

About five minutes later, it started to rain. In fact, it almost seemed like rain was on one side of the car and the sun was on the other side. "Look Lewie. We're having a sun shower."

I no sooner commented on the sun shower when Lewie shouted, "Mommy, rainbow. Rainbow, Mommy, Rainbow." There, on the right side of the car, a beautiful rainbow appeared from behind the clouds. I was taken aback. The last time I saw a rainbow was about seven years ago. I was taking a walk, thinking about my husband-to-be when it appeared. At that time, I was certain it was a sign that our relationship was meant to be.

Now, seven years later, a rainbow appears again as I'm thinking about my husband and our marriage...Is it a sign of hope? Is it a promise for a better tomorrow? Little Lewie and I admire it until it fades into the backdrop. I wish I had my camera; still, maybe if I stopped the car to take a picture, I would have missed the moment. "Take a long look Little Lewie," I whisper. "We might not get a chance to see another one for a long, long time."

A similar rainbow to the one we saw--courtesy of Google Images.

Starting Anew

2011-05-31T12:18:00.000-04:00

There have been lots of changes this month--good, bad, indifferent. My husband and I have been working on our marriage. Some difficulties have surfaced as in any marriage, and through it, we have both learned that we need to turn to our faith to help us. It is at these moments that I feel most vulnerable. Letting go of control and trusting the future will work itself out is not easy, and yet, I know, in some way, my prayers will be answered.

Little Lewie has his own set of changes this month. After spending nine months at the college daycare, he "graduated" and must now attend a new daycare for the summer. He started last week, and while I'm impressed with their itinerary of summer activities, play groups, and teachers, Little Lewie still seems to feel lost in this sea of brand new faces. This morning was incredibly difficult as right away, he noticed we were driving in the direction of the daycare.

"Mommy...go home. Go home!" He announced from the backseat.

"You're going to have fun," I reassured him.

"No. Mommy. No. Go home!"

Bringing him inside the building wasn't any easier. He kept telling me to "sit down" and "stay here." Evidently, if I was going to bring him to the daycare, then he wanted me to stay with him too. I stayed for a few minutes and then realized I wasn't doing the teachers any favors. The screaming, crying, and tears were only being prolonged until I made my announcement that I had to leave. It took quite some time for Little Lewie to get accustomed to being left at his other daycare. It may take a month of so for him to get adjusted again. (This has not been easy on my "mommy guilt" as I'm almost in tears for the next 40 minutes as I drive to work.)

Hmmm....what can I say about change? It's hard--mega-hard. It's stressful, and most of the time, it's unavoidable. Change happens whether we like it or not. What I've learned in these past few months is that the only thing we can control is our reaction to change. We can either let go and embrace it or fight it. I've tried fighting it...it doesn't work. My little boy's favorite song is "Row, row, row your boat." Yesterday, as we sang the song together, I realized my answer has always been in this song. All along, I've been trying to row upstream--battling the current, using every ounce of my energy, and eventually being pushed back to where I started. Today, I'm going to row merrily down the stream. I might not know where I'm going, but I'll trust that the current knows the way...

Little Lewie's First Field Trip!

2011-05-24T06:34:00.001-04:00

These past two weeks have honestly been a blur. At work, I had to assist with Commencement 2011, and at home, Little Lewie was preparing for a "Commencement" of his own.  Since Little Lewie's daycare is part of a community college, it ends during the summer. If I was on a professor's schedule, this would have been perfect; after all, I would get to spend my summers staying home with my little boy. Unfortunately, with my new position in college administration, I don't have a summer break this year.   I still have to work between two to three full days a week, which means poor Little Lewie has to adjust now to a brand new daycare.

Anyhow, just like college seniors and high school seniors get to have a fun week full of graduation activities (i.e. Senior Day, Class Trip, Graduation, etc.), Little Lewie had a fun few weeks of "graduation" activities. According to his daycare, Little Lewie was graduating from the "toddler room" to "pre-school" because when he returns in the fall, he will officially be three.   (This means I have exactly three months to get him potty trained--Yikes!) His graduation week started with a field trip to Flander's Nature Center, and I had the joy of chaperoning (mostly Little Lewie) but other two, three, and four year-olds as well.

When bringing Little Lewie to his daycare, he first cried because he thought I was dropping him off. "No, Mom is staying with you this time, Lewie." He looked puzzled and continued to declare, "Mommy Bye-Bye. No Mommy. Bye-Bye." (Translation--No Mom. I want to leave with you.)

This little struggle lasted for a few minutes until we were told that we could all walk out to the school buses.   Well, riding a school bus for a two year old boy is just about the coolest thing you can ever do. It was so entertaining to watch him jump in excitement at the anticipation of getting on the bus. Even more, it was fun to watch his antics on the bus. Not only did he enjoy having a window seat, but he loved peaking in the crack between the window and the seat to see his friends sitting in front of him and behind him. A couple of times he tried to kneel on the seat and face backwards to entertain the people behind him, but Mom had to lay down the school bus safety rules (even though I never followed them myself when I was in school).

The bus was quite rowdy--full of toddlers screaming, laughing, and sometimes crying. A toddler in front of Lewie on the bus ride to the Nature Center decided he was going to entertain Lewie by making fart noises and peaking between the seat crack. This put Lewie in his glory.

On the school bus...

The tractor ride.

Decorating my pot.

Petting bunnies with my very first teacher, Miss Kim.

"I hope the bunny doesn't mistake my finger for a carrot."

In search of the noisy rooster.

Romping around the barnyard.

Once we arrived at the Nature Center, we had the pleasure of taking a tractor ride through a meadow and then visiting the farm animals--bunnies, goats, chickens, ducks, roosters, and even a cranky ram (one that we were distinctly forewarned not to pet). We had lunch out on a picnic bench with the other kids, and then Lewie had a chance to decorate his own planting pot with markers. At the end, he had to scoop up soil and push some seeds into it--I still don't know what we're supposed to be growing.

