Happy 4th Birthday, Little Pop!

I had been so torn with the correct way to start this letter to you, but I should have known that you'd give us one of your gems last night as you were talking to your daddy (for the best effect, pretend you are reading this with all of the words strung together without a breath being taken)...

Daddy! I had spinach at lunch today and I liked it! I ate five bites, no ten bites! And I ate macaroni and cheese that I thought I didn't like last week, but I did like it. And I had mandarin oranges! And then, I thought I crapped my pants today, but I checked and there was nothing there.

Dear Boy Pop/Booble Dooble/Skeebledebeeps:

Today you turn 4. The past year has held so many milestones for you and for your Daddy and I. Looking back, I have wondered how we have all made it with minimal crazy… The answer in my case is wine. And monthly visits to my hairdresser.

I’ve been thinking about how best to write this letter to you. What should I include? How on earth can I possibly document all of the milestones that have occurred since 9/25/2006? There is really not enough room or time to go through it all, but I will do my best.

In October, your Nana, GrandDad, and I visited the Pumpkin Patch. This was your second visit, but my first. We had so much fun picking out the pumpkin that would eventually become your Jack-O-Lantern for Halloween! Later, you went to stay with your grandparents, and you had your 3 year old portrait made. Nana also pulled out the clown costume she made 30 some odd years ago for your uncle and dressed you up and took pictures. This is probably special to no one else, but it is meaningful to me because I think it is just incredible that a) the costume has held up, b) your nana used to sew clothes, and c) there are now pictures of you, me, and my brother, all at 3 years old, all wearing the exact same costume. You chose to be Spiderman on the actual day of Halloween, and finally trick-or-treating was meaningful to you. You raced around from house to house, running full-tilt. You were so excited!

In November, you got to ride on Thomas the Train. You even had your picture in the newspaper afterwards! Of course, it was your Nana and GrandDad’s local paper and it was a picture that Nana submitted to them, but still! You’ve now been in the paper at least a half-dozen times since birth. Later on in the month, we played host to both sets of family for Thanksgiving. I’m sorry if I was a little stressed out because of it. I like things to be perfect. I should know by now that that will never happen. I’m just glad we got through all!

December came along and you really got into the spirit. You took charge of much of the tree decorating. This was another first, since I really did not trust you to not break things before now. You took to Christmas decorating with gusto as you helped with the tree and also “helped” your Daddy go through the multitude of frustrations, curses, and blown fuses as he hung lights on our house. Another first for us. And one we won’t soon forget! You gave Santa Claus an earful when we went to go see him, spelling out your lengthy Christmas list so fast, it reminded me of the movie A Christmas Story. We were extremely busy in December with all kinds of activities. You spent time early in the month with your grandparents, then you and Mommy hosted a cookie decorating party while Daddy was out of town. What a mess! We spent another Christmas at your Mema’s house (that was my 31st time overall, and 27th consecutive trip to her house for Christmas). On Christmas Day, we went back home and had our own celebration, just you, me, Daddy, and the Dallas Cowboys in HD.

January was pretty slow overall. Not much really happened as we were still recovering and resting from a brutally busy December. Most notably, though, we experienced an ice storm that literally shut down our city for about three days. I loved being able to stay home and hang out with you during that time. We cooked and played and ran around on frozen ground. At the end of the month, you were the best trooper you could be and you helped pick out a new car for Mommy and were also “Student of the Day” at your preschool!

February started off with a green-icing-colored bang as we celebrated the Super Bowl with cupcakes that used frosting from the makers of the Sharpie company. Seriously, the icing didn’t wash off for DAYS. You helped me celebrate my birthday and also got the haircut from Hell at the end of the month. Don’t get me started… No offense, but your head was a little mushroom-like.
In March, you showed your daddy a splinter on your finger and gave us fodder for years to come. Your pre-school held its annual “Spring Fling” and I’m not sure which was your favorite… The petting zoo, the pony ride, the train ride, or the balloon animals.

The big event for April was Easter. We were supposed to go to your Nana and GrandDad’s house, but you came down with a horrible, but thankfully brief, stomach bug, so the Easter Bunny came to visit you at our house instead. Our big adventure that Saturday before Easter was the trip to the “ghetto” mall. I have to say, we were a little bit frightened, so we left very quickly after your picture was taken. We heard later on the news that the mall was closed early and evacuated because of an incident with a gun. I just have to say never again to that place on a weekend. Later in the month, you helped us pick out flowers for our spring planting. You are such a great helper!

