'Twas just days before Christmas

G said before we went to a Hanukkah party Friday :

“ I am excited to celebrate ‘harmonica’ with my friend Tal.”

A Christmas classic was born. The second of the week…

Tuesday evening, G stared as Chicken Cacciatore in the Christmas Pageant at school. It was a priceless performance complete with 2 -4 year olds picking their noses, crying and waving to their parents from the stage. Our little chicken (dressed in a mighty fine homemade costume) projected his two lines perfectly over all the noise. Ironically, the play was called Starry Night, Noisy Night.

Annual wrapping and wine drinking with gal pal Sarah was excellent. All wrapping is done... Just moved Halloween and Thanksgiving photos to computer to make room for the thousands that I am sure to take in the next few days. Bought a coffee cake at Costco and am calling brunch done. Need to make some jezebel and buy several blocks of cream cheese and boxes of wheat thins. Hostess gifts almost done… Things are shaping up. And there is a day or two to spare.

“Free and Easy down the road we go” into the Heart of Darkness… eh-hem, I mean, this joyous season.

No, really. I am looking forward to it… it’s always chaotic but in the best way possible. I know I would be miserable if it were any other way. Shrek the Halls (which we’ve watched 25 times so far) reminds me so…

Some of the fondest memories where once described as "incidents." Like the time mom went flying down the driveway and into the ditch on my new bike one beautiful Christmas day in Colorado. Or the time Laura nixed EVERY SINGLE gift that came out of the stocking Nennie thoughtfully put together for her. OR the time we stuffed like 17 people into our apartment for brunch... what were we thinking?

Yes, there was an “incident” (or two) last holiday where I totally flipped. Namely the "f’ing casserole"… Isn't at least one freak-out tradition?

How about an early New Year's resolution? When I start to lose perspective and worry about any of the things that can overwhelm a control freak just trying to make reality match the mental image of the perfect Christmas dancing around with the sugarplums in her head – I will embrace a three step method for dealing...

First, I will look to Deeda. My rock and smile store. I will perhaps roll my eyes or open them super wide. This unspoken "venting" may simply be required to ensure my head doesn't explode. He’ll smile and we’ll laugh but no one will know why… And I will remember why I love him and his total zest for the holidays so.


Second, I will look to my big little boy G. I will take in his enthusiasm and wonder… To see Christmas through the eyes of a four year old is such a treat!


And last but not least, I will look to baby B. Miracle. What a miracle! ‘Tis the reason for the season. In just nine weeks (time is flying by) he’s come so far. 13 lbs now. Smiling. And such a snuggle bear.

Happy Holidays! I will report from the flip slide on the success of the system. :)

what's the formula for success?

Friday

Quote of the day: “Jesus lives in the sky with God and Santa Claus.” We needed that giggle... it's been a long week.

Let’s hope this new formula brings some change about the casa. This is how it goes presently: B eats, spits up a bunch, hangs out briefly and then the gas starts. It comes over his face with the saddest most pitiful expression and then the crying. It’s horrible. Poor kid. Was seeming like he was crying a lot… wondering if it was just my perception or true, I started logging our days specifically...he officially cries if he’s awake. Long story short, today we made the formula switch.
Happy seven week birthday B! You’re growing waaaay too fast. You hold your head up like mad and you’re starting to share those smiles that take away all the frustration the crying creates.

G is on his best behavior these days. MOST excited ‘bout Santa’s pending visit. He keeps telling us he’s being a good boy… and he is all about the mams and sirs. It’s borderline kiss-ass… but I’ll take it. We should have been leveraging this all year long. At any rate, he’ll do just about anything we request right now. Let the dog in, go fetch a bib or burp cloth… Bedtime still leads to some stalling but the screaming fits we were encountering a couple months ago seem to be behind us (for now). I’ll say it again, that boy is soooo sweet.

Thanksgiving was excellent. Mellow for the most part and it was great of the fam to trek down to H-town this year… I learned some super trade secrets from Nennie (Master of the shrimp dip, cornbread dressing and sweet potatoes to mention a few of my favs). Deeda made the most excellent turkey in some new fangled ultraviolet cooker… We topped off our dinner with the Football game of the year and pie, followed by a New Moon movie brunch on Friday. A little dose of that Cullen vampire I adore… I think we should make it a holiday tradition forever more.

On Dasher and Dancer – Christmas is practically here. The tree is decorated. Tomorrow is tamale Saturday and my Amazon shopping cart is getting full. And as if that wasn’t enough, it snowed today in Houston. All day! Big flakes. Real snow, not freezing rain.

It was Halloween just a minute ago… time flies when you’re on maternity leave. Our days (and nights) are busy but not, if that makes sense. I mean, I am not napping or eating any bon bons… I also haven’t even managed to sign up for Netflix, much less watch all the movies and TV shows I had grand visions of catching up on… And I haven’t read any of the books I have on my list…or done anything with the thousands of corks I’ve been collected for some craft. I did take a day on Tuesday. I let the laundry go unfolded, skipped the shower, decided we’d eat pizza for dinner and put my crackberry away… I watched a whole movie (Marley and Me) with baby bear in my arms. It was perfect! Soaking up that baby smell.

Saturday

Uhm, this new formula stinks. No yummy baby smell. Smells like dog food. Literally. I gagged and nearly vomited when he spit that smell up on me overnight.

So we switched again. (shhhhh don't tell the doc) Now let’s hope this one works. Soy (play on word) far, soy good.

Welcome Barrett

I’ve started to do this at least five times and left the cursor blinking to tend to you know who…today , I picked back up about 10 a.m., it’s 2:10 p.m. and three interrupted sittings later, I am calling it done. It’s not complete. It’s not even close… but the blog feels like this big “to do” right now.

Barrett is 25 days old and catching up with the last 3 and a half weeks seems impossible in the windows of time I have. There are so many details in every day I’d love to record....from the dimples on the child’s hands to the fuzz that covers nearly his entire body…

Maybe later I can post details… for now, I will offer up the basics in hopes that I can mentally cross “blog” off my list of things to do for a few days.