All in all, it was a fun trip, and I was thrilled that my little boy behaved himself without any major meltdowns. It was fun to watch him engage with his classmates by either laughing with them or chasing them around the barnyard. (One little girl wanted him to chase her again and again.) Even more, it was a thrill to see his interest in the animals. Only a year ago, I had brought him to a couple of country fairs, and he could care less about the pigs and the cows. Now, he was in his glory. In particular, he loved watching the bunnies and LOVED hearing this one rooster crow over and over again. Little Lewie kept going up to his cage and yelling, "Cock-a-doo-doo" back to him. His interest in the animals landed him an opportunity to actually hold a baby bunny rabbit, which he petted oh so gently.

All in all, it was a fun field trip experience full of many firsts--first time on the school bus, first time holding a baby bunny, first time decorating a pot, first time seeing a ram, and first time going on an adventure with classmates. I watched my little boy grow up that day. All along, his changes have been subtle for me, but somehow, on this trip, I suddenly saw glimpses of a soon-to-be three year old. The two year-old baby that I dropped off at daycare more than nine months ago has now become this lively, funny, entertaining little boy.

My Little Creative Genius

2011-05-11T06:16:00.000-04:00

Okay, so maybe I'm not quite so humble. To be honest, my little boy is more interested in learning how to put things together than he's interested in art. For example, he'll spend hours opening and closing the closet doors to understand how the hinges work or he'll spend a good long time practicing how to snap and unsnap the safety belt on his high chair. However, give him a piece of paper and a marker...and he's done in five minutes flat.

Little Lewie's Child Development Center (a.k.a. Daycare), however, is inspired by Reggio Emilia, Italy Approach, which among other important missions and criteria, focuses on providing an art based and multisensory curriculum in the classroom. So, while Little Lewie's natural inclinations don't necessarily gravitate toward art, his daycare has inspired him to try a thing or two--like making collages out of natural materials (like pine cones, bark, leaves), molding and glazing clay, or drawing pictures using chalk, crayons, markers, or paint. And, while he usually bypasses trying this stuff with me at home, his wonderful teachers at the Child Development Center actually inspire and encourage him to do it there. When I received his first art project, I thought surely someone had to do it for him, but then they sent me pictures--firsthand proof that he may have an interest in art after all...

So while I used to turn my nose up to daycare and cried and cried the first day I had to send him...I'm starting to discover that maybe daycare has given him a lot of great exposure to new and interesting things that he wouldn't have at home...

Oh My...Look How Tall I've Grown!

2011-05-02T05:26:00.000-04:00

My little boy is...welll...not so little anymore. At age two, he's already wearing 4T (and sometimes even 5T clothing). At the beginning of the winter in December, I bought Lewie a pair of 4T pants and had to roll up the cuffs. I forgot about these pants (having misplaced them in the back of his drawer) and just recently found them. When I put them on him last week...this is what I discovered...

Yup, he grew about two inches in just a few short months. People have always told me that boys will eat you out of house and home, but I never guessed it would start this early. I can honestly say that with all of Lewie's growth spurts, he's been eating larger portions than I do...and even then, he still has his nose in the refridgerator looking for food.

It's fun to watch Lewie grow, and indeed I know he is going to be a tall boy. My husband is 6' 1", and if he takes after my family, my dad was 6' 4". Still, I get weepy everytime I have to pack up his old clothes that he'll never wear again, and these days, I've been packing up more and more clothes... Sometimes I do miss those baby clothes..."Little Lewie, could you stop growing for Mommy...just a little. Please?"

Easter 2011

2011-04-26T14:26:00.001-04:00

This year the Easter Bunny finally came to our house...maybe it's because we left him carrots, or maybe it's because he knew Little Lewie might be old enough to search for some Easter eggs in the house.

Anyways, he came, hid a half a dozen eggs, and left chocolate treats, stickers, and even a matchbox car. I gave the Easter Bunny explicit instructions not to go overboard since a) we don't need all the candy (some of us are on diets in this house) and b) we don't need more toys (I'm still trying to eliminate all the excess. ...Oprah tells us less is more. Less is more for us because less = more room/space in this house.)

I wasn't able to capture many pictures of Little Lewie this year since he insists that he wants to be the one taking pictures. Still, I did get a few of him taking his Easter egg bath, searching for eggs on Easter morning, and posing in his Easter outfit. We had a great time since some of our relatives were up from Delaware for the long weekend. Lewie received nonstop attention from his gramy and his two doting aunts since he is the "baby" of our family. To him, he struck it rich this Easter. Everywhere he looked, he had someone offering to be his play buddy and he had a chance to eat chocolate. Heaven!

Here are a few pictures from the holiday. Next year, I suspect the Easter bunny will hide a basket along with all the eggs...

"Floating plastic eggs--Yipee!"

"Is there water inside?"

"Cool bath, Mommy."

"What's in here?"

"I'm still sleepy...Do I have to find all my eggs?"

"Me and my Godmother."

"Me and Mommy."

"Thanks Easter Bunny!"

I hope everyone had a nice holiday!

We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors...

2011-04-22T06:57:00.004-04:00

We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.

-Native American Proverb

-Google Images

I learned to appreciate Mother Nature from my dad. We would spend time together hiking in the woods or fishing on his bass boat. He always wanted to be a Forest Ranger when he grew up, but sadly, never had the opportunity to go to college and follow his dreams.

Still, today, his spirit resides in me. I love hiking, fishing, camping, and admiring God's beautiful creation. Even more, I'm a huge recycling advocate, landtrust advocate, and EPA advocate. I wear a heavy heart when I hear about the carcinogenic toxins that ruined our well water from a landfill nearby, the heap of plastic bottles and other trash that makes up the size of Texas in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the BP Oil Spill, or now the nuclear radiation crisis in Japan.

It's been a belief that we can use and abuse our earth because the earth is too big to destroy--that it can repair itself and come back. Whenever large spending cuts are made, funding for the Environmental Protection Agency, our state and national parks, or the protection of wildlife always seems to be the first on the chopping block. I say ENOUGH. Why can't we TRY to move forward toward a safe, sustainable future together? Why can't we drive electric cars, warm our homes with the sun's rays, and grow food that's organic and non-genetically modified? I hope my little boy and others of his generation will be asking the same questions, or even better, not have to ask these questions because a sustainable future will already be in place. After all, our children and our children's children need to borrow the earth too. It's not ours to keep alone...