In May, you were invited to go out on our friend Dave’s boat. It was a little too chilly to swim, but we made the best of it. Luckily for all of us, he has a bathroom on board. You definitely used it for all it was worth and we had to fumigate later. ;-) At the end of the month, you went on an extended vacation with your grandparents while Daddy and I went to Mexico. We were apart from each other for ten days, but it felt like ten years. I don’t think I’ve ever missed you as much as I did this time around. You had so much fun, though! You went swimming, saw Shrek 3 at the movies, went to Chuck E Cheese, and had an all-out great time!

Then came summer… We had such high hopes for this year and I planned early on to get you in swimming lessons. Sadly, it rained for much of June and July, so we didn’t have the time to do that. We did go to the pool every time there was sun and you made a ton of progress without the aid of formal training. By the end of July, you were floating on your back and had even taken your floaties off to swim to your Daddy. There was only one scary swimming moment and that was back in June. We were getting dried off and ready to go back home from our friend’s house, when you decided to just jump into their pool without any floaties. You struggled to get to the top, but couldn’t. I jumped in fully-dressed after you and you decided not to ever do that again!

July was a red-letter month in the Pop household for three reasons besides your swimming progress… You had a week of soccer camp, Daddy had a birthday, and you went to Disney World. You spent the last week of the month in Orlando with your grandparents (they saw you a bunch this summer!) and came back with way too many toys. That’s okay, though. You had the best time and got autographs of all the characters.

After all that excitement, August had to be a let-down. We spent the month relaxing and enjoying each other. You started sleeping through the night in “big boy” underwear… We had some issues, though, so you’re back in a pull-up, but I know you’ll be staying dry through the night consistently very soon. You went to see your Mema in the middle of the month, but that was the only traveling you did.

That brings us to September… Birthday month! Your party is going to be at the same place where we had it last year, even after trying to entice you with Chuck E Cheese. We’re having a Scooby Doo theme as you have skipped about twenty grade levels cartoon-wise and gone from Dora straight to Scooby! This month you started watching all of Mommy and Daddy’s favorite cartoons… The Flintstones, Scooby Doo, Tom and Jerry, etc... I’m so thrilled that there is a network that carries these classics again! You went to your first ever Longhorn game and your fourth UT tailgate over Labor Day weekend, too. I am so proud at how well you did. Your father and I were worried that it might be too long of a day and maybe too much for you, but you proved us wrong yet again.

I’ve written this letter to you over the course of several days. It takes a while to remember all of the things that have happened over the past year. I know I’m leaving out way too much and I promise I will do a better job at recording all of the wonderful moments you have in the future.

Each year seems to jump out and grab me and I look at your birthday with a mixture of pride, joy, sadness, and awe. You are hands-down the smartest, kindest, most polite, cutest, funniest, most adorable and sweet little boy in the entire world. You ask nicely, you repeat words that I wish you wouldn’t, you are impossible to stay upset with, and you surprise me every single day. When you were an infant, you did not like to be held all that much and as you’ve grown, you have been a little stand off-ish and haven’t liked to cuddle. Over this last year, though, you will let me shower you with hugs and kisses and you will even walk up to me and randomly hug me or kiss me. I know that this won’t last forever, but I am savoring every kiss, every hug, and every “I love you.”

No lottery prize could compare to the jackpot Daddy and I hit when we had you.

Happy Birthday!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Nope! There is no "baby" left in him...

Easter, 2007. Approximately 22 hours after yet another stomach bug.

He wouldn't smile until he was able to give the Easter Bunny a hug.

My "baby" is now a "big boy."

What IS it about Good Friday??? And other random thoughts...

Two years ago, on Good Friday, the Pop family drove three and a half hours to my home town to spend Easter weekend with my family. We packed for two days. Two hours after our arrival, Little Pop started throwing up. He did not stop until the next day when the IV was put in at the hospital… That means he threw up for over 13 hours and had to go to the hospital. One that wasn’t in his hometown. One that was three and a half HOURS away from our home. A week later, he was finally released and we got to go home. To Austin.

Last year, we made the same trip, but this time, we packed extra clothes. One can never be *too* careful. Uneventful. No illness. Nothing.

