Casa de Dionne

Hello 2012!

2012-01-01T14:29:00.006-06:00

Happy New Year! We went to a wedding last night and the boys spent the night at camp Crosby. All is quiet this morning and I have time to catch up. Lots of catching up to do.

The second half of 2011 was a busy one. Milestones all over the place. I haven’t written in forever because it’s been busy (to say the least) but it’s also daunting to catch up when so much has happened. To talk myself into writing a post, I have told myself before it’s not necessary to document everything that’s gone on since the last post… The pep talk hasn’t worked. I still haven’t managed to put anything down in a looooong while.

I think because I want to at least hit the highlights. It’s New Year’s day. So, a look back at the year seems apropos. Here goes.

In June we had a new addition to the family. Charlotte, AKA Charlie, is a total love bug and has been the best puppy imaginable. She’s still learning her manners but already she has wiggled her way into the deepest part of our hearts with her Labradoodle love.

On Independence Day, I typed a resignation letter and left the comfort zone I’d known for 15 years at Communications Plus. I am over the need to hash through the particulars. I will just say, in many conversations since I have likened it to a divorce. Painful. Necessary. Liberating. I am proud to report the new company, BrightSpot, is up and running full steam ahead. Erika and I just secured a small office space after being at our respective dining room tables for nearly six months. Business is good. We’re so fortunate to have each other, the support of great clients and encouragement from family, good friends and colleagues.

In August Grant started Kindergarten. Our walks to school are some of my most favorite times. It’s a time to talk. And I love to take in whatever it is he thinks to share. I love that we walk to school and that he says hello to friends and faculty along the way. I love that the principal says hello to both of us by name. A lot of energy has gone toward creating this experience in the last few years. Standing in his Kindergarten classroom with a handful of involved parents, helping with a holiday party felt like a reward for the effort. It’s a warm fuzzy.

His favorite part of school is recess—PE running a close second. Stands to reason. He’s been driving past that playground his entire life. He is working diligently to master the monkey bars. He’s also learning to read—a task he finds frustrating sometimes, but he’s working at it. Getting in the groove of homework and adding it to the routine has been something we’ve all had to learn.

September breezed by with PTO todos for the fall carnival, soccer for G, and a busy month at work. Literally, everything on tap in life and work was complete/due the last week in September… And then we took a deep breath of fall air.

In October I wrote (but never posted) this:

October 29

I haven’t written in months. I’ve composed a dialogue for this space many times in my head since my last post but time has been short. Life has been in the process of the next evolution. I’ve been in flux to say the least. Rather than hash through the flux in report form, I think I’ll just say that this week the flux feeling has waned.

Halloween approaching, fall in the air. I found a stride where true happiness crept in. What is it about this time of year that brings joy? For me, October must be what December is for so many people… True joy.

A pause and smile inspired from the sound of my three boys singing five little pumpkins in the bathroom during bath time. Joy noticed while decorating our yard with ghosts and visiting with neighbors on the first day a hint of dry, chilly air came through. A sense that it’d be “fun” to make cupcakes and then actually doing it! Hosting good friends pre and post Halloween parade in the park. The smell of a spicy candle filling the living room. The taste of a chai tea latte… Life is good. And something about fall always reminds me so. Something about fall, makes me pause. Breathe. Appreciate. Renew.

I venture I am not the only one experiencing moments of “pinch me” at the Casa. Football season is in full swing. The World Series has just ended. Kindergarten is cool as all get out. And turning two… rocks!

B turned two on the16th. When I look at photos from just one year ago. I see a complete and total transformation from baby to boy. Sigh. Again, I would love to hold on to that baby. Stop time… I will miss the smell of honey he emits when he sleeps.

I didn’t really finish the Barrett report then… So here’s the synopsis. Barrett went from a few words in October to full sentences these days. Sometimes instructional sentences with a very specific “are you understanding me?” tone, a pointed figure and a stern brow … He is very sure of what he wants and uses his words to be certain everyone else is sure, too.