Monday's Mommy Moment: My Two Year-Old's First Art Exhibit

2011-04-18T04:40:00.003-04:00

My little boy is constantly learning new things at daycare. He does music and movement, art projects, storybook projects, and nutrition charts...to name a few. Well, since his daycare is part of our local community college, his time there will be ending in one short month. (This means I have to secure summer daycare for him with someone else, but it also means that this last month is jam packed with extra special events--some to show off all the projects he has been working on for the past school year and some for pure entertainment value.) For example, this Tuesday, a children's author will be coming to Little Lewie's class to tell the children about writing a book, and then she will autograph any books that we buy. Next Wednesday, I've been invited to Little Lewie's first "book presentation", where he will present the storybook and illustrations he's been working on all year.

This past week, however, Little Lewie had a chance to show off his art work at his very first art exhibition. We received a special announcement in the mail, which said his work would be displayed out on the fifth floor walkway, not far from the college cafeteria. Sure enough, Little Lewie's art work, along with the seven other students in his classroom and the twenty some students in the preschool classroom, was hanging up with his picture. While the teachers did not post their names, they did, however, write descriptions about each student. Here are some pictures of the "gallery":

Here are Little Lewie's "masterpieces". (Definitely reminds me of Picasso...)

Here are some other "exquisite" art pieces from other students. The second one is a
sculpture made out of shredded paper.

And finally, here we are admiring his fabulous work.

It's official. This will now be the first of many functions for Mommy to go to and be a cheerleader for her little boy. I don't suspect this will stop until he's graduated from college. Oh, as far as I'm concerned, I hope it never stops...

Friday Fun Flick: Say "Cheese"

2011-04-08T03:44:00.000-04:00

Blogging and the camera have always gone hand in hand. In fact, I think blogging has inspired me to bring the camera (and use it) at times when I normally wouldn't have considered it. On any given day, Little Lewie is used to getting photographed, and thankfully, he doesn't seem to mind it. In fact, right now he's at the age where he embraces it.

Well, this week we went on a play date where he had the chance to play with lots of cool toys that he's never seen before. While he did show interest in a few of the toys, his favorite was a talking Elmo camera. Right away he got "inspired" to take lots of pictures of Mommy and his friends; his enthusiasm for taking pictures was so relentless that my friend even told Lewie he could keep the camera. (Yeah, I have super sweet friends like that.)

To say that Lewie LOVES this camera is an understatement. Once we got home, he wouldn't put it down for a minute. He ran around our house and took lots of pictures of the grass, the sky, the rocks, his swings, and even (much later) the moon. I couldn't stop laughing because he would tell all these inanimate things to "Say Cheese!" I was so entertained by his behavior, I almost forgot to use my own camera to record these memories. Here's a quick video I was able to capture while he had a camera in one hand and I had a "real" camera in my hand:

Is Lewie's fascination with the camera a direct response to my own enjoyment of photographing him and things around me for my blog? I'm sure. Still, it's fun to dream that one of these days I'll have a mini photographer on my hands. We'll see where all this enthusiasm takes us... For now, I'm glad I had a camera to capture the moment of him trying to "capture" the moment.

Happy weekend everyone!

One Giant Leap Ahead

2011-04-05T02:47:00.000-04:00

There are times when my little boy truly amazes me, and then there are times when I feel like all my teaching, coaxing, suggestions, and lessons are fruitless. For the past few months, Little Lewie has been, well, Little Lewie. On some days, he'd learn new words to add to his vocabulary, and then other days, decide that he's going to return to his "baby talk"--babbling a mile a minute in his own language. On some days, he'd be Mommy's perfect little angel, listening to my requests and letting me bartar with him. ("Okay Lewie, if you're good in the store, Mommy will let you have a cookie in the car," or "Okay if you're good for me in the post office, we will go to your favorite park to play.") On other days, Little Lewie will take a screaming, red-faced, full blown temper tantrum, keeping me from being able to pick him up, let alone strap him in his carseat.

Yes, to put it mildly, his progress or milestones have seemed to flipflop. There have been some days that I see him inching to the three year-old mark, and then other days when his tantrums remind me of his outburts a year ago.   I never know when I'm going to be excited, frustrated, or simply ambivalent to it all.

This weekend, however, Little Lewie moved toward the three year-old direction again, and I was left amazed at how much he seemed to do and comprehend all at once.   Over the past couple of days, he started saying more words, including (finally) his own name. Oh, he won't say his name if we ask him, but oddly enough, I caught him calling out "Lew" to my husband.   Instead of calling him Daddy, he decided to grab his attention by referring to him by his real name.   As I shouted, "Lew, can you come over here for a second?" Little Lewie decided to help me..."Lew...Lew!"

Then, my little boy (for lack of better words) went poopy in the potty. I was shocked! We hadn't even started potty training yet, but I do have a small potty in the bathroom that I've shown to him once or twice. On Sunday morning, I asked him if he was "going poopy" since he sure smelled like it. Then, on his own, he ran to the bathroom, moved his small potty away from the corner and sat on it. I explained to him that we had to take off his PJ's and his diaper first, and then I let him have some privacy. After two failed attempts, the third time was a charm! He called for me to come to the bathroom because he "went poopy", and sure enough, he did!

Oh, by all means, my little boy isn't potty trained yet, but I'm shocked at how much progress was made this weekend without even any pushing, coaxing, or bartaring on my part. Yes, this weekend, I've learned that all my teaching and parenting may actually be fruitful after all. The learning will just appear in Little Lewie's own time, not mine...

Have you been amazed by any milestones lately?

Friday Fun Flick: Tapping in Mommy's Shoes

2011-03-31T23:42:00.001-04:00

I'm not sure what inspired me to take my tap shoes out, but for some reason this week, I had the strange desire to see if I could remember any of my tap routines. You see, I don't have many skills or talents. I'm not athletic or artistic. I'm not good at singing or playing a musical instrument. I'm also not particularly flexible (alright so maybe that's just too much information). What I'm saying is that during my childhood, adolescence, and even adulthood, I tried a lot of different sports and hobbies, but the only one that I truly loved, and still love today, is tap dancing. I started at age five, took lessons until I was sixteen, and then I went back to taking lessons in college until I was thirty. Oh, I'm not a flashy dancer that can gracefully hop around clicking my heels, but I can do a mad shuffle hop step hop step. (Drawbacks are my specialty.)