This year, we were planning on getting up bright and early Friday morning and making the trip yet again. Fate had something else in mind, however. At 4:30AM, Little Pop climbed into bed with us and threw up. And continued to do so for several hours, meaning we had to cancel our trip. I was actually looking forward to the trip, too. So Friday was instead spent taking care of my sick little one, watching for signs of dehydration (see above where he had to go to the f-ing hospital!), and cleaning.

I have no maid (Remember? She stole money from my child!) and haven’t been keeping up with the housework. Since the plans changed, the entire clan decided to come down to see us instead. And my house was filthy. So I cleaned. I made pasta salad. I grocery shopped. I mopped. I washed sheets. I cleaned up the puke that missed the toilet. And I hugged my baby a lot. I think I may have scared Dr Pop a little because I literally could not stop.

By the time my family arrived on Saturday, you never would have guessed that Little Pop had ever been sick. I’m still amazed at how quickly children bounce back from stomach viruses. We spent the day going to the “ghetto” mall to visit the Easter Bunny and then traveled down to the “good” mall to just do stuff outside the house.

I’m a little worn out from the weekend and lack of sleep, despite a nap on Friday, one on Sunday, and falling asleep way too early on the couch Saturday night. It might have something to do with the friends who came over last night with Guitar Hero. Finally! A video game I can play! It’s highly addictive, by the way…

Oh Blog! How I've Abandoned You!

Please forgive me!

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, I used to update this blog close to daily. Well, if not daily, then at least two or three times a week. Not so anymore. I have been so busy and I’ve chosen to remain silent. You see, I usually do most of my blogging at work and not at home. Home time is for working out and spending time with my family. And catching up on… Work. The home kind of work.

For the past month, I’ve been cooking dinner a lot more. Of course, two home cooked meals out of seven days used to be my absolute maximum, so anything could be considered an improvement. Last weekend, Dr Pop thawed out a beef tenderloin and cut it into filets. Because there are just three of us and one of us prefers frozen dinners to lovely home-cooked meals, there were only two of us to eat what turned out to be 7 steaks. That meant that we had leftovers. We don’t eat leftovers, y’all. Let all of the foil and Styrofoam-bound packages in my refrigerator that get thrown out each week be a testament to that fact. But for the first time, we did eat those leftovers. Sunday night was steak night. Monday night was “tenderloin” fajitas. Tuesday was tenderloin salad. To tell you the truth, I’m sick of tenderloin. Last night we had chicken.

I digress. The reason I’ve been cooking more is because I’m trying to be conscious of the food we eat. I eat like crap. I prefer a large piece of chocolate cake with a large glass of milk to just about any other food group. Well, that and pizza. As I get older, and my genetic predisposition to high cholesterol and a “tummy” start to take over, and as my annual vacation to the beach rapidly approaches, I’ve decided upon a pre-emptive strike. That means working out more. That means changing the way I approach food. That means changing my diet. I’ll be honest, it hasn’t been easy. But here I am. I don’t think I’ll ever be fully prepared to give up my cake, pizza, or Big Macs totally, but I’m trying to not make those my first choice. And getting past the feeling that I’m depriving myself is quite possibly the hardest hurdle of all. Because really? Who really believes that NOT eating the super-sized fries is deprivation?

What else, what else? Oh yes. I have apparently been spending too much time on the internet during the day instead of doing what I am getting paid to do. That has severely changed my habits. That’s all I’ll say about that because I don’t want to ever get “dooced.”

My cat ran away last Friday. This sweet (mostly) little girl has been a part of our family for a year and a half. We rescued our cat from this lady about three days after she’d had emergency surgery to get “fixed”. And to remove the still-born kitten that was stuck. Gross, I know, but this kitty was a runt and was never supposed to have kittens. We took this little Bengal teenager home with us and kept her inside (side-note: we have coyotes where we live and after losing two cats, we decided that any future cats would be strictly indoor) and she always tried to get out. She did it on Friday. And we looked for her on Saturday. And Sunday. And Monday. And we thought the worst. Then, in a last-ditch effort to find her one more time, Dr Pop went out on the back porch and called her name Tuesday morning. He heard a distinctive yowl. And there she was. We’re all very happy that she’s back, most of all Little Pop, who had the following conversation with my mom on Sunday night:

Little Pop: Talia ran away
Nana: Oh, I’m so sorry!
Little Pop: Do you still have your cats?
Nana: Yes.
Little Pop: Do you still have Josie?
Nana: Yes.
Little Pop: Do you still have Trouble?
Nana: Yes.
Little Pop: So you have two cats?
Nana: Yes, we still have two cats.
Little Pop: Well we have none cats.