The Paci (called a Fabi by B) remains a great love in his life but is reserved for bed time now. He also loves his blankets and routinely carries three full sized blankets around the house. Goodnight Moon is still his favorite bedtime book… He is the easiest child to put to bed, often putting himself to bed by wandering into him room on his own. He is a cuddle kid. When he’s sweet, he’s the sweetest. His tone of voice sounds like a Mogwai. You know the “nice gremlin?” But don’t feed him after midnight… there’s a gremlin in there too!

He still has this need throw things on a table onto the floor. Books on the table? Let’s toss them on the floor! A full box of crayons… to him it’s as if they NEED to be on the kitchen floor. And he knows not his strength or how to be gentle and soft. He’s fast. He climbs. He’s busy busy busy. Just like Thomas the Train and his friends. You know the song? B does. It’s one of his favorites. For his birthday we went to ride the train in Hermann Park. When it started to pull out of the station he whaled… ultimately deciding it was OK. But not so sure at first.

His favorite shirt is red with a truck on it. I think in part because his brother wears red to school every day. We wash that shirt a lot. We may have to make it into a commemorative something when he outgrows it (in about 2.2 minutes).

He loves to play with balls and has quite an arm on him. Christmas morning he threw a full sized basketball across the living room. Lucky for us he didn’t hit the tree… or Grammy… Always gotta have your “heads up” with Mr. B. Cannot turn your back for a split second with that one. Something Dad learned all too well the other day when he found a blue marker and took it to the sofa… thank heaven for washable markers.

For Thanksgiving we traveled to both Austin and Dallas. Eve and her family were in Austin and spending time with them and letting the kids play made me wish we saw them more often. It was a great trip… Thanksgiving in Dallas remains one of my favorite times of year. Good family time. Good food. The start of the holidays… We took the Polar Express ride in Grapevine and got in the spirit. All the travels were smooth as could be until Charlie tossed her cookies in Grant’s lap just outside of Houston on the road home. Brave big boy managed it well… but no one likes to be puked on.

At the start of December we ventured to a Christmas tree farm with the Sorensen’s. The day we planned ended up being bad weather but it made the adventure all the better. Grant and Anders each cut down a Christmas tree and we had a great picnic before heading home to a pot of chili and the task of lighting and decorating. I’ll end that story by saying that today I plan to purchase an artificial tree on sale.

The rest of December flew by. Aunt Laura visited. We had a drama free holiday … Nana, Papa, Grammy and Nathan stayed with us. We all enjoyed Martinez Christmas Eve in Crosby… even though we left the gifts at home… all was well that ended well. Santa was good to us all.

I turned 38 a couple days ago. A highlight of the holiday was celebrating with my neighbor friends the other night. I’d be bothered about my new age except Christian turns 39 in a couple weeks. That seems a lot worse. We both agree it doesn’t seem possible that we’ve just welcomed 2012 and that we’re pushing 40. Time is marching on. And the little feet in our house are growing every day… I mean both boys are forever in need of new shoes.

So here we are 2012. Welcome. I gotta say I am glad to see 2011 gone. A new leaf has officially turned. It’s a new year and it’s going to be a Bright one. Last year my theme word was movement. I accomplished that. I got my body in motion (need to get back on that wagon ASAP). I also fulfilled my commitment to forward motion at work in 2011. Life looks completely different to me than it did a year ago.

It's a loud life

2011-06-13T22:34:00.006-05:00

I should be heading to bed, or working on that proposal that's due... but what I also need is a charge. Recharge. And a reminder of all the good going on at the casa. Feeling in the grind rather than in the groove at the moment... sigh. No complaints. Just in search of a diversion while I enjoy a little late night quiet.

Was thinking about the list of things I want to remember about the Bear just yesterday evening... like how he says, "no no no bebe" in the sweetest little voice and also screams almost constantly between the hours of 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. nightly. The contrast in our lives from moment to moment is comical. Nothing you can do but laugh the longer the screaming goes on.

He has also just this weekend started taking my finger and saying "me, me... " as in "come with me mom I have something to show you." Often he wants to show me his juice cup in the fridge or the back door and how it leads to the OUTSIDE. Uhm- it was 105 the other day... it's going to be a long hot summer and being in the heat doesn't help my ability to be the patient and loving mother I strive to be.