Well, to my surprise, I actually do remember several of my old routines from five years ago. (My last dance recital was in 2006.) From time to time, Little Lewie has seen me tap dance and liked it, but this time, he LOVED it. He kept following me around the kitchen, stomping his feet again and again. Finally, I suggested he try on Mommy's tap shoes. Well, this just made his day. Of course, I didn't capture him early on when he was full of energy, but I did manage to get this video clip before he decided to take my shoes off. (I may just need to buy him his own tap shoes one of these days...)

Kissed by the Bluebird of Happiness

2011-03-30T03:25:00.001-04:00

When I was about eight years-old, my mom bought me a bluebird of happiness that graced my windowsill. We saw it together at a card store, and when she purchased it, she said she wanted it to be a reminder that if she could have one wish, it would be that my life was a happy one.

Well, almost twenty five years later, I've passed down the bluebird of happiness to my son. It now graces his windowsill, and everytime I lift the shade, I take the bluebird out, and he swoops down to Little Lewie (yeah, I have a pretty good imagination) and kisses him. Little Lewie, of course, loves and expects this daily routine. He always cringes a little when the bird first "kisses" him because the glass is cold from sitting in the window overnight. Still, I want it to be a reminder that, like my mom, I want all the happiness in the world for him. No matter what challenges a day brings, I want him to know that happiness is just around the corner (or in this case, sitting in his windowsill) to be reclaimed. For now, my one goal everyday is to make sure Little Lewie's mornings and days are happy ones that begin with the promise of a special morning kiss.

Friday Fun Flick: Mr. Manners

2011-03-25T07:30:00.000-04:00

My little boy may not always behave appropriately (i.e. terrible two tantrums or before nap meltdowns), but one thing you can't call him is rude. My little boy is Mr. Polite. In our household, we're always saying please and thank you. In fact, if you never saw our messy house but only heard the words that came from inside, you could possible mistake my husband and I for Ward and June Cleaver. (If you don't know who these TV characters are, then don't worry, it just means I'm an old fossil.)

I love the following video clip because it's just an example of his "peas and tanks" (translation--please and thanks.) We had good friends of ours come over with their little boy who's about five months older than Lewie. The two of them placed nicely together with our Fisher Price doorway and actually shared one of the plastic "letters" by handing it back and forth through the doorway. Lewie's little friend would announce, "Special Delivery," and Lewie would respond, "Tanks."

The best part, I think, is listening to us parents in the background. Our entire conversation is centered around our little guys, and we keep coaching our kids to be "polite." At the end, you can hear my husband say repeatedly, "Good job buddy," in praise of the fact that Little Lewie is sharing his toys.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. To close, I've decided to share a song that was taught to us during our library reading hour. It's sung to the melody of Frere Jacques or Are you Sleeping?

                             "Please and thank you, Please and thank you
                              Sound so nice, sound so nice.
                              Manners are important, manners are important.
                              Be polite. Be polite."

Yes, sometimes I have to sing this song in my head when I'm not getting along with a coworker. It's interesting how these early lessons we learn at say, age two, need to be reminders when we get older...

Monday's Mommy Moment: Finding Creativity in Silence

2011-03-21T01:05:00.004-04:00

Our house is noisy. It's not because there are a lot of people--there's just my husband, Little Lewie, and me. Our house is noisy because we're always busy "doing." In the morning, we watch the weather and some news followed by Little Lewie's cartoons. In the afternoon, if I'm not at work, I'm usually vacuuming, doing laundry, washing dishes, or doing some sort of other activity that provides a background noise. Oh yeah, and there's more TV.

Finally, in the evening, there's even more TV. (When my husband returns from work, I can always guarantee he will request control of the throne, the recliner, and oh yes, the remote.) Consequently, the TV doesn't go off until well after Little Lewie is in bed either. If Little Lewie isn't listening to the TV, music, or my household chore activities, then he is used to hearing Mommy and Daddy talk on their cell phones.

Yes, while we are busy "doing", we are 1) training our little guy to feel like there always needs to be some sort of background noise, and 2) missing out on what's being said or taking place behind the laughter, shrills, screams, and blabber on TV.

This weekend, whenever possible, I decided to shut the TV off. I didn't talk on my cell phone, and I put down the laundry and other chores. Yes, instead, Little Lewie and I went for walks where we could hear the sounds of birds, geese, and even peepers (we had one incredibly warm day). And, when we were at home, we played "in silence."

At one point, I realized my little guy wasn't interested in playing with me anymore, and he had created his own little storyline. He became so involved in his play that he even let me film him without once paying attention to me. It was at this moment that I realized what I've been missing. He was talking, making sound effects, and creating his own little pretend world. I know kids do this all the time, but I've been missing it. In the confusion of our loud, perpetually busy household, I've been missing my little boy's play--the secret, inner workings of his mind--the beauty of his thoughts, imagination, and creativity. Below is some of his play I was able to capture on video.

For months now, I've been reading mom blogs that have made it their personal mission to turn off the TV. While I won't be able to get my husband to subcribe to this philosophy anytime soon, I will however, do my best to create "quiet" times in our house or outside where Little Lewie can listen to nothing else but his own thoughts (and maybe a bird or two in the background.)

The Open House Crashers

2011-03-15T07:05:00.002-04:00

For the past few weeks, my mom has semi-seriously started to look at new house listings. My husband and I are not quite sure why since we love our home, but she's definitely on a kick to see what's out there. For almost five full years now, my husband and I have been living on one side of our duplex house, and my mom lives on the other. I have lived in this home since I was three (I can't believe Little Lewie is only a few months away from this age), and while I lived on one side with my mom, my grandparents had lived on the other side--the side that we now inhabit. Of course, I didn't always live here--I moved away to college and grad school, but I did return home when I was 24. (I'm now um...okay I know I announced this in a previous post--35.)