In other news, did y’all notice the weather? It’s Spring! And the temperature has been in the high seventies and low eighties! Except this weekend. It will be cold this weekend. And we’re getting rain!!! That means that the lakes will fill up. That means no more drought. I hope.

And I will update Stilettos and Countdown soon, too. I promise! I have lots of fun product/skin care/clothes business to talk about and updates on healthy living and all... Stay tuned!

A Whole Cluster of Randomness...

So. I’ve been working out and doing South Beach (read it all on http://needtoworkout.blogspot.com/). If you would like a little kick in the pants motivation and other people out in internet land to hold you accountable for making healthy choices, or if it helps you to rant and rave about it, feel free to email me and I’ll let you join the team.

I have realized two things in the past several days: Namely that I have more willpower to give up refined sugar than I ever thought I did, and I have zero cardiovascular fitness. One of these things is good. The other one is bad. As someone with exorbitantly high cholesterol coupled with a history of diabetes and other health issues in my family, I need to take extra care to watch what I put into my body and what I ask it to do. Some might say that I’m a hypocrite because of my worst habit (don’t worry, nothing illegal) and if I have so much willpower, I should be able to give that up, too. Baby steps, people. Baby steps.

On the career front, I’ve been working very hard to get into a new group. Without going into too many specifics, this is a role I’ve been wanting for quite some time (the sum total of my entire time at this company) and if things fall into place, I’ll be one happy Mrs Pop. But this could be a few months down the line… I don’t care. This is what I want and I’m willing to do what I have to do to make it happen. And that includes keeping my head down and mouth shut while sitting in my current desk.

Did I mention that I went to the dermatologist? No? Well she told me I was a candidate for a photo facial… I need to do some research on that, but it sure made me feel o.l.d. when she said it. Old and haggard. Oh well.

If you look at my links to the right, you’ll see a huge range of viewpoints. You see, I like people who tell it like it is. Dr. Laura does that. Plus, I agree with a lot of what she says (you know, take responsibility for your own choices, that type of thing). Violent Acres is another lady who speaks her mind. I have a problem with some of what she’s posted in the past, but as a whole, she’s put herself out there and makes a ton of sense. She’d hate me, though. Oh yeah. Because I post pictures of my kiddo and reveal way too many personal details about my life. Another great link is one I found through the old trainwrecks website. Sadly, trainwrecks is gone. That was a fun site. Anyway, Melissa C. Morris is this adorable preppy chick in a May/December marriage. She is often pictured in the society pages and writes with a down to earth style. I have no idea why anyone would think she is a “trainwreck” as I see an intelligent, attractive woman living the life she chooses. Not too shabby if you ask me.

And finally… The other day, Little Pop slept in. When he got up, he had a splinter in his finger and showed his Daddy. Laughing, Dr Pop told him to hang on. Dr Pop then took this picture and sent it to me…

Look at my splinter, Daddy!

Please Ignore the Dirty Face...

I'm messing around with the template, considering having someone else help me out with it, actually. I'm also going through some old stuff I've written and never posted... We'll see what changes happen. I do want to get some of my archives back, I'm just not sure in what format.

On a side note, isn't my baby adorable? That's him, passed out from exhaustion, on his way to his Mema's house last Thursday.

When asked at "school" what he enjoyed doing with his parents...

Little Pop replied, "Shooting People."

FYI

Steal from me, incur my anger...

Steal from my CHILD, incur my WRATH.

My anger is easy to deal with. My wrath? Not so much. Especially when I destroy your ability to earn a living anywhere in this state ever again.

FYI

Steal from me, incur my anger...

Steal from my CHILD, incur my WRATH.

Green Food Coloring...

As Dr Pop put it yesterday, we would like to contact the Sharpie corporation for the icing recipe. Seriously, this stuff stained Little Pop's face green. Two baths, much scrubbing, and multiple wet ones later, there's still a trace of a green moustache/goatee combo working.

Hide And Go Seek and Other Fun Things!

These past couple of weeks have brought about a resurgence of one of my favorite games as a child... Hide & Go Seek.

I don't remember the exact day, but not too long ago, Little Pop, out of the blue, said, "You wanna play hide an go seek, Mommy?" It came out of left field, but of course I did! And it's become a family ritual almost every day, several times a day, since.

LP: Okay Daddy. I'll count and you go hide right there and Mommy will hide in the closet.