My favorite, and one I hope to capture on video, is his rendition of the Darth Vader music. Dum dum dum, da-da dum, da-da dum. da, da da, Dum-da-dum da-da dum. Always gets the first three notes. Mind you, all those da das under his belt and he calls Daddy, "Mahhhhh." It's different than ma ma. But it's definitely not Dada. or Deeda. or anything close to Dad. We've got father's day coming up... maybe he can make the connection in time.

By the way, he could be in the middle of singing this tune and if someone says it's time to brush teeth he is off and running to the bathroom, scooting around the tight corner like a cartoon character bouncing on its heel...A guaranteed obedient/happy moment in the day. Maybe he'll take on the family business someday. The kid loves to brush.

Having B around is like having Godzilla in the living room sometimes. He throws his cup... he whacks things off the coffee table... The other day at the pool he was walking around the grounds pushing the white plastic chairs over. One at a time. Left arm, Right arm. Taking them out... because he can. And after the destruction and screaming and food all over the floor... he settles in smelling like pure honey. It's like he breathes honey past 8 p.m. At the day's end, he wants to rock and snuggle in. He will put his little hand on my shoulder and pat me three times... just like I do to him. Little Bear. Growing so fast. 20 months already. Barely any baby left...

And then there's G-man. The only baby left in that boy is this baby talk thing that makes me insane. INSANE! We're trying to break him of it... And then there's the recurring, "I love you mama" or "I love you daddy" that comes out of nowhere, a sincere gift every time. We hope it lasts forever. I guess it balances out.

Dressed as a sheep with specially requested horns, G started the pre-k graduation by leading the Pledge. I always said he has the right hair for politics. God help him. Since becoming a graduate, he's been at Camp at school and having a blast. Movies, swimming, library, game day...Today they did Zumba...I don't think the summer boredom thing is on his horizon. Although he has seemed to pick up the word boring from the older kids. "Ohhhhh but that will be so booooooooring," he said when I asked him to help me snap green beans last night... Of course once we were eating he wanted full credit for the beans.

This was in between renditions of the same song over and over again at full volume. At the table.I finally joined in singing it as loud as I could without scaring B. And then I whispered it to see if he took the lead. It didn't take. Singing is his new thing. Along with a top called a Bey Blade that has entertained him exclusively for days now. Who needs a video game? A top. It's all the rage. Seeeeeeeee, simple pleasures. Smile.

There's so much more... so much! But that's all I have for tonight... along with this thought. Remember that scene in Say Anything when they have the volume turned up above the red line? We spend a lot of time above the volume line at the Casa. The music of our lives is loud.

A Five Star Restaurant Experience

2011-04-21T21:38:00.013-05:00

Parental stripes. Medals of honor. Badges for bravery. I have this invisible patch I where on my shoulder. Parenthood deserves acknowledgement. So every now and then I award myself another star.

I developed this system at a truck stop, Thanksgiving 2006, when I threw Grant’s soiled clothes in the garbage. There was no other option. Awwww. My first star. The memories.

Quite a few of these “awards” have to do with poop. In fact, each of us earned a couple last week when Barrett and the rest of his class had it out with the craziest stomach bug to curse our house (yet). B even got a star of his own for bravery as he puked time and again…

Despite the constant amount of crazy in our life, after five years in uniform there are days when you feel like you’ve got the gig under control. There are days when you think for a minute you may have seen it all. Except something tells you there’s another surprise just around the corner. Such was the case tonight.

The boys needed hair cuts. It’s Easter weekend and my camera is charging. I have a vision, of the two of them, angelic in pastel blue and white, carrying their baskets and holding hands…

A girl can dream even it never quite looks the same in real life. Real life looks good too. It’s just wearing rain boots and carrying a water gun. Exhibit A: Easter Sunday 2009.

Anyhoo, Dad picked the kids up from school. I met them there in order to art direct the stylists. I am sure they love that…

The hair cut evening ritual involves moving from the barber chair next door to the pizza place. It was the usual chaos at dinner. Lots of bending over and picking up cups and forks. Lots of entertaining the troops while waiting for pizza to arrive. Attempts at conversation but lots of interrupted thoughts. Good news is we each had managed to down an adult beverage before the shit hit the fan. Literally.