Barrett Christian was born Friday, October 16 at 10:33 a.m. He weighed 9 lbs and 12 oz and was 21” long. Big boy! Beautiful boy (though I may biased). My regular doctor had the swine flu (I bet we laugh about that some day), so we didn’t know the delivery docs but it worked out just fine in the end.

Biggest baby on our hospital floor. But he didn’t look big to me. He looked tiny… ten tiny fingers. Ten tiny toes. Robust arms and a round face. Tons of dark hair- it’s nearly a mullet… Extends about ½ an inch down the back of his neck. I have to get a photo of that…

In the first few hours he looked totally different than G. By day two it was like déjà vu. I even kept calling him Grant. By week two, he’d transformed yet again… related to Grant but not his twin.

The hospital stay was a bit of a blur. But I have to make note of the first time the little Bear and I locked eyes. He stared at me for a long while, as if to say, “hi mom.”

We came home Monday to a sparkling clean house and a pumpkin cake baking in the oven. Proof that mother’s know what their kids need. Thanks mom. The coming home couldn’t have been more perfect!

Generally speaking, recovering from this C-section has been easier than carrying a nearly 10 lb baby around in my belly. I had good meds, which I realize now made me a little loopy. But they also allowed me to happily welcome a steady stream of visitors. At one point the day on the birthday, I counted 12 people in my hospital room. And it was a tiny, tiny room.

We are so blessed with family and friends who have come with gifts, food and hugs. So many people made special efforts to meet B, feed us and help big brother feel special ,too. I also can’t help but recognize with a big warm fuzzy heart how our circle of friends has grown since the time Grant was born. I’ll say it again, we’re so blessed!

G is about the best big brother I can imagine him being. He runs to get things we need, he asks to hold his brother, kisses him gently, talks to him and perhaps the cutest of all, brings him toys to play with… The moment we put our eyes on Barrett was tearful and amazing and all that you can’t even begin to really imagine. The moment Grant met him was equally as wonderful.



I believe it was day 7 or 8 that I officially gave up breast feeding. In actuality, I think it was day four. It just took the extra days for me to admit it to myself. For some readers this may seem like TMI, but it’s an essential part of the story of the last several weeks.

I didn’t want to give up. I had studied up. I had called for consultants. I had promised myself we’d give it the old college try. I also promised myself, I wouldn’t make myself crazy about it… and then I found myself going crazy about it. It was making me and Barrett cry. So I had a talk with myself (and several friends) and gave it up along with that cloud of guilt that somehow appeared again, even though I thought I knew better this time around.

And to all that I just have to add that this motherhood gig is complicated. The animal instinct to protect, feed and nurture is intense. And it kinda messes with your mind… I think it’s because it overrides your mind. It’s instinct to some degree, which can feel out of control sometimes. And let’s face it, this mama has some “issues” with” out of control”... but motherhood has really made me better. Really. It has. Really.

We had the most wonderful Halloween. As per our usual, it was a week-long celebration. We paraded in the park, attended G’s school performance, the annual Bromley block party and trick or treated in the hood. G’s Spiderman costume got plenty of use. And he had some awesome Spidy moves to go with it.



Grammy got to meet B on Sunday after Halloween (special thanks to her taxi service). Then, they left on Tuesday. And here it is a week later and I don’t know what we’ve been up to… days fly by. I planned a quick outing to the office the other day. Planned to go around noon, thinking it might be fun to grab lunch with the girls and catch up… It was four before we made it the 2.5 miles down the road to the office. Four! Such is life with a newborn. Gotta roll with the flow.

Saturday we took both boys to the zoo and later took in a movie thanks to an impromptu babysitting offer from Grams. It was a great day! Though I was totally exhausted Sunday, it was a glimpse of “normalcy.” I am still looking for my groove… trying to figure out how to feed baby, bathe baby (and myself), take a walk or do some of a handful of other projects I’d love to cross off the list. But I am also working to take time to breathe, to stare at B, watch a little daytime television and soak up that baby smell…it’s a special mix: part spit up, part J&J lotion…I don’t know how or why it smells so good!

catching up before baby brudher arrives

Getting ready around here.
This is a photo of G testing the infant seat. Wow! He's grown up. It's gone so fast. Bet the next three years go equally as fast. Fastening our seat belts...

Two people have asked in the last few days if I am carrying twins. Uhm, no. But Friday is the big day so I guess the lower and humongous belly is what’s throwing them.

Finished up at the office on Monday. Spent yesterday at the doc and hospital doing pre-op blood work and so forth. Friends of Red hosted the fall community meeting last night…A success!

So, as of this morning, I am officially done with obligations outside of my own personal agenda which includes puttering around the quiet house, resting up and taking in the U2 concert tonight .

It’s 11:25 a.m. on Wednesday, I am still in my P.J.s. I have organized the pile of papers in the home office (makes me happier than you can imagine). I have burned the last 6 months of photos to a DVD and I am cleaning up the computer desktop (almost makes me as happy as cleaning the actual desktop) to make way for MORE PHOTOS! AND I am catching up on the blog. Bliss.

The recap of recent events:

Elbow Blues
Deeda busted his elbow in a freak dog/opossum wrestling match on our fence line. He tripped over the gas meter in the dark… He never fell, but waving his arms so crazily is apparently all it took to create a couple hairline fractures likely caused by immobility resulting from two sizable bone spurs on the right elbow. Too many throws from home to second base in the earlier years perhaps? Who knows? What I do know is that a subsequent injury was created when he was feeling well enough to forget his elbow was hurt, which led to an apt. with the orthopedic doc and recommended surgery. So, we have a lame duck who, I will say, is getting better about taking his Advil.

Occasions, Classes & Secrets
G got dressed up fancy for Cousin James' Baptism. And Grammy came in to stay the weekend for the same occasion. G was so proud of his tie. It really was nice to have Grammy here.

G also attended big brother class at the hospital where he learned to hold a baby doll, put a diaper on and all about being a “Super Sibling.” Perfect for our little superhero lover… He had a blast! At the end of the class each child got to go to the front of the room, receive a T-shirt and certificate, and then say if they were having a brother or a sister and what the baby’s name would be.