MP: Little Pop, it doesn't work when you tell us where to hide.

LP: Oh. Okay. You hide in the bathroom while I count.

DP: Don't forget to tag us when you find us!

LP: onetwothreeten ready or not, here I come!

Much laughter and chasing until we start again...

You know how I talk about "moments"? Our hide and go seek playing is just one big perfect moment after another. I used to be a little sad because I felt that we weren't doing enough with Little Pop, despite the reading and the Lego building and the Tinker Toy creating and all the other stuff... But now? Now I'm not so sad. : )

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Yesterday, the Pop family went and picked up Mrs Pop's shiny new birthday present! It's a month or so early, but I don't care! And by "pick up" I really mean "waited around for two hours and forty five minutes and Oh. My. God! how on earth can you entertain a three year old in a room full of shiny cars he can't touch? oh yeah put him in their toy room only to turn around and turn back and PANIC! where the hell did he go??? raise the alarm to about 6 different adults who were scouring the place only to find him in the ladies room sitting on the potty and whew! and HOLY SHIT!" The people at the car dealership in Round Rock, I'm fairly certain, think I am certifiably insane.

Thank you, Dr Pop, for my shiny new present!

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So. This Sunday is the Super Bowl. I'm rooting for both teams to do well. I want my former Longhorns at Chicago to have stellar, spectacular games, but I want my two hometown boys on the Colts to come home with rings. Mainly, I'm watching for the commercials this year.

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Last week, Little Pop got the stomach bug that's been making its way around town. Not fun. Last Wednesday night and Thursday morning were the 2nd scariest time for me as a parent. The first scariest was a stomach bug, too, but it escalated into a week-long hospital stay while he was on IV fluids and losing 25% of his body weight. But, as children do, he bounced back like one of those super-bouncy balls as soon as it passed through his system.

Me, on the other hand? Well, as vomit-cleaner-upper on Wednesday night/Thursday morning, and as the person who unknowingly laid her worn-out body on a blanket covered in it at 6AM after finally coaxing the little one to fall asleep, well, I must not have washed my hands enough even though I *did* do 8 (EIGHT!) loads of laundry in a 12 hour timeframe. I got it Friday evening. And I didn't bounce back as quickly as my child, but I tried! And I'm all better now, too. :)

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So there you have it. Lots of rambling, lots of sentence fragments, lots of run-on sentences, and a whole host of other grammatical errors later, I've managed to update the world (and my two to three readers) with the mundane goings-on in the Pop household.

Thoughtful...

I'm having a moment right now.

I'm sitting on the floor of my living room at 12:20 at night with Little Pop next to me stretched out on a towel and partially covered with a sheet. He is on his third pull up and third set of clothes. His bed has been drenched in fabric cleaner and we're drying the first load of sheets. I probably have about three more loads of laundry that have been created in this past hour.

I thought Little Pop was falling asleep, but he had to use his "bucket" again. It's rare that my boy gets sick like this. It always scares me because of what happened the last time he had it bad and ended up on an IV for a week. There's a bug going around in his preschool class and he's caught it.

I feel helpless and wired all at the same time. I know I can't do anything more for my baby, but I want to. I want to be sick for him. I want to give him something that will take the sick away.

I really hate it when my baby is sick. But being with my little one when he is sick really puts into stark relief what is truly important in my life. I could lose every possession I have. I could lose my home. I could lose every single material thing in life, but as long as my son and husband are with me, I am home.

Get well soon, my li'l punkin belly.

From Me and Mine...

To You and Yours...

'Twas a few days before Christmas,
When all through the blogs,
Life is still frantic,
And has gone to the dogs.

Parents were scrambling
To find last minute gifts.
They've exhausted all options
On EBay and Craigslist.

Much baking and shopping
And gift-wrapping with care,
In hopes that their company
Soon would be there.

The Christmas parties have ended,
We’ve stumbled back to our houses.
To log-in once more,
And complain about louses.

The babies and toddlers
And little kids, too,
Sing “Jingle Bells” over and over,
And again just for you!

When what to my wandering eyes should appear?
A video of Elmo saying “Happy New Year!”

The video was played,
Then the kids went to sleep.
They went without fussing,
And nary a peep.

Suitcases are packed,
For traveling both far and near.
We all take deep breaths
As we recall why we’re here.

My wish to everyone
This holiday season
Is to just take a moment
To remember the reason.

May your holidays be merry,
May your New Year be bright.
May all your wishes come true,
And may your in-laws not fight.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Happy Halloween!