Okay, so it's safe to say that I've lived here for a few decades, and to be honest, not much has changed. Our house is still green, our yard is still the same (with the exception of a few flower gardens I've started) and the rooms are still the same (other than different carpeting and color wall paint). It's a place that gives me security, and yet, I know my mom's right when she says it's a little too small. Since both our kitchen and living room are small (we have no dining room, den, or family room), we have gotten used to entertaining only two adult guests at a time, and usually we have them eat in the living room, since again, our kitchen is quite tiny and crowded.

So, I'll have to admit, my mom has now gotten me a little more excited about looking at new homes too. We started doing drivebyes a few weeks ago, and this Sunday, we had the pleasure to discover that one of the homes we wanted to see was holding an open house. Score!!

The only problem is that this house was a little bit out of our price range. Okay, it was a lot out of our price range. It was a $700,000 home marked down to an affordable $599,000. (If we sold our current home, we'd still have an over $300,000 mortgage--a mortgage that we simply couldn't swing with property taxes, etc.--no way!) Still, we looked at it, and since I've always had expensive taste, I fell in love with it. The house had a balcony that overlooked the family room. The family room had a fireplace with vaulted ceilings, and there was a four season sun room attached to the family room that went out onto a Club Med type deck. Oh yes, the kitchen was spacious with granite counter tops, and the laundry room (no kidding) was the size of our current kitchen. (Right now, we have the pleasure of being able to sit on the toilet and take clothes out of the dryer at the same time--too much information, right?)

So, because I loved this house so much, I overstayed my welcome. Little Lewie came on the tour with us, and as soon as he saw the swing set in the backyard, I knew we'd just have to stay a little while longer. Oh, it was so much fun playing on the swing set and pretending like we owned the house. For a minute there, I could envision us enjoying the yard on a warm summer day and having tons of people over to enjoy the deck, the stone patio, the four season sun room, and the gardens.

Oh, we didn't get yelled at, but I'm sure it seemed like we may have gotten a little too comfortable on the property. So, for one day, we became open house crashers instead of wedding crashers (although that sounds like fun too). It was so much fun pretending to live the high life, and yes, I could tell that Little Lewie loved this house, too. Why wouldn't he? He'd only have two huge playrooms to enjoy instead of our living room that he has to share with us filled with his playthings.

I'm sure we may look at a house or two again in the next few weeks, only this time I told my mother that we needed to stick within our price range...maybe.

Proper Pronunciation? Bla, Bla, Bla...

2011-03-09T00:54:00.000-05:00

As you can imagine, my 2 year-old mispronounces quite a few words. TV is pronounced TT, my friend Sue's name is pronounced SHU, bottle is pronounced BABA, moon is pronounced MOO, cat is pronounced COT, mouse is pronounced MAO, etc. etc. I can go on all day about my little boy's various pronunciations. In some cases, he doesn't use the ending consonant so ding dong sounds more like DEE DAW. In other cases, he doesn't use the beginning vowel so Irene becomes RE.

There's no exact science to how he chooses to pronounce words. The only constant in all of this is that his words and mispronunciation of them are well, cute. When he yells, Mummy TT (translation: Mom turn on the TV) or Daddy shoon (translation: Will daddy be home soon? I sure hope so...) my heart melts inside. His little voice and the innocence of his words turn me into mush. This is not much of a problem, except I think his words are so cute that I reinforce them and use them myself. Everyday I catch myself saying...

"Would you like mommy to turn on the TT?"
"Would you like your baba?"
"Do you want to say hi to Shu?"

I know in my heart of hearts that I should be correcting him. I should be reinforcing that a TT is a TV, a baba is a bottle, and Shu should be pronounced Sue. Otherwise, I'm helping him form bad habits, and gulp, I may end up catching myself using these bad habits in front of my boss or the college President who has her Ph.D. in French literature and foreign language. How could a linguistic scholar, without children, possibly understand my reasoning for massacring the English language and sounding like a complete bafoon, especially when I'm supposed to be teaching English grammar and writing?

So, even today, I'm still not correcting him. Oh, I know I should, but I think the mental block is this...if I correct him, he will learn to say it right, and then I won't ever have the pleasure of hearing his little voice say these words again (did I say they are soooo cute? Yeah, right. I know I already mentioned this.)

Do you catch yourself using baby words instead of grown-up words? Do you think children 's mispronunciations need to be corrected right away?

Tot School Beginnings

2011-03-06T02:56:00.003-05:00

My friend Liz from her blog, From Chalkboards to Strollers, started posting about Tot School. Her activities are amazing, and since I've been feeling like I'm in a rut lately of not spending enough time with my little guy, I've decided to join the fun.

Tot School is not a school but a concept. The goal is to set aside special time each day with my tot (Little Lewie), so that I'm exposing him to "early learning skills through FUN play." The main rule is "Tot School is not forced, is always fun, and always focused on my tot," which means I don't worry if my project doesn't go as planned.

The Tot School link is posted on Saturday, but moms can link up anytime during the week to show the different activities they've done with their toddlers. So far, the ideas I've seen are so creative--they've inspired me to get out of my work and errand rut and start actively participating in learning activities with my little guy again...

Here goes one of the activities we did this week...

I decided to let my little guy have fun playing with uncooked rice and noodles. While I need to invest in some trays so that there isn't a messy clean up...we still had fun. First, Lewie had fun scooping rice into various containers and letting it 'sprinkle' all over.

When I gave him the noodles, it suddlenly occured to me that we could make a 'noodle necklace.' I found some coarse string/twine, and I tied one end to our kitchen chair (this kept the noodles from falling off one end.) While Little Lewie still couldn't 'thread' the string into the noodles, he certainly had fun moving the noodles up and down the string. As each noodle was threaded, we'd have the noodle glide down the string. (It reminded me of a zip line.) Lewie had fun with this, and all in all, it was a great sensory experience.

Having fun with rice and fun containers.

"Hmmm...this feels different!"

Twine for our 'noodle necklace.'

'Let's watch the noodles go down the zip line!'