We were anxious to hear the name he tossed out since we’d been talking with him about two different names. The child didn’t hesitate. And the name he said is the name we’ve chosen… G has been far more consistent than mom and Deeda, who mulled on it for several more weeks, but the deed is done. He has a name.

Keeping this secret has proven difficult for little man. Couple weeks he ago he thought he was alone with Nanna and he blurted it out. Little did he know I was within ear shot in the kitchen... He didn't have time to repeat himself before I arrived in the living room with wide eyes, and I don't believe Nanna heard correctly... Then, just yesterday, he was alone with Grams in the car and he told her he knew a secret. Good for Grams for telling him it's important to keep secrets... That's some real willpower. All will be known in due time!

Back to sibling class... To finish the class we took a tour which included a peek inside the nursery. G saw a new, new, new baby getting a bath and kinda made a face at it, like “that’s not cute at all.” Had to giggle. He was right. They all look a little alien at first. What was cute is what G said when we loaded back into the elevator with the class.

He asked, “Are we going up or down?”

“Down,” I said.

“We’re downloaded,” G said.

Priceless! "

Mission Float Test Accomplished.
G passed three float tests at Houston Swim Club this month! He officially graduated his dolphin class and we’re on swim class hiatus until further notice. We have to admit we’re happy to be done… Wednesday nights have been chaos for a long while…

I am not sure who was the most proud, G, his teachers or his parents. He floated bravely… His teacher Charlie had told him to think “happy thoughts.” So when he finished the first test, he told us that’s what he did. Water would splash over his face and he would quickly wipe it away and then put his hand right back behind his head. By the third test he was floating in long sleeves, pants, tennis shoes and socks! We have video of that too but it's too large to upload...Need to work on that... G got a certificate, ribbon and the Houston Swim Club bell (like the one they ring when you pass the float test).

Kidnapped!
Last Saturday I was kidnapped for a surprise non shower-shower / girls night out that totally rocked. Mani, pedi and dinner among all my best girls was such a treat. Erika and Andrea masterminded with Laura and Christian's assistance... So fun! Thanks to everyone who came and collaborated. It was a special night.

No Line on the Horizon.

Picking up where I left off. Writing this at 9:58 a.m. Thursday… T-minus 24 hours to “show time…”

It’s been the year of concerts for the Dionne’s. First George Strait. Then, Depeche Mode. Last night was U2. In a last minute decision we bucked up and bought tickets. I am so glad we didn’t miss it! Amazing! Wow! Never seen anything like it. Love the music and the band themselves…

Add to the memories I associate with their songs that range from junior high to the the present day, the fact that the band uses their stage/voice positively and you can’t deny U2 is incredible. And add to that the most amazing set, lights and imagery ever … and add to that a shooting star in the sky nearly on cue… I mean, it was an experience.

G stayed with Grams and Pops while we took in the show. Grams had some classic G’isms to report this morning.

“When my mommy’s belly pops baby brudher will be here.”


They have a fish named Shamu and one named Shamwow (as in the as seen on TV product) in their pond. G apparently named a third Shampoo last night. He’s quick!

And with that, I will sign off for now.

Baby updates to come soon!

Proof of Belly

I promised. I hate to put it here now, but someday I'll probably be glad.

A belly shot from a really nice girl who took my photo at Depeche Mode and actually emailed it yesterday. That was August 30. So, I was 32 going on 33 weeks. You can see the band in the background... :)

Photo two. Significant because this green shirt is maybe my favorite maternity shirt and one of about three things I can wear at this point. This photo was taken at about 36 weeks.

And thought it's not doing me any favors, I can't leave out this photo from last night. 39 weeks at U2. T-minus one day until scheduled delivery.

August in a nutshell

The thing is, the busier we are, the more I have to update and the less time I have to do it! Thanks to the three day Labor Day weekend, here's last month's news.

The youngest first. Here’s a photo of the little Mr. from week 32. You can see his hand is next to his cheek. His eyes are closed...

It was great to get another look at him. At that point he was weighing in at approximately 5.5 lbs. give or take 12 oz. This puts him in the 90th percentile on weight. I would worry but I recall they projected G would be more than 9 lbs according to ultrasound and he was born weighting 8 lbs 3 oz. So who knows…

33 going on 34 weeks now and counting. It ain’t pretty. I wish I had posted a photo of my tummy somewhere about 25 weeks. Now it’s just huge. I will eventually take a photo and post it anyway as proof that it, indeed, isn’t pretty and so someday the little kiddo can look at the photo and pretend to understand what it must have been like for me to carry him around at this point…

In a nutshell, I feel pretty darn good. In the evenings I love watching my belly move around as he kicks and repositions. I really feel better than I did with Grant. Namely because I am still just grateful as all get out I am not pricking my figure and reporting glucose levels four times a day. But also because my ankles are only swollen beyond recognition some days and the heartburn is only unbearable part of the time.

Sleeping is really the biggest issue (especially when the heart burn/reflux kicks in). Most nights are pretty predictable though. I am up for potty breaks every 2-3 hours (great training for what’s ahead). The real joy is getting up from a horizontal position. It’s kind of like being a turtle on its back. It’s some combination of rolling and rocking that lands me on my feet. Then I hobble a few steps on my weak feeling hips to the bano. During the days my hips are fine but they ache like mad at night… especially if I sit on the soft sofa… Yet, I long to mush on the sofa…

The child remains nameless but so everyone can stop worrying, we have narrowed it down to two (sometimes three) combinations that we like so much we just can’t decide. I am to the point that I want to give ourselves a deadline so we can just be done with it. But we just can’t seem to let ourselves decide. It’s really hard. And you just don’t want to screw such a big brainstorming project up…

*****

In life outside the womb...to say the last month has been super busy would be an understatement. To recap briefly, Communications Plus is celebrating 30 years in business. We made a weekend retreat to Austin complete with spa day weekend before last… last weekend we hosted a party for clients and friends to celebrate AND relocated back to the Main Street office all on the same Saturday. Seems our cute little spot on the Village was never permitted correctly by our landlord. Inspector violations have been snowballing since May but the icing on the cake was an order to vacate from the City. Enough already.