The real Halloween Costume.

This was a compromise since a decent elephant costume couldn't be found

Picking a pumpkin is *SO* difficult!

This is NOT the real Halloween costume, however, my mother made this costume for my brother 32 years ago. Not only did he wear it when he was three, I wore it when I was three, and now Little Pop has worn it at that age, too.

Have a safe, happy, candy-coma inducing Halloween y'all!

*P.S. Nablopomo and Nanowrimo begin tomorrow. Happy blogging and writing!

To my baby -- 5 days early (I couldn't wait any longer!)

Dear Little Pop,

Monday Night Football has returned with a vengeance and you have returned to your normal Monday Night Football routine. Honestly, as far as days of the week go, Mondays are not my personal favorites, but I have ONE thing that I look forward to each and every Monday in the fall and winter… It’s something special and I hope you do it for years to come... Your MNF dance! Every Monday, when the opening strains of music sound, you blast into the living room and stare at the TV. Any time there is music, you do a little dance, right up until Hank Williams gets on to do his thing. During the official song, you and I dance like crazy people! We stomp our feet, jump around, and turn in circles as we dance together to the theme song. Once it’s done, you go off until it’s time to meet the players. Last year, you started saying “HI” to them as they were introduced. Bless your heart, you are still doing it. Thank you, baby, for making my Mondays the best days of the week!

Outside Mema's house -- September, 2006

Almost seventeen months ago, on your 19-month birthday, I made the very difficult decision to go back to a full-time job. The decision was both the easiest and most difficult decision I have ever made and something that I struggle with constantly to this day. It's turned out just fine, though as you have made so many friends and learned so much! I know that we made the right decision!

First day of Daycare #2 -- June 13, 2005

In a few days you will turn three years old. When my mother and grandmother used to say “It seems like only yesterday when…” I would roll my eyes and truly not get it. What were they talking about??? And then, without warning, you entered my world. And three years ago seems like yesterday. I have to say that I look at you, Mr. Big Boy, wearing “big boy” underwear, using the potty, having conversations with your trains, and I want to scream, “NO!!! You are still a baby! You can’t be this old yet!” But you are this old. You are no longer a baby or even a toddler anymore. Instead of tentatively taking steps, you are running full-steam-ahead.

One day old -- September 26, 2003

Knowing you is like having a birthday every single day because you are a gift and you constantly surprise me. Just this past Saturday, you asked your daddy if he would play football with you and he taught you how to throw your mini-football in a perfect spiral. Your love of all things athletic is so wonderful because I will never have to worry that you won’t get exercise. You love to be a couch potato, too, don’t get me wrong. It doesn’t matter if it’s Scamper the Penguin, Dora the Explorer, Blues Clues, Diego, Max and Ruby, Little Bear, Barney, Thomas, or Madagascar (or as you used to call it, “Adabascar”). You love putting in new DVD’s and playing them all by yourself. You have figured out how to hold your beloved cartoons so that they don’t scratch. You love your cartoons! So much so, that your Nana is worried about it. I assure her that you may like to have it on, but you are always playing, making up stories and scenes for your cars and trains, “reading” books to yourself, etc. You are always on the go.

July 22, 2006

Punkin, I am so proud that you are such a compassionate soul. I heard once that the best way to ensure that your child is compassionate as an adult is to teach him/her compassion as a child. I’m not certain that your father and I can take full credit for it, but your empathy and compassion are astounding. A couple of months ago, I was not feeling well. In fact, I had a debilitating stomach virus that left me very listless and in a lot of pain. You would come by, give me a hug, and ask me if my tummy hurt and then tell me to feel better. In those moments, I did feel much better. And you love to hug the dog and cat. Well, to be honest, you love to “play” with them and that includes chasing, squishing, stepping on, and terrorizing them to a large extent. While the cat will just run and hide, the dog will sit and take it. And when we tell you that you have hurt Bubba, you will lean down, put your arms around him, and ask, “Are you okay, Bubba?”

Petting Zoo with GrandDad and an unsuspecting goat -- October, 2005

Lately, you, the boy who really didn’t like long hugs, being held as a baby, or snuggling in general (you are just too BUSY to sit still), have come to love cuddling. You will come sit by me on the couch or climb into bed with me and say, “I want to cuddle with you, Mommy.” And the beauty of those moments overwhelms me and I look at your arm, encircling me, and I rain kisses down on the top of your blonde head.