'This is pretty fun!'

Okay, so my goal is to start coming up with different themes each week, so we can combine play with actual learning lessons, but I'll get there. In the meantime, we did enjoy this activity, and I plan on doing more and linking up each week, so I can both share ideas and get inspired from other moms.

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!

Waiting to Exhale

2011-03-03T07:11:00.001-05:00

Yes, some days I feel so overwhelmed by work, mommy responsibilities, wife responsibilities, family responsibilities, friend responsibilities, and household responsibilities that I wonder if I'm remembering to breathe. Juggling my new job with all my commitments at home has not been as easy as a transition as I thought. There is definitely less time to accomplish errands during the week, so just like when I was working full-time before Little Lewie, I find that I have to use the weekends to clean the house, go grocery shopping, and get our laundry and clothes ready for the week.

Even though we did something special for Valentine's Day, it feels like it's been forever since my husband and I went out on an actual date, and even though I am at home with Little Lewie on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and half day Fridays (including weekends), I feel like it's been forever since we sat down and planned a fun playtime activity. Instead, poor Little Lewie is involved in a rambling cyclone of activity (anything from going to the mall, food shopping, cooking, TV, laundry, and spontaneous play, which has no exact rhyme of reason). Since I am a person who thrives on schedules, it bugs me that I'm not able to find spare time during the week to schedule some fun and interesting playtime with Little Lewie and to plan out a schedule that he can get used to and anticipate.

Finally, my work time has definitely taken away time for me--my blog time, my girlfriend time, my long walks, and my exercise time. Every night I find myself trying to pick up the computer only to slump back down on the couch in sheer exhaustion. (The same thing happens in the mornings when I want to try and wake-up to do my exercise routine before Little Lewie awakes...)

Right now I feel like I'm on a race to nowhere. I work, I do errands, I play with Little Lewie, I comfort my husband, I cook, I clean, I try to remember birthdays, holidays, and special occasions, and by the end of the week, it all feels as if if were one big blur with no exact start or end. I ask myself, "What did I accomplish?" and in the silence the only answer I hear my inner voice tell me is "Life." I accomplished life. But what if I want to accomplish more than life? What if I want to have gone on this amazing trip, or had this amazing play date set up for Little Lewie, or this amazing date with my husband? What if I could live each day and feel as if I'm savoring every moment of just being instead of watching the seconds tick by with a checklist of stuff to do in my hand?

Okay, so now I keep telling myself..."breathe"..."breathe deeper." All the great exercises...yoga, Pilate's, running...it all focuses on breath..controlled breath...planned breath...awareness of breath. These days are slipping away from me, and I feel like I need to get them back. I can't, but I guess I can start by reclaiming today. Today I'm going to breathe....I mean really breathe....I'm not placing a checklist in my hand, and while I don't have a spectacular activity planned, I'll make today count. Yes, today, I'm going to be aware and make the day count...

Thanks for listening to my ramblings...Do you ever have days, weeks, months, where you look back and think, what did I do? What did I accomplish? (The perfectionist, Type A personality in me is always asking this question and often not satisfied with the answer. Today I'm going to ignore Ms. Perfectionist and capture memories, unplanned memories, with my two year old.)

I'm an Auntie!

2011-02-28T01:33:00.002-05:00

Okay, since I married my husband in 2006, I have officially become an Auntie to my seventeen year-old niece Kaleigh, my ten year-old nephew Gabe, and my five year-old niece Sarah. (This was exciting for me because being an only child, I didn't know if I would ever get a chance to be an Aunt.) Now, I'm an Auntie again!

This weekend we went to the hospital to welcome a new little bundle of joy (okay not exactly little--9 lbs. 11 oz.). Her name is Brooklyn. Although our visit was short and sweet, we had a chance to take some pictures of the happy family. (I can't wait until Little Lewie gets to meet Brooklyn too--it'll be interesting to see how he reacts to a newborn baby.)

Welcome to our family little Brooklyn!

Brooklyn with my hubby and her big sister, Sarah.

Brooklyn with me and her big sis, Sarah.

Five year-old Sarah already being a sweet big sister.

The happy family.

So, I guess the question of the day is, "Am I ready to have another?" Well, after holding that precious little bundle in my arms, it sure is tempting, but we haven't decided...yet...

Are you ready for another?

Friday Fun Flick: Shoveling Is HARD Work!

2011-02-25T05:16:00.001-05:00

We started out the week feeling sick, and we're ending the week feeling just as exhausted and miserable. For some reason, we can't seem to kick this nasty flu/virus that's going around. (Although we do appreciate your virtual hugs and chicken soup that is being sent our way!)

This week, when we could, Little Lewie and I would go outside for some fresh air (even if it were for 15 or 20 minutes). We didn't get more snow, thankfully, but Little Lewie grabbed his shovel anyways. Usually when Daddy and I are shoveling, Little Lewie is sitting cozy inside the house, but I guess he's watched us through the windows on more than one occasion. Without even prompting him, I was surprised when he grabbed his "gardening" shovel out from the garage and decided to use it to shovel the walkways. (It's amazing what our little ones pick up on when no one is watching.)

Here, in this video, Little Lewie is (less than enthusiastically) helping Mommy and Daddy shovel the walkways. As you can see from the couple of times he takes breaks to the ending where he just throws down his shovel, shoveling snow is HARD work, even for toddlers with light, plastic green shovels.

Happy Weekend Everyone! Stay Warm!

One Step Forward and Two Steps Back

2011-02-21T02:39:00.001-05:00

I need a nap!

I'm having one of those weeks where I feel like I can't get ahead.

Last Monday morning, I decided it was time to finally start exercising and leading a healthy diet to get in shape for the spring and summer. I started out by trying to exercise and get into my old Pilate's routine again. After just one exercise session, I strained my neck, and I've been too sore to proceed. Then I tried to start eating healthy but fell off the wagon when I bought (yes me) my favorite, dark chocolate, non perils. I thought I could handle rewarding myself with a small, reasonable amount of chocolate every day, but instead, I find myself opening this container every time I enter the kitchen. Geeezzz, talk about lack of will power.