We topped off that Saturday of fun with a trip to see Depeche Mode at the Woodlands on Sunday. Of course, the show didn’t disappoint. It was fantastic! And I can tell both boys when they are crazy for some band in their teen years that I saw my favorite band when I was pregnant with each of them… Truly devoted. I am.


In between all that Deeda has made two trips to Austin for work and he’s putting the finishing touches on a touch up project turned to a full-fledged painting project in the baby’s room. Grams made a crib skirt (a.k.a. tree skirt) to match the bedding. And with a few minor accessorizing details left, we’re about ready to roll in the nursery. Next up, I am going to wash the infant wardrobe so it’s fresh. Bought Dreft yesterday at the store. (Just one side note on that, I can’t believe the price of that stuff! It’s like $10.)

*****

G-man is doing great. What a sweet, good and smart boy he is.

This week was his first week in the fours class. He was a bit confused on Monday… He wondered if it was his birthday since he was going to the fours. I think he’s got it straight now but he does continue to say, “ I am four now.” I think he just wants to pretend he’s four… sounds good to him.

Speaking of pretending, the kid has come into a new phase of pretend play. The cars or whatever he’s playing with have conversations and stories… Today he got a couple plastic dinosaurs from the “dollar spot” at Target and he had them talking to one another all afternoon. Oh the joy $1 can bring!

He’s still super excited about baby brudher and he still wants to call him Buzz. Yesterday he kissed my stomach totally unsolicited. He also told me twice yesterday that I was “cute today.” Love it! Especially because Deeda has been totally in vogue lately. G and I finally enjoyed some much needed time together yesterday. I think we read 12 books in a row and then I started teaching him to play go fish and crazy 8’s. He thinks it’s great. Our games end up being matching games but he’s getting it and he can show off how well he knows his numbers while we’re at it. He’s also very into letters these days. Asking all the time,” what does that name start with?”

It’s exciting to see his interest in learning. This afternoon he and Deeda were going over train vocabulary. Tender box, funnel, couplings and cattle pusher. I guess they learned these things in a library book a few weeks ago and then Special Agent Oso was talking about some of the same words on Disney Channel this morning… seriously. Some of these are new to me!

He also started computer classes at school this week. Once a week he gets to go to a special class. Then we can log on from home and play games as well. He loves it because for once he’s allowed to touch the computer. They talked about “home row” this week. Yesterday we were reporting on computer class to aunt Laura on the phone. G was holding my blackberry and he said, “I see home row right there on your phone mom.” Geesh…

Swimming lessons are coming along and along. We’re hoping he can take his float test by the end of the month and then we’re taking a break from the Wednesday night rat race for a while. After a week of private lessons at the neighborhood pool we saw major progress and this past week at Houston Swim Club, I saw big arms like I’d never seen him make before.

Going off the diving board is his favorite thing. He pops up and gets to the side “all by himself.” Which is one of his most used phrases at the moment … He likes to cut his waffle all by himself with a butter knife and he does a pretty good job of it. He can also get totally dressed and pretty much brush his teeth , all by himself. All skills that I know will come in very handy in just a short while.

Which reminds me… Couple weeks ago he wanted to call Grandaddy and Nennie to talk about barns. Not sure how it all relates, but he also reported to them that the toast popped up “all by itself.” And “could they believe that?” He was sincerely reporting the most amazing thing he’d seen all week… I mean, the pop up toaster blew his mind. So, he doesn’t know it all just yet… and there are still those moments of total wonder that remind me, despite how it may seem a lot of the time, he’s still just a little boy.

*****

September first came with a cool front. Not cool enough to amount to true heat relief but cool enough to feel as though fall will actually come. Bring it on. We're ready... College football was on every other channel this weekend so even if the weather hasn't changed, I can hear fall in the air. Deeda even got to take in the first game at College Station on Saturday. I am dying to make a pot of soup and wear something with sleeves. About time to hunker down... So excited!

*****

On a final note, G says he’s going to change his brother’s diapers… and I thought we really had something great going with him being able to let Dee dog in and out of the back door. This is something to consider...

If you want bootiful hair

Tucking G in last night. He was playing with my hair. Pulling it really, but he means well...

He says, "Mom you should get a muppet to make your hair bootiful."

I say, "A what?"

He says, "A bum pit."

One more time, I say, "What?"

And then it comes to me... he's saying "Bump It."

I nearly rolled out of the bed laughing. If you don't know, a Bump It is the latest in a long line of hair clips such as the bannana clip and topsy tail... It's an "as seen on TV" product designed to give your hair style extra lift in the crown, a la teasing and White Rain used to do... Today we have Bump Its.

We TiVO Spiderman cartoons for G. We watch the same ones over and over. On the Sandman episode, just after the Amazing Trains video commercial is, you guessed it kids, the Bump It commercial. The kid is paying attention.

He says he's going to get me a Bump It for my birthday. Well, he didn't say that, but the conversation ended like this:


"When is your birthday, mom?"


You could see the wheels spinning... Deeda, if the bump it comes up around the time of my birthday, if he remembers on his own... dial the 800 number. I've got to have it. Just priceless.

A Birthday Wish.

Just realizing this little project celebrated it's first birthday this month! Happy Birthday Casa de Dionne!

Now, here's what I wished for when I blew out the candles. I'd like to see some comments on the blog in the coming year. Eh-hem Grandparents in particular, family and friends too, it's much appreciated when you respond via email that you like the blog. However, your comments and notes would become part of the (b)log if you would post comments to it. Just click on the little word comments at the end of the post (right where it usually says "0 comments") and enter share your thoughts or add your own story.

So, someday when G and TBD are reading the story of their life not only will they see what I had to write but what you had to add to it... Wouldn't that be great? Plus, a few comments would inspire more posts. It's always nice to know if someone else is reading.

Please comment. This is a two way communication vehicle.

Four for One

Catching up... so here's four little blurbs I've been meaning to update with.