And the shocks and the protests (in my heart) keep on coming. Last Sunday night (the 10th), you did something that once again reminded me that you are no longer an infant. For a while now you have used a pacifier when you sleep (naps and bedtime only). A few weeks ago, when we were tucking you in, you handed your paci to your daddy and asked that he cut the end off. You were “too big” for a paci. Stunned, neither of us could do it and when we asked if you were really ready to give them up, you said no. Well, last night, you INSISTED on it. You said, “Yes,” when we asked if you were really ready and if you were sure. You then handed them to your father, and told him to bring back the cut pacis. I think you might have changed your mind right before he came back with the altered items, but you were so BRAVE! We watched your lip quiver and your eyes start to well, and we both told you how proud we are of the big boy you’ve become. Inside, I was bawling for you. You are SUCH a big boy and I am SO PROUD of you!

Watching a Movie in September, 2006

Just in case you thought that I might not be keeping track of such things, I’d like to give you a list of milestones you’ve covered this past year:

• Count to 30 in English and Spanish
• Identify these same numbers
• Use several Spanish words correctly in conversation
• Sing your A,B,C's and identify each letter
• You know your primary and secondary colors (you know that yellow and blue make green, etc.)
• Distinguish between your right and left hands and know which way is your right and which is your left
• Spell your name and other assorted words
• Sing so many songs that I cannot count them all!

Some of my favorites are:

Baby Bumblebee
Baa Baa Black Sheep
Itsy Bitsy Spider
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
A,B,C’s
The Thomas theme song
The Alligator Song
Happy Birthday to You
The “Clean up” Song
The Bob the Builder theme song

• Put on your own shoes, socks, shirt, and shorts with minimal help
• Take off your clothes by yourself
• Wash your hands
• Hit a baseball with a bat
• Hit a golf ball
• Throw a spiral pass
• Dribble the soccer ball
• Shoot a basket
• Shake people's hands and exclaim, "Nice to meet you!"
• Flash a "hook 'em" sign while singing parts of "The Eyes of Texas" and "Texas Fight!"
• Dance, do somersaults, jump up high, gallop like a horsey, run, walk, crawl, sing, yell, cry, giggle, laugh, and tackly the dog, your father, and me constantly
• GO POTTY ON THE POTTY!!!
  

Little Pop at play -- July 2006

Ahh, the potty training. We’ve received plenty of advice about the way to approach it, but what worked best for you were two things:

1) Just biting the bullet and putting you in regular underwear, and 2) Money. Quarters, to be exact. Every time you “poo-poo” on the potty and not in your pants, you get a quarter. Since this has started, you have had two accidents and only one of those involved your underpants (the other time, you were wearing a pull-up). It is safe to say that you are doing quite well, financially, and definitely have a future in sales as you are quite motivated by cold, hard cash!

At one of your friends' birthday parties -- April 2006

My little one, you sure are a parrot! I swear that nothing gets by you these days! You love to repeat every single thing you hear (be it something you heard your father or I say or on TV). I don’t know what was more hilarious and embarrassing, though… The time you said, “Is he a motherfucker, Daddy?” or the time you were in the car with your father and I and your Nana and GrandDad, saw a police car drive by, and started singing, “Bad boys, bad boys, whatchagonna do when dey come for you?” Then there’s that Easter Sunday brunch at the country club with your grandparents when you tried to feed your granddad a carrot, “It’s gonna come in your mouth, GrandDad! It’s coming in your mouth!” Your father and I got a huge kick out of that one. Or what you just said to me recently, “Pee pee is really tee tee and it lives in my wee wee, but poo poo lives in my BUTT!” One day (okay lots of days), once you’re finished doing your business on the potty, you look at me and say, “I crapped, Mommy!”

In the past year, you have tried many new and exciting things. You went on your first ski trip in December and played in real snow (not the itty-bitty bit we sometimes get here)! You flew on an airplane, went down a huge hill on a saucer ALL BY YOURSELF and nearly gave your grandparents heart attacks in the process! You rang in the New Year in Breckenridge. And you talk about going back to Colorado all the time. Lest we think you’re purely a “snow” baby, you have astounded us at the pool this summer as well… You insist on jumping off the 4 foot high waterfall and going down the slide ALONE at our friend’s pool and you just paddle and paddle and paddle with your floaties on and your ear plugs in.