At work, I tried to get ahead on projects and emails by staying up late and sacrificing precious blogging time. Not only did I not manage to get ahead in the work department but I've since missed posting about special Lewie moments and commenting on favorite friends' blogs.

At the home front, a few days ago I came down with a stomach virus, and then my mother (who lives next door) came down with it too. As soon as we started feeling better, my precious Little Lewie developed a Croup type cough, which scared my husband and I enough to consider a visit to the emergency room. Fortunately, some of his symptoms have subsided, but, at the recommendation of our doctor, our little boy is being closely monitored at night to make sure the cough and wheeze don't return.

Finally, during the week we had two warm days of temperatures in the 50's and 60's. For the first time in months, our ginormous mounds of snow, slick driveways, and icy rooftops began to melt, and we were teased with the sounds of children playing and birds frolicking outside. A warming trend was on the way and here to stay...or so it seemed...until less than 24 hours later, the cold embraced us once again--this time bringing chilly winds and yes, oh yes, more snow. Between four to seven inches are expected today, so our shovels and ice melt are waiting on the back porch--glaring at us--taunting us. The snow melted only to be replaced by more, and I'm left wondering if all the Daffodil, Hyacinth, and grape Hyacinth bulbs I planted in the front yard will even have a chance to bloom this March. If they're not still covered by the seemingly unending layers of snow, will they be drowned by a pool of water with nowhere to go?

Yes, this week, I suppose is just one of those weeks. I'm sore, sickly, cranky, overworked and tired. When the weather finally decides to spring ahead, I promise my two feet will be air born with no desire what-so-ever to step back.

Did you ever have a week when you felt like all of your hard work and efforts are getting you nowhere?

Belated Valentine's Day Wishes

2011-02-15T23:47:00.001-05:00

Did you ever wish you could stop work or freeze it for a couple of days? I sure do. My new job has been incredibly difficult these last few days, which has kept me from writing my posts and responding to my favorite blogs. (Please forgive me!)

My little guy wasn't very interested in putting together his Valentine's Day cards this weekend, so I took care of all twelve of them--carefully making sure to place the heart stickers in the appropriate spots. While my little boy didn't seem to have the slightest interest in hearts or Cupid's arrow, my husband and I tried to make the most of the weekend. We went out on Saturday evening to a local theatre (called The Seven Angels Theatre) and saw a special Valentine's Day comedian performance. The three comedians were hilarious, and to start the evening out right, the theatre served champagne and chocolate in the lobby prior to the performance.

On Sunday, we attended a special Valentine's Day Anniversary Mass. Any married couple who was celebrating a special anniversary this year (in increments of 5) could sign up to renew their vows. Since my husband and I will be celebrating exactly five years of marriage in June, we decided to sign up. It was a very nice time indeed even though we felt silly celebrating our 5th when there was another couple celebrating their 65th wedding anniversary this year. (If my husband and I ever celebrated 65 years of marriage, I would be 90 and my husband would be 95!)

I hope everyone had a sweet celebration this weekend. May friends, family, and acquaintances, in the spirit of Valentine's Day, continue to show you more love and blessings throughout the week. XOXOXO.

My husband and I in the church lyceum after renewing our vows.

Friday Fun Flick: Winter Mowing?

2011-02-11T04:12:00.000-05:00

Snow, snow, and more snow. That's what it's been like in these parts; although, this week we did have a little reprieve. We have to get creative when it comes to our outside play, especially since my little guy doesn't like to wear gloves, mittens, or hats. Ugh!

Here's some fun video clips of my little boy "mowing" the sidewalks... He found his lawn mower in the garage and insisted on playing with it. I guess he's kinda ready for the Spring like the rest of us!

As you can see, I recorded this before his nap time, so he kept on getting cranky with me. I couldn't help but laugh!

Do you have any creative ideas for outside play (especially in this weather)?

Happy Wife, Happy Life!

2011-02-09T03:05:00.011-05:00

I have a wooden block that I display in my kitchen window that says, "Happy Wife, Happy Life!" I had to buy it because I think (and I'm totally being subjective here) it's true. As the primary financial advisor, bookkeeper, errand runner, housekeeper, and caregiver of the family...ehem...it's wise to keep me happy. If something's off kilter or I start feeling unappreciated, you better believe I have something to say about it, and the angst ends up disrupting the normalcy of our daily household routine. Simply put...it's wise to keep Mama happy.

Over the years, the "rules" for keeping me happy have changed. When we first married in 2006, for example, most of our "squabbles" resulted from me not feeling we were spending enough time together. I verbalized my frustrations all right, and there was no question that I had the following expectations.

Saturdays were to be "our night" and not a night for band practice.
Band practice was to be limited to no more than two days per week, and these days were to be planned so I wasn't left sitting at home by myself without plans of my own.
Curfew was midnight. (Anything later required a phone call and an explanation, so I didn't worry.)

Yes, as a newly married couple, we were still juggling the balancing act of keeping our independence and identities while trying to put our relationship first. As someone who had given up her "girls' night out" of dancing until 2 a.m., I understandably wanted my husband to give up his late night band practices with the guys, which involved some hanging out and partying.

Now, five years and one child later, our relationship is in a different place, and our "squabbles" are about other things like household finances, bills, and free time. Now, to make me happy, I have a new set of expectations.

To save as much money as we can for an emergency fund, our son's future, and day trips/vacations.
To give each other an equal amount of "free time" away from the house for "recharging" after a long week of work, errands, and childrearing.
To schedule much needed family time on the weekends (especially since our time together is limited on weekdays).
To assist with household chores, like laundry, vacuuming, etc. etc.

The days of worrying about who's out late partying are long gone, and instead, we find ourselves trying to balance our needs around our very hectic schedule of daily living. A "happy wife" for me translates as having a husband that helps out around the house, watches Little Lewie from time to time so I can go out shopping or take a long hot bath, and stays committed to saving money so that we can plan for a solid future together. Any interruptions in this very fragile plan, and Wifey Poo becomes cranky. Ultra cranky.