SNIPER
Couple weeks ago, G went home to Austin with Nana on a Friday. Deeda had a business meeting there on Saturday. So G hitched a ride home with Deeda on Sunday mid-day. Nana and Papa were beyond thrilled to get their first sleep over with G and he was equally excited to swim and play and eat papa eggs. But I promise, no one was happier than I was to have a date night with my hubby on Friday and then get him out the door early Saturday so I could enjoy an entire day and evening to myself! Errands were run, closets organized, chic flick watched. Operation Baby’s Room officially made it to the next milestone . Crib is assembled. Closet emptied of paperwork and filled with baby clothes…

Now, I wasn’t there so I can only tell the story as it was told to me, but here’s what I heard.

Saturday night the boys went for pizza with Nana and Papa. When a pepperoni fell of G’s slice, he said, “Sniper.”

To have the full effect of this comment you must know this is a formula joke Deeda adopted when G was first toddling around and falling down a lot (seemingly for no reason). He’d fall and Deeda would say, “sniper!” It’s been a staple that’s continued as G has grown and he continues to fall. Usually these days it’s because he’s running super fast or jumping from something. Anyhoo- it seems as though G clearly knows how to use the formula himself… E.g., if your pepperoni falls down it must have been a “sniper!” This from the same boy who says he “stepped on a duck” when he “toots.” He knows he’s funny and he loves it! The other day he tried to play “give me five – down low – too slow.” He doesn’t quite get how it works but he does get that it’s a funny thing and he’d get a laugh for pulling it off.

He has also adopted this very George Mcfly from Back to the Future fake laugh he does where he closes his eyes really tight and “laughs.” Sometimes he’ll add to the look, a “What?” as in when Stanly Tucci says “What? You Won Something?” in It Could Happen to You. One Deeda and I quote a lot….

DEVELOPMENTS
For months we’ve been telling G to come wake us up rather than calling for us from his bedroom. Seems as though we’ve turned a corner. He’s been coming to our room, getting under the covers and watching an episode orfMickey Mouse Clubhouse or Sean the Sheep in our bed. It’s a beautiful thing! It’s like sleeping in… but not. But we’ll take what we can get.

This is especially nice because sleep isn’t coming easy for me these days. Baby and belly are growing fast and getting hard to turn over with or lay comfortably with. My lower back/butt/legs are really hurting. Sitting is OK but laying down makes for aches, stiffness and occasional numbness. Ahhh the joys. BTW - we're at cauliflower stage now... weighs about 2 lbs and is 14 or so inches long!


Anyway, after he came to our bed Saturday, G decided he wanted us all three to move to his bed. So we did and we made a G sandwich and he loved it as much as we did… We were literally all laying there staring at the ceiling and planning our day when G said, “mom will you show me how to snore?”

We had to laugh. He’s been known to wake me up (when I have fallen asleep tucking him in) telling me to “stop making that noise” or to make sure I am aware my “breath is nasty. “ So, I guess logic told him I was the best choice to “teach” him how to snore…

After that he declared he thought a good plan for the day would be to go to the toy store to get a BIIIIIGGGG Batman. He eventually settled for a haircut, trip to Target and putting the finishing touches on his new and improved bookshelf system to house the toys he already has.

HIDE AND SEEK
G loves to play hide and seek. Actually, he loves to hide in the same place over and over and he loves to tell you where he is or call out “Marco!” (as in Polo) so you can find him faster if you’re pretending not to see him where he’s already told you he will be… The other day, G and Deeda were having a good game when Dee Dog got into the action… Deeda would say, “Where’s G and Dee would run around looking. Our old girl has some spunk in her for sure.

COULD IT BE TRUE?
Last Thursday marked the dreaded glucose test. I felt as though I hadn’t done everything I could to help ensure a positive outcome after so many celebratory weekends in the last couple months complete with brownie bites and the like…. Plus the recent discovery of sea salt caramel gelato. Oh boy… wish I never tasted stuff… salty and sweet and ice cream! Good lord! Anyway, I drank the koolaid at the doc and they took my blood. Doc said expect news by Monday and that no news was good news. It’s late night Wednesday and there’s no news. Could it be that I don’t have to deal with Gestational Diabetes this time around? I am hesitant to even write this for fear of a jinx but I do have my fingers crossed.

beep beep back it up to father's day

When I watch G play with his Deeda, it's clear the boy is sure his dad is as cool as whatever superhero is in vogue that week. Just view the sword fight photos I've posted at snapfish for a glimpse at the look in G's eyes...

This year Deeda got a rice cooker and G can hardly wait to fire it up. In fact, it wsa one of the things that came up on the car ride home from the beach. He also got an original painting by G-man himself and a very special T-shirt made at school.

sum sum summertime

Summer is here. we know in H-town because we had three consecutive days above 100 last week. Good thing we were headed to Galveston for a long weekend with the neighborhood gang.

We weren't sure what to expect after Ike, but agree Galveston looks far better than we anticipated. There is damage. There are homes gone but there are also entire beachfront neighborhoods standing.

After Destin last May, G had one observation. "This water is nasty," he declared without solicitation. We had to laugh. But as far as the gulf goes it was cooler than bath water and we've seen it worse. Our observation is that the semi-private beach makes a huge difference over a public pocket beach and the big bridge seemed bigger when we were younger.

We joined the latter part of a week long trip the Friends of Red core group whipped up. In all, my head count was more than 25 including the kids. I am so grateful for this little network we have of really fun families. What a great time!

We know G had a good time because he literally didn't stop talking the entire way home. I've never heard him so on fire. Ever. And the pelican dove into the water, and they launched the sail boat, and we built a sand castle and my kite broke and I don't like watermelon and, can we watch Spiderman when we get home?... The child's mind was on what seemed to be an endless loop replaying the whole thing.

The kid was exhausted. We'll all sleep well this Sunday night.

Pictures are posted at snapfish. I continue to have a thing for people walking away... so there's a lot of that and I was having fun trying to create silhouettes. This is one of the lessons learned in the photography class I took last June, from which I have yet to complete the homework. Someday. Skill or luck, cute kids on a beach are always a good subject to play with.

spaghetti squash

Week 22 is spaghetti squash. The vegetable reference points to the size of the baby crack me up. But they're very helpful! Thank you babycenter.com for vegetable references and details on the defiance toddlers exercise as part of "normal" behavior. Thank you very much.