Breckenridge -- December, 2005

Oh yes, the ear plugs… Baby, you have had the worst luck with ear infections. So much so, that after your 5th one in a row, we decided to get tubes put in. The difference it has made in your overall health has been ASTOUNDING! And while the actual process was extremely scary (after all, my BABY was going under general anesthesia), it all worked out better than I could have imagined. You were NOT happy when you woke up, though, that’s for sure!

Swimming at your cousin's house -- August, 2006

Just the other day, you were playing out on the back deck, when you started sobbing as though you’d broken something (like an arm). We rushed out to see the sprinklers on. You were sobbing and hiccupping and saying, “The sprinklers are on! The sprinklers are on!” You cried as though your very existence was at an end. You were inconsolable no matter how we tried to calm you down and help you. A few days later, your daddy was hand-watering parts of the grass and you were “helping” him. Daddy decided that this would be a perfect opportunity to teach you about running through sprinklers. You loved it! You took off your shoes and your shirt and ran around, in, and through the sprinkler for about 20 minutes. The next day, you took it a step further and went back to your nemesis, the backyard sprinklers. For almost an hour, you and your daddy ran and jumped through the sprinklers back there. It was a time that I wish I could freeze and store away, taking it out on special occasions to remember how great it was and how sweet.

In the sprinklers -- August, 2006

I have a myriad of stories to tell and to share and I cannot wait until you ask me about your life as a baby. You are so curious and always seeking knowledge, that I KNOW this time will come. I can hear you now, asking for it in the same way you ask for milk, a toy, or a story, “Please may I have a glass of milk, Mommy?” “Please will you tell me about when I was a baby?” For a long time during my pregnancy and your early months, I felt disjointed. It was almost as though someone else was pregnant. Someone else was “Mommy.” Someone else was wholly responsible for the well-being of another human being. I was so scared that I would break you, that if I didn’t hold you enough or if I let you watch too much TV, or fed you meat too soon, or didn’t hear a burp, that somehow everyone would KNOW that I didn’t know what the Hell I was doing and that someone would come take you from me. How on earth could the stars have possibly aligned in the way that they did so that I would be blessed with YOU? You are so much fun to be around (even when you throw the occasional “I don’t wanna…” tantrum – It’s all your father and I can do not to laugh). And I cannot possibly express in one rather lengthy and rambling blog post exactly what you mean to me, your father, your grandparents, and your Mema.

Little Pop with Mema -- September, 2006

I love you more than words could possibly express, my precious Skeebledebeeps and I know that one day, you actually WILL fit into Daddy’s shorts!

Wearing the pants -- July, 2005

It doesn’t matter what you do, though, in every new task, you jump in with both feet, not looking back, showing no fear whatsoever. I have to say that it makes the overprotective mama in me cringe. But there you charge, full steam ahead, whether it’s jumping into the pool, sliding down a huge hill, jumping into the sprinklers, driving your car, trying to tackle Bubba, terrorizing Talia, showing me how high you can jump, singing your ABC’s or another new song, pretending to bake a birthday cake, blowing out pretend birthday candles, “reading” your books, or doing a somersault. And when you’re successful (which is Damn near EVERY SINGLE TIME), you look up at me with your eyes wide and your smile huge and you ask, “Did you see that, Mommy? Did you hear that, Daddy?”

Bullriding at the outlet mall -- August, 2006

Yes, baby, we sure did.

Love,
Mommy (and Daddy)

Let me just say...

That I love this golf-playing, spanish counting, abc singing, potty pooping, song singing, thomas and cars loving, dog hugging, cat chasing, ball throwing, story telling little boy!!!

P.S. His daddy, who taught him most of the above, isn't so bad, either! ;-)

Potty Training Update...

Whoo-hoo!!!!

Zero. Count 'em. Zero accidents yesterday!!! And... He's going into official pre-school on Monday. :) My baby is growing up... SNIFF!!!

Biting the Bullet

My son has inherited something from both his father and me... Laziness. It is this laziness that has made potty training next to impossible (he would rather keep playing and go pee pee in his pants than take time out to go to the potty and we don't stay on top of things the way we should). So we are biting the bullet tonight and starting him on the real deal underwear. PRAY FOR US!!!

Moments to cherish...

Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the lord my soul to keep, I'm so tired, Mommy, I need to give you a hug."

More on love...

Love is...

Having your son interrupt your workout so that he can join in the fun...

Sitting on the back porch, your son turning on the radio, and telling you that, "I'm working out now, Mommy. You sit down."