When we noticed B was making THAT face we motioned to the waitress to bring the check. We were without a diaper bag on this venture. No life raft. No pacifier. No wipes. No diaper. No mention of who left home without the pack.

Of course, nothing would have really made a difference about the poop that had run down B’s leg onto his shoes, pooled in the high chair and dripped onto the floor…

The aroma was mixing with garlic and filling the air in the small restaurant when the waitress clued in and brought us a towel. She also brought the check. God bless her.

Deeda rushed to the parking lot his arms straight out – Mr. B dangling, dripping and laughing. G followed giggling. I signed the check. Tipped double. Wiped poo with paper napkins from the high chair and made a special request they take extra care in cleaning the high chair before the next child came along… Oh to think of the times our children have licked public high chairs…

By the time I arrived in the parking lot B had one shoe and one sock off. I bent down to get the rest and strategized with Christian about the next course of action. I give us extra points for generally laughing the entire time.

Thankfully G had a beach towel in the car from his picnic day at school. So we wrapped B up like a burrito and buckled him in. I’ve already blocked out most of the drive home but I do remember turning around to make sure he didn’t have his hands in his mouth to see him smiling, clapping and laughing. Meanwhile G was interjecting on our front seat strategy session with offers to hose him down. You could tell, big brother was frothed he might get to squirt him with a hose.

And so we hosed him down, bathed him, bleached him and put him to bed. Poo smell has permeated my nose hairs, but I am trying to kill it with a stiff drink. To quote one of G's favorite phrases, "Iiiit's the weeeeeeekend!" Easter weekend.

And then it was March (almost).

2011-02-27T00:09:00.008-06:00

At risk of sounding like a broken record, I’ll go ahead and say it. I don’t know where the time goes.

I spent the entire day today on retreat in Galveston with one scrapbooking group of mamas. As I culled through a year’s worth of memories and put them in albums, I relived so many days we’ve spent with friends and family. That is why my work here is important. More time than I’d like passes between posts, but I do my best to record the big days and the little things here at the casa.

Since it’s been a while, I once again find myself tempted to attempt to recap e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. BUT in keeping with my theme for the year of forward motion, I am going to spend less time dwelling in the past and do my best to sum it up fairly quickly. Here’s the highlights real. Then I’ll finish with current events.

Christmas came again. My personal favorite part was a relatively quiet Christmas morning just the four of us. It was actually pretty noisy with the sound of new toys and squeals in the air but that’s the sound of Christmas. I venture G’s favorite part had to do with one Nerf Gun. A close second would be the whoopi cusion uncle Nathan brought. B’s favorite is a stuffed Mickey Mouse Santa brought. To this day, if you ask him where Mickey is, he will hold his hands up in wonder and go walking around to find him.

January brought good news. Nennie and Grandaddy are moving to Houston. Grandaddy is already here working and Nennie will follow when Aunt Alyssa heads to college in the fall. We’re so excited and looking forward to much more time together. We celebrated Deeda’s birthday with a memorable meal at Hearsay Gastro Pub. The mac n’ cheese took mac n’ cheese to new heights. I wrote down the cheeses included. The Jalepeno cocktail was also delish and Deeda was beside himself to find his favorite, Tres Generations.

This January we also tackled a project I set out to do last January-update our master bedroom. Thanks to Nana’s savvy shopping skills and design ideas we have a whole new look and we didn’t even break the bank. It was a bargain bonanza! Let’s just say $7.95 curtain panels.

February is our third and running birthday month at our house. Unfortunately, we started it out with a case of the flu that took out the entire Pre-K at G’s school. I may not have known this had I not called most of the class to reschedule his birthday party. Ultimately, we had one heckuva Jedi Training Star Wars party. Deeda did a bang up job developing Jedi lessons and making a movie with our family in the staring rolls of a funny Star Wars remake. Many points for Master Deeda. Props to G-man too for trying his very best to rally on the day his party would have been. It was heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time.

While we’re on Star Wars, I also have to mention my post over at the Communications Plus blog. Once again, Volkswagon spoke to me. I’d swear directly. I seem to have always fallen into their target market.