Yes, in these five short years of marriage, I've learned some valuable lessons. I've learned that priorities change, relationships evolve, and that a "happily ever after" doesn't come without it's fair share of squabbles, tests, and compromise. We're not a perfect couple, but we do have two very important things in common--we love each other, and we love Little Lewie. As long as we keep these two very important realites the mission and central focus of our marriage, Wife and life should be happy, very happy.

Monday's Mommy Moment: My Funny Valentine

2011-02-06T22:14:00.000-05:00

It's official. My little two year old has a crush. She's about the same age as Lewie, and they met, surprise surprise, at daycare. Was it love at first sight? Oh, I can't say, but I can say that as I picked up my little boy on Friday, he was heartbroken to see her get whisked away by her mom. As she and her mom made their way to the door, Lewie screamed, "No, no, no!"

"What's wrong Lewie?" I asked, looking up from his locker.

My eyes met the mom and the little girl. With the sweetest of voices, this cute little angel with brunette ringlet curls, smiled at Lewie and said, "Bye, Bye Lou Lou."

"No, no, no," cried Lewie again shaking his finger as if he were scolding her.

"Lewie," Annalise has to go home with her mom now. "You'll see her again on Monday," I replied. (As we know, it's next to impossible to rationalize with a two year old.)

Annalise left, but my little boy was still upset. When I told my husband the story, he laughed.

"Every time I drop Lewie off at daycare, he runs to greet Annalise. I'm surprised you're just finding this out now. They've been an item for a while."

"Oh really," I said surprised.

So, my little boy has a crush. We'll have to make sure to put an extra heart sticker on her Valentine's Day card next week.

Playdates

2011-02-02T02:46:00.001-05:00

It's this time of year that I can really appreciate a playdate--you know, when toddlers are expected to play with their little friends while mommies can finally get a break. In my opinion, playdates are a "win-win". Little Lewie has someone new to play with besides Mommy and if the playdate is at someone else's house, he gets to revel in the excitement of playing with a whole new set of toys. For me, well I get all giddy to have an adult conversation with another mom while getting to kick my feet back a little.

Another thing I enjoy about playdates, rightly or wrongly, is the little window I get to see of how other mothers do it--you know, the whole discipline and child rearing thing. For example, I have one friend who let's her child do anything; jump on couches--no problem, throw toys or smash into them--no problem. Meanwhile, when my little boy tries to do the same thing, he gets scolded. Sometimes his little friend even has to watch as Little Lewie is placed into time-out for disobeying Mommy's orders. Do my friend or I ever criticize each other? Never. I may think she's being a little too easy, and she may think I'm a little too harsh, but it's the secret code between mothers to butt out of each other's business. Perhaps her husband is later told about what a witch I am to my kid, but that's for another discussion.

I have another friend who seems to have the whole child rearing thing down to a perfect science. Her son is a quick learner with an amazing vocabulary, and he listens to his parents. He seems like this perfect little angel with his "please" and "thank you's", but his mother insists that he can be defiant at home. Her seemingly perfect son puts a little stress on our playdates. Since he is so well behaved, I try to have Little Lewie emulate the same behavior, and as a result, I find myself trying to correct him (and blushing at the same time) as he tries to take the other little boy's toy, declaring "Mine!" or as he starts screeching at the top of his lungs because I won't let him run around their house and possibly break an expensive item.

Another difference I learn about when we are on playdates are eating habits. One friend only feeds her son organic; another likes to feed her kids McDonald's and Taco Bell. One friend lets her child graze all day because she says he can't sit still at the table. Another insists that every meal at home be a sit down dinner in the dining room. If we're at home, Little Lewie knows that I still like to place him in his highchair to eat. If we're at someone else's house, I usually have him sit at the table, knowing that he can't bring food with him into another room.

Finally, another difference comes to schedules. I have some friends that are driven by schedules and if the playdate is going to interfere with nap time or anything else, it has to be rescheduled. Still I have other friends that are very laid back with scheduling and even parent involvement. They tend to be the ones that come over my house and still want to stay even after I've put Little Lewie down for his nap.

Yes, as mothers, we all have our differences in child rearing...sometimes it's because we were raised differently, sometimes it's because we read different books and opinions on the topic, and sometimes it's just because we have different children. (My little boy happens to be very different from most of his little friends because he tends to want to be the "class clown" by always entertaining and saying silly things to be noticed. For instance, all day today he got a kick out of calling me "Daddy." Go figure!)

All I know is whether my friend is a type "A" parent or a type "B" parent, whether she teaches the Montessori method or the "boys with be boys" method, I look forward to our playdates for the new experiences (and the little bit of relaxation) that they bring.

My buddy and me at our last "super playdate".

Monday's Mommy Moment: Snow Swinging

2011-01-31T05:13:00.002-05:00

After our fifth winter storm this year, our yard and sidewalks looks like this:

The back of our house .

Our narrow pathway up to the garage.

I desperately wanted to take Little Lewie outside to play in the snow, but what could we do? The snow was too high for sledding, snowmen, or snow angels. The walkways were too icy for running or playing with his ride-on toys. Yes, I ran out of ideas, but my little boy didn't...

"Look at me Mommy!"

"I LOVE swinging in the snow!"

Little Lewie grabbed my hand and pulled me to the swings. I had to help him walk through the snow first of course, and it wasn't very easy for me either. Technically, with the snow's height, Little Lewie should have disappeared all together and the snow, for me, should have come up to my waist. Instead, I was amazed to learn that neither one of us actually sunk to the bottom. Instead, we sunk in the snow equally--and that is, to our upper thighs.

Once we finally got to the swing set, I brushed the snow off his seat with my lovely dishtowel (that's in the first two pictures), and then, for the first time ever, Little Lewie walked up to the swing, turned around, and sat down. Normally the swing is about 3 feet above the ground, but now it was only a few inches from the snow floor. It was an interesting experience, but even with just an inch between the bottom of his feet and the snow, Lewie was still able to swing. Sure I had to stand thigh high deep in snow as I pushed him, but it was worth it to see that happy ear-to-ear grin light up his face.

Yes, if it were up to boring and 'practical' mom over here, we probably would have stayed in the house another day. Thank goodness for Little Lewie's ability to 'think outside the box'.