Somehow I hit and passed the halfway mark in this pregnancy and it seems I've only just gone public. While I fully expect time to slow waaaaay down in the heat of the summer I have to mark these recent weeks as a time that I've felt great! My only complaint being the back/left leg ache.

The belly went from maybe just overweight to totally pregnant overnight sometime last week. I will post a photo eventually. Next doc visit is the big glucose test. I am holding out hope we don't have to do that whole thing again.

The name game is in full swing and we're not telling. So no asking. Try to enjoy the surprise. At least we know it's a boy! In the mean time you're welcome to call him Tiquan or Buzz, both nicknames that have stuck. G wants to name him Buzz (as in Lightyear). Tiquan was the wonderfully wry suggestion from Grandaddy.

Make way for baby

The new office (old dining room) is nearly up and running. I am working in it as I type. We love it! Special thanks to Nana and her Raben painting skills. Also, for the record, she was right about the color all along. Next up, baby room which may also entail an upgrade for G's room.

This week marks 20 weeks. Half way. Despite a back ache that moves down my left leg and some swelling (already) in my ankles, I feel really good. My zits are finally clearing up a little and from time to time I can feel a little movement - which has me always wishing I could feel more. I am looking forward to a big karate style kick.

This was the first night I heard the sound of heat in the air: Cicadas. Today it was 94 but the weatherman confirmed it did feel more like 100 with the humidity. It's going to be a long, hot summer. But I have my eye on the prize: Halloween and the holidaze season from home with "bebe brudher."

Coming Right Up

Couple days last week, G made me breakfast. Cereal with bananas (arranged neatly around the outside of the bowl) and then a piece of toast. When he offered me a diet coke and I accepted he said, "coming right up" as he dashed to the fridge.

This does help make up for the fact that the child seems to be crying more often than not these days. Someone breathes on him and he's in tears. What is that?

Choo! Choo!

Blog is behind life again. Catching up.

Memorial Day weekend we went to Dallas to visit Grandaddy and Nennie. In a repeat performance of last year, G enjoyed the pool to the fullest. By Deeda's calculations we logged a good 8 hours of swim time. I know I logged a two hour nap and some time on a float in the sun. Ahhhhhh.
In between dips we took an old fashioned train ride from Grapevine to the Ft. Worth Stock Yards. A good time was had by all -- despite the fact the train was robbed by cowboy bandits on horses half way there...

And that was just the beginning of the fun! G hooked 'em on a real live long horn and then we saw a cattle drive down the main street of town. After the afternoon gunfight, the conductor called, "all aboard" and we headed home. G snuck in a much needed nap on the ride.

I thought G might cry when it came time to leave. He did his big shoulder shrug and said, "I am sure am gonna miss Grandaddy and Nennie."

Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!

Yesterday by four-ish, the errands were done. The fridge restocked. The laundry folded. All was right in the world. The temp outside was bearable and Deedda was grilling steak and corn. The sprinkler was going and G discovered the fun of running through it. Dinner was awesome!

De Plane! De Plane!

Weekend before last we braved the airplane ride with toddler and car seat in tow. It was far better than my imagination feared it could be. In fact, G was a model traveler and even earned the right to visit the cockpit AND push the seat belt sign to hear the ding!

It was an old home weekend for me. We visited the college crew with bonus sightings of Jo/Dave in from FLA and Aunt Jamie.

I think Shannon may have put it best... with background noise that included some crying, some laughing and the sound of a beer can opening, she said, "this really isn't that different than college."

I couldn't agree more. It's hard to believe 13 years ago this month was graduation and just a couple months later I was home. My time with my dear friends in Boulder seems like yesterday for the most part. Unless I think about it enough to realize just how much time has gone by, how many kids have been born and how many gray hairs have appeared on my head. Maybe it just seems like yesterday because it feels so comfortable to pick up right where I left off with all the gang. I treasure their friendships so dearly!
Friday we went bowling, a first for G and so fun! Saturday, we drove to Evergreen for a get together at the Haver's. G slept much of the drive. After a late night arrival Thursday, late night bowling Friday and boycotted nap time overall, the poor kid had to get a few winks in where he could. So, he missed the first big vista view from the highway...just after the infamous (for the Butera household anyway) chief hosa exit.

Guess he figures he also missed the climb up the big ladder he was sure we needed to get up the mountain. He did wake up in time to enjoy the twisting and turning road up the mountain to the house. His observation was so appropriate.

"We're taking a drive like Sally and Lightening," He said.

Yep. Just like that!

Sunday was Mother's Day. The boys surprised me with an amethyst necklace. Mother Nature surprised us all with snow flurries. (just enough to make the mountain experience complete, without making the mountain drive an issue). We visited with Aunt Jamie and Miss Lilly Dog briefly for a great brunch before we rushed to the airport where we left the camera bag in the rental car but successfully retrieved it... and then rushed around in time to wait for a plane that ended up being an hour delayed.

Deeda and I lucked out at caught the finale of celebrity apprentice on the plane. (such trash. so good). G drifted off to sleep... deep sleep. So deep we deplaned, collected baggage, drove home and put him in bed while he slept.

It took me most of the week to fully recover. I realized when we got home how tired preggers mama was. But it was well worth it!

In other news, baby dionne deaux is officially showing outwardly and fluttering a bit. Oh boy, here we go. Lord, let the ankle swelling hold out a little longer. Thursday is the big 18 week ultrasound. Can't wait to count fingers and toes.

funky town

Sometimes we listen to music at dinner. Classic country. 70s. 80s. adult alternative. smooth jazz... all types. One night a few weeks ago we were just finishing up when Funky Town came on.

Won't you take me to... FUNKY TOWN! Won't you take me to, Funky Town...

Deeda suggested we postpone clean up and "go to Funky Town"... we danced around the living room. G jumped all over and thought it was hysterical. We had a blast.

Fast forward to night before last. A song that gets G's attention comes on. It's one of my current favorites too... Lady Gaga...