I can’t let February’s recap go by without mentioning the viral rash/hives that took over Barrett’s body and changed shape daily for four days before disappearing as if nothing ever happened. Let’s just say, when I first saw him, I was woozy as if I might pass out. Best thing I can say about that long week is that while G recovered from the flu and got legal to go back to school, and B endured the rash in good spirits, we had a few days of togetherness we wouldn’t have had otherwise. In the midst of it, the sickness thing is stressful. Not only do my babies not feel well, but I feel stressed by missing work. The balancing act just gets more complicated. But on the other side, when the dust settles for a minute, I almost always look at it as an opportunity I had to hug them tighter, spend more hours in the day together and all in all become more aware of how grateful we are for two children who spend the majority of their days healthy and happy.

And here we are. Almost March. The rodeo season is kicking off with the cook off. The CP gang and spouses attended last night along with special guests Grandaddy and Uncle John. Thanks to our wonderful hosts/friends from Busters BBQ in Lakeway, we had a boot scootin’ good time.

So that’s the recap. What about today? Today B is getting two more teeth. That must be close to a mouthful… He loves to snuggle with his brother. And G tolerates it with patience and tenderness. G is super engrossed in star wars Legos. We go next week to register him for Kindergarten.

Tonight I am missing my boys. It’s been a very busy week with events each of the last three nights and though this time with my memories and my friends is wonderful, It will be equally as god to get home and settle in for another week.

Signing off. Let’s hope posts in 2011 are more frequent than quarterly.

Fastest. Fall. Ever.

2010-12-08T00:08:00.012-06:00

Nutshell version in the something is better than nothing category.

October 4: Return from five lovely days in Mexico with Deeda. Barrett is walking!
October 9: Quick beach trip with the neighborhood gang.

October 16: B’s Bday. One. What? When? How? Sniff. Sniff.
October 24: Dewberry Farms for Tal's bday.

October 31: Halloween. School festival. Park Parade. Trick or treating and chocolate eating.
November 4: Touchdown, Washington, D.C. Megan Slack’s Wedding, Brunch with the Butera clan, a lot of walking, a cucumber mojito (or two) and one tired mama.
November 9: Livingston for the day. No rest for the weary.
November 10: Texas Conference for Women rocked and inspired.
November 12: Boulder bound. Buffs win. Party Party with old pals. There was a mechanical bull. There was a marvelous brunch.
November 20: Deeda goes to College Station. Aggies beat Nebraska. Record crowd!
November 24: Road Trip! Turkey Day in Dallas. Aggies win.
December 1: What month is it? Weren’t we on a beach in Playa a minute ago?
December 4: Tamale day. It’s official. The holiday season is here.
December 5: Santa came to the Sasser’s Christmas party. It's really official now.

Whew! It's been a whirlwind, but the best kind. We are so blessed with family and friends and our world revolved around both this fall.

In other news, today Barrett said "Bye-Bye" and blew a kiss for the first time. I melted.
He also says uh-oh, Mama, and all done.

G is beginning to read and loving his field trips. Today they went to see a Christmas play! He’s grown a full inch since mid-October and often just says for no reason at all, “Mom (0r dad), I love you.”

One.

2010-10-17T22:38:00.012-05:00

Yesterday we celebrated B’s first birthday! At 10:33 a.m. I was rocking him for a nap. I noted the time, squeezed him tight and exhaled.

Something about one year birthdays are big to me. I remember feeling the exact same way at G’s first birthday. I felt like celebrating. I felt like I needed to take a deep breath.

I feel like I have been holding my breath a lot. Especially in the first few months. The fragile early, early days… The days that run together. When I try to think of those days now, I remember two days in particular. One day I consciously decided to do nothing but hold B and watch movies all day. We watched “Marley and Me.” The other stand out day was the day it snowed big huge flakes. The rest just runs together…

And then all of the sudden three months had gone by and it’s time to go back to “normal” life. And by the time everyone adjusts to the heartache of daycare drop offs and the daily schedule, six months has gone by. Total blur. That’s about the time I came to and get in enough of a rhythm to start trying to take in every little milestone. Next thing you know baby is mobile and everyone is just trying to keep up.

Add to the mix of life an especially crazy few months at the office, a shoulder surgery for deeda, and a much needed vacation for deeda and mama, and poof! Here we are. One year old! “And you may ask yourself, well, how did I get here?...Letting the days go by…."

