My Big Boy

Dear Thomas,

The other day, you woke up from a nap and were still sleepy as I held you in my arms. You rested your little head on my shoulder and your long skinny body stretch down past my torso. You feet wiggled below. I can not believe how much you're growing. Sometimes Daddy calls you "Tom" now. It makes me flinch for a second, but when I look at you, I realize you are becoming a big boy.







Our calendar is full of your "firsts" from the last month. It began at the end of January when you suddenly balanced yourself and sat up, and continued until you were scooting backwards and then finally creeping forwards in an army-crawl style toward objects you covet. You love your shrimp swimming lessons at the YMCA, and definitely take your new kicking skills with you into the bath at home. A few weeks ago, we went on an overnight to a hotel with your Grandma and Grandpa C and you showed off your talent.


I know you love me, mostly because your anxiety at my departure is so desperately evident all the time. I try to leave the room to fold the laundry, and your lip quivers as though I've announced my intent to travel around the globe. Most of the time, I try to sneak away so you don't notice...but you're onto me, Tommy. I know that if we make eye contact as I leave the room, I'm in for it.

You're getting pretty good at smushing Cheerios in between your front teeth, and slowly you've started eating other big kid foods, like cheese and yogurt and lunch meat. You are starting to notice when my plate has something different than yours...and you've also noticed that I seem to be drinking a lot of Diet Pop out of fun cans. I'm sure it will be no time before you're asking for a sip.

You've had your share of sickness this winter, between the RSV and frequent colds. This keeps you from the Y, where you love to mostly watch other kids. I think you like the distraction and chaos since things at home are a little more quiet. Daddy and I asked you if you want another kid in the family, and you seem pretty into it. So are we.

Now, if we could only find a home to house this family...

It won't be long.

I love you.

Mom

Can you be spiritual and successful?

Can I justify my $10 million lakeside home?

Ultimate.

This one is just for you----VVMS note style.

-Kemosabi

Mercedes

You know who you are. Give me the recipe for those Tootsie Roll Jello Shots. Who won't give a good recipe away to admirers? Share the wealth.

Insights by my Husband

Him: You know that moment---the one just before you fall asleep?

Me: It's beautiful, isn't it?

Him: I'll bet...

Me: He's gonna wake up.

Him: Yeah.

(Mutual sighs.)

A Blog Chain Letter?

Kate got me.

Four jobs I've had:
1. Harassee at Dick Blick Arts Materials (e.g. "Can I paint you naked?" "Uh, no. I'm 16 and you're a creepy old bald man who works with me and...I quit.")
2. Gap Employee
3. Opera-Singing hostess at Macaroni Grill
4. Event coordinator of a rock concert

Four movies I can watch over and over:
1. Beauty & the Beast
2. Zoolander (I never thought I'd write that.)
3. What About Bob
4. Office Space


Four places I've lived:
1. Granada, Spain
2. St. Paul, MN
3. Richfield, MN
4. The Bubble


Four TV shows I love:
1. Grey's Anatomy
2. Felicity
3. The Biggest Loser
4. Law & Order


Four places I've vacationed:
1. Marbella, Spain
2. Las Vegas
3. Eau Claire (just this weekend!)
4. Disneyworld/land


Four of my favorite dishes:
1. Chicken cacciatore
2. Anything with blue cheese
3. Raspberries
4. Ice Cream


Four sites I visit daily: (Three of these make me laugh so hard I could pee.)
1. dooce.com
2. Babycenter
3. Calorie Counter for my weight loss project
4. Site of the Crazy One


Four places I would rather be right now:
1. At a Spa
2. On the Beach
3. Target
4. Hospital...oddly.

People I am tagging:
1. Wombat Queen
2. Jess
3. Ash

Homelessness

On the whole, living with my parents isn't a bad thing. It's actually pretty good. There's always someone to chatter away at, even if they're not listening. There are two---count 'em---fridges stocked to the brim at most times. There is usually a free baby-sitter.

But homelessness starts to get to you. Or me, as it is.

I long for the the day I can again fold my laundry my way, eat my groceries that I bought because I like boneless skinless chicken breast and I don't like potatoes. Or potatos.

And then, I'm sure, when that day comes and I live on the other side of the world, I'll miss this place as I did before. But then, we'll have that wonderful relationship of Mom-and-Daughter-who-Live-Separately-Loving-and-Missing-Each-Other-More-For-That-Fact.

Incidentally

There's nothing like ending a good 'ol fam weekend with a tour of your local brewery. Samples included.

No Pants Nephew...and Niece

The really funny thing is that he's done this before. There was that time on Halloween when he answered the door in his birthday suit and handed out candy to the neighbor kids without batting an eye. And they didn't bat theirs, either. They just grabbed as much candy as they could and took off.

And then tonight, I walked into the room where Claudia and Will were supposed to be sleeping to find that games and socks and pillows were strewn about in tornadic, post-bedtime silliness. And Claudia and Will were not peacefully slumbering, but rather nakedly staring at me, wide-eyed and wondering whether I'd scream or laugh. I sort of grunted.

And then, while Will went downstairs to find Go Dog Go, whom he couldn't sleep without, I asked Claudia where her pjs were. I don't know, she said. Willy took them.

Shrinking Poster

Sorry for my long absence. I haven't been motivated to post lately. I have, however, found motivation in another area---weight loss! It scares me to post this, because putting my weight loss plan on the internet does give me a certain level of accountability.

My plan is to count calories and eat 1500/day. We'll see how it goes. I'm actually a geek who enjoys tracking calorie consumption in an Excel spreadsheet. If you didn't know how much I loved statistics class, perhaps you wouldn't have guessed. ;)

At any rate, the goal here is to get rid of the rest of this stubborn baby weight. It hasn't gone anywhere and I've been exercising 4-5 times/week for the past 6 months. Ridiculousness. (Ok, I shouldn't exaggerate. It has gone down somewhat but not enough in that amount of time). Anyway, the moral of the story is that I need to cut back on my eating and continue the exercising if I'm going to get anywhere. The other moral of the story is here.

So, wish me luck, blog readers. I'll be keeping ya posted.