Just dance, it will be alright. Just dance.... Da da da dum...

Apparently the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. G loves a good beat. So, this song comes on. We're finishing up dinner when G says, "Let's go to funky town!"

We danced all around the living room.

It's a...

After an incomplete voice mail message, a phone call re: the incomplete message, another day of waiting and the final and complete voice mail… We final got the gender news last night.

The opportunity to tell G seemed to present itself tonight when he told us about how our good friends the Bromley’s are having a baby sister soon. “Her name is Chandler,” he told us, repeating back to us a discussion we’ve had with him a couple times over the last couple weeks.

And so we told him at the dinner table that he was going to have a baby brother... And that the baby is growing in my tummy now….He smiled and it seemed to sink in for a minute.

“And he can sleep in my baby bed,” he replied. “And play with my baby toys.”

Ahhhhhhh- already sharing… we talked about it for a minute or two more and then as Deeda commented, it was kinda like G said, “That’s great, please pass the ketchup.” The big moment we’d been imagining kinda seemed like a spontaneous blip in the evening routine. And then the big moment I’d been imagining came.

After another rousing episode of the super friends and the hall of justice (I will be happy when we can move on from that one), it was time to brush teeth and head for bed. Before racing Deeda to the bathroom, as they do most nights these days, G stopped and turned back to me.

“You have a baby in your shirt?” he said. “I want to see.”

He really looked at me a minute and then he looked at my stomach. “Yes,” I said, “you can see.”

“You can kiss it,” Deeda piped in.

And, so, he gently kissed my tummy. (And I swear I am not making this stuff up.)

*****

Today I find myself daydreaming with a new mental image of what the family Dionne looks like. It’s all a new reality that we are four plus Dee dog. The question mark is out of the picture and it’s so fun to imagine what our life looks like six months from now, six years from now, 26 years from now…

*****

p.s. the fever I declared to be viral last week (because I am an expert in the medical field) turned out to be an ear infection,which was obvious about 3 a.m. this morning. Poor kiddo.

Official Word

I’ve wondered from time to time who reads this. So, I thought this piece of news would be the perfect opportunity to get an answer to that question. Exactly two months ago today I surprised Deeda with what may be his best Valentine ever. Drum roll…. I am pregnant and we're thrilled to be expecting a new addition to the Casa de Dionne.

In the weeks since then we’ve attempted to keep the news quiet for the standard first trimester. It’s been mildly successful. We told the immediate family swearing them to secrecy and nearly killing the grandmothers in the process. Then, one by one, many friends made their own conclusions based on conspicuous lack of diet coke and wine drinking. Some called it out. Some just smiled knowingly.

So, it’s not new news to everyone at this point, but this is the official notice. Baby Dionne #2 is due October 22. Mama is feeling great now that she’s at nearly 13 weeks. I waded through a couple-three weeks of moderate nausea and pregnancy induced narcolepsy. But I feel more "normal" now.

We got our first good look at the little alien last Thursday for a nuchal translucency exam via ultrasound. If our home office had a working scanner I’d post the photos here... instead here’s an image of what the little lemon-sized kiddo looks like. This image actually shows a lot more than what I have... the coolest part of the exam was seeing "it" stretch as if just waking up from a nap or something. Clearly, arms above the head and legs stretched out. Head to rump, the measurement was 2.8" long. Right on track.

Since I am an old mama the nuchal exam is standard procedure. Everything looks to be on the up and up. Most exciting thing about this exam is they can do a DNA gender test at only 12 weeks via the same blood work. So, we’re anxiously awaiting those results. We should know if we’re painting pink or blue by week’s end. Yikes and yippee all at the same time!

G doesn’t know he’s going to be a big brother yet. I think he’s going to totally get it and be super excited. He’s told us before his pal Brooks is his brother and when we’ve attempted to explain why he’s not, G has simply moved on to say that then Batman is his brother. Cool.

We’ll probably tell him soon. I can tell the physical evidence won’t be hidden for long. Ironically, his phrase that pays right now is “big, fat.” He says, “Mom, I want a big, fat strawberry.” Let’s just hope he continues to apply this descriptive phrase to berries and not bellies.

Back to brother Batman, G hit a milestone last week. After a month and a half of extremely difficult swim classes, he floated “all by himself “– for which the brave boy earned a Batman DVD. Basically, he has been floating by himself the entire time, but whenever the instructor would take his hands off him, he would get scared. He’d scream and cry like someone was pulling his toe nails off. The shriek echoing through the indoor pool was a long and harsh, “maaaaaa-maaaaaaaa!” It felt like we were back at that first class all over again.

They ended up having two instructors on the task of getting him over this hump… and we resorted to bribery at home. It finally worked! I could see him holding it in as he floated. He didn’t need the reward he was so proud of himself… but we marched straight to Target anyway. We’re now watching Super Friends nightly. The whole gang, Batman, Superman, Aquaman, Wonder Twins (activate!)…

He's also a bike riding fool... FINALLY! Santa is so proud.

Days Go By and Still I Think of You

Remember that song? Days go by and still I think of you... unce... unce. unce... I think it was a car commercial. Maybe early ipod commercial. Just the perfect riff to start this post.

Been too busy to blog. We've had one bounce house birthday party, a very special valentine's day, and an anniversary since the last post. Lot's to celebrate!

Bounce house was a blast for the kids and the adults alike. We liked it so much we did it all over again the following day to celebrate cousin Aubrey's bday. What a weekend! Complete with the entire Perritte clan in town from Dallas. G chose a Batman cake "all by himself" at Randalls and has carried the durn Batman everywhere with him since.

Deeda and I celebrated 9 years of wedded bliss on Wednesday. That means we've been official for officially half of our total relationship. And it all began one fateful football game date where I looked like I walked of the set of 90210... His outfit wasn't as comical as mine, but his polo cologne made up for it. To add one more stat to the nearly 18 years we've been functioning as a team, we've been together half our lives. Can that possibly be? "And we never had a fight."

We have about a thousand photos (literally) from that night. These are the ones I think tell the story as simply as possible. That kiss. Hand in hand and looking good (I must say). And we danced our tail feathers off! Honestly, it was the best night of my life. So fun looking at these photos. When I see the kids that were kids then and realize they're full grown adults now, I have perspective of the time that has gone by. A lot.

Back to current events, the adult discussion of the week has been about how certain things seem so long ago and others like yesterday. But the things that seem like yesterday are usually the ones that were a long while ago and vice versa. So strange how the brain processes time and events. The wedding seems like yesterday. The Atkins diet, a long time ago...

The kiddo discussion of the week has been about the spaceship G and his school buddies are going on. And the fact that he wants to be a swim teacher or scuba diver when he grows up...

The imagination is amazing and I being witness to it so much! It's an inspiration.

When I picked G up today he was playing on the hill at the playground. Running up and down, singing the "I, I, I, go running down the hill" song at the top of his lungs. That was his first favorite song and still is a hit. He's starting to be interested in singing (FINALLY!). I am so glad, I've got all kinds of good songs in my database from my preschool days. Always amazes Deeda.
Meanwhile, it amazes me he doesn't remember much about preschool.

I remember it vividly. The perfect example of something that seems like yesterday in so many ways. I can smell the soap in the "practical life" area. I can remember the cold metal of the shape tool we would trace with colored pencils. I remember the songs we sang and the kids in my class. I remember polishing silver and wood objects as part of a lesson with cotton balls and q-tips. I remember putting my hand in a velvet bag to touch a vegetable and having to guess what it was. That's how an eggplant became one of my favorite things. There's so much more... but the point is, I hope G remembers his early school years as fondly as I do. The friendships made then, literally changed the course of our lives. At least two people from my preschool class were at our wedding. Preschool family friends connected mom and Joe ...

My neighborhood girls and I are working hard for our little S.C. Red community school. The pet project is gaining momentum as we plan for our third community meeting in April. We've conducted a survey, written a marketing plan and distributed letters to nearly 400 homes with kids under 6. We had more than 70 parents at the last meeting. Interest is there. Survey results show if more neighborhood kids went to the school more neighborhood families would enroll their children. Uhm, so, let's all enroll our children and it's a done deal. Right?

The more I learn about Red the more enthused I am. The only thing I would really like to see change is to have more neighbor kids in the classrooms. Deeda and I plan to tackle a web design next. And, the press release I recently worked on sparked interest with a local news station who's assigned a producer to cover our next meeting. Hooray!

It's all exciting and fulfilling, especially because the group of moms I am working with is the best

group of gals I've come across is some time. Our meetings are long and our agendas include school topics, wine and whatever other discussion we please.

What else? Oh, so, so much to tell. But I'll save those details for another time. ;)

Cheese-eeeee

Call it day of the cheese. Commercial appreciation day. Or Superbowl Sunday. They're all one in the same at our house. We've added it to our list of family holidays.

Last year, as we geared up to watch it seemed the perfect excuse to break out the Velveeta and make some queso. K-so, we made cheese dip deluxe and G thought it was the greatest thing on earth. We ate gooey chips and cheese around the coffee table, watched football and danced to Tom Petty at half time. There's video. It was one of the stand out memories I've logged in the last three years with G-man. So, naturally we were thrilled to do it all over again this year. This time we even invited a few friends. Deeda was especially excited to watch on the new and improved TV. Good times.

Just a year ago, G's grasp of the world around him was such that he really thought the Superbowl was the plastic bowl of cheese he was eating from. I have no doubt he knew last night that it's the name of the game. He also knew the name of every character in the Pixar commercials. He called them out with equal enthusiasm for each as they flashed for a nanosecond on the screen.

He's sponging up all kind of info these days. Tonight at dinner he told us W was for watch. And then we listed together a ton of things that start with B. Buzz (numero uno of course). Baloo. Books. Blue. Balls. Bats. He knows how to say yellow in Spanish and I can't even type that word because I am not sure how to spell it. He says, "guess what mom?" like he's 10 or something.

He's just sitting back, taking it in and telling us like it is. His seemingly simple announcements are a near constant perspective-meter. What a difference a year can make. There's no baby left in that boy- unless he's just stubbed his toe.

Next up? The big boy birthday. Tonight we ordered a Batman cake and picked out party favors at the dollar store including bubbles (a new favorite pass time). Sunday before game time G and I spent nearly an hour blowing and chasing bubbles outside while Deeda was playing Rachel Ray over some hot wings. It was a springy day. Great to soak up some son and sun!

lime in the coke you nut

Coconut is G's favorite word the last few days. He calls us coconuts and tonight he referred to pistachio nuts as coconuts. I have no idea where he got this. He cracks himself up with it though.

He is also happily reporting that his birthday is February 7th. However, when you ask how old he is going to be you never know what you're going to get. Sometimes it's three but it's often four. He knows durn well how old he's going to be but he likes to test everyone else...

I marked the date, on Sunday the child finally "rode" Santa's bike. Well, he sat on it while we pushed him to the park and back. Progress. There does seem to be a catch in the chain's getalong so maybe some grease and a couple more practice sessions and he'll be officially all over it. He has named the bike a hot wheels bike, so I feel like he's getting more attached to it. Hot wheels are so cool. Daily we play with the hot wheels tracks...Does this mean the days of lining up the Cars character cars are gone? I wonder. Buzz Lightyear seems to be giving Lightning McQueen a run for his money. Toy Story 2 has taken over the nightly 10 minutes of movie ritual until further notice.

The other child, Dee Dog, seems to be much improved thanks to her cushings meds. She's back to hunting opossums and barking to demand attention. Never been so happy to sush her.

Me and daddy-o are recovering from the reality that we're both another year older and we're working to get back into the swing of work. We finally made it to the grocery Sunday. Sounds simple but it was a major undertaking - especially since somebody didn't have a nap and I took him with me. It nearly got ugly. Flashing back to "the incident" I threatened to abort the mission, but we made it through successfully. The second gold mommy star earned in one week. What was the first you ask? On Tuesday, I changed poopy underwear in the backseat of a car and returned to the dinner table as if nothing horrible and gross ever happened. That's, like, worth two and half stars. Right?