As if at the moment he turned one he wouldn’t be a baby anymore, I spent a lot of time in the last weeks holding him closer and rocking him for longer than usual. And then the day came. And it went. On the flip side of the big birthday, I feel relief. He’s still a baby (for a little while longer, at least).

Friends and family joined us for a beautiful day. We had pumpkin cupcakes. Carmel apple dip. Popcorn. Bags of juice, wine and beer. We took the afternoon into evening with good friends. G may have had more fun than anyone... He got to open presents and have all his friends over.

As I get used to the idea of B being one. I get excited about what’s next. His personality is starting to show. Verbal communication is on the horizon! Formula’s days are numbered. When I think about it that way, I don’t know why I have this urge to cling to the babyhood. It‘s hard work! And they aren’t lying when they say it just gets better. Every year that has passed since G turned one has been more fun than the last.

I guess the clinging is just that they generally let you hold them and cuddle them at this age. And they smell so darn good. Boys don’t smell good the more they grow… pretty soon we’ll be one of those families that has to buy three gallons of milk at a time and we’ll have odor eaters on a regular rotation. I just flashed forward to imagine B at 10 and G at 13…

While we wait for the next milestones to arrive, here’s what I know about B at one year.

The Bear is a lover. A real cuddle-bear. Has been from the get go.

He is Zen-like easy going unless he’s hungry, tired or you need him to be still.

He eats like a champ and likes almost everything he’s tried. However, it’s important to know he has an affinity to fruit and starches. If you offer him either of these first, all bets are off for whatever else is on the plate.

He doesn’t do scheduled naps, but he does sleep like a champ. He’s slept consistently all night since about three months...

He would climb the Empire State Building without hesitation, but he’s tentative about taking more than 4 or 5 steps at a time. Maybe it’s the feet. If he were a puppy I’d predict Great Dane at full size.

He wants to walk all the time but since he thinks he needs a hand, he recruits whoever he can to tour with him around the house. He had Pops, Papa Mark and Uncle John on rotation yesterday.

He wakes up happy and sings to himself while he patiently awaits the arrival of a groggy parent in his doorway. And when we arrive, his little head pops up and he breaks a smile you can barely see from behind the paci, but can completely see in his eyes.

When he says mama, I melt. He also says all done, yeah and a-da (which is code for dada).

He will tell you how it is if you had him a telephone. He gets the device is for talking.

He loves his brother and any attention he gives him. G’s fake whistle is a particular crack up.

He usually waves with both hands. He doesn’t wave on command as much as when he feels like it. He particularly feels like waving while riding in his new blue car.

When he smiles he wrinkles his nose and puts his teeth together like a professional. He loves to see the camera come out and is usually good for a few smiles before he resorts to trying to get a hold of the camera.

When he’s happiest, he laughs a noise that sounds something like a cold car starting. Eaaaaaaack! Eaaaaaack! Eaaaaaaack!

Couldn't leave off without a photo of G. He's a wonderfully giving brother. He was kind enough to open all of B's presents for him... in addition to giving his brother his own beloved "BC" blanket and pillow. All on his own he initiated this thoughtful gift of his own secuirty blanket and offered it the very first thing on the morning of B's birthday. He has the biggest heart!

Freeze Frame

2010-08-24T22:41:00.010-05:00

A snapshot of our life: This evening there was some confusion between the words piñata and piano at our house. For a few minutes there, G had us all completely confused. He knew he had it wrong but every time he opened his mouth to say piano, piñata came out. We all laughed and he finally got it right…

Got to cherish those moments. The look on G’s face as he sounded out the word syllable for syllable, the prideful giggle that followed and the exchange of a glance between me and Deeda. The little things that prove G is still a little kid. The reminders are few and further between.

He just looks more mature in the face. He wears fancy tennis shoes and has favorite T-shirts he knows are cool. He sings Cheeseburger in Paradise and names the Foo Fighters as his favorite band. When Deeda carries him to the bathroom to brush teeth (a ritual 'round here) he looks long and his feet look huge. He is long. His feet are huge. Size 11.5 (and I have a size 12 in waiting). Other than the occasional vocab slip up or teary tired moment, the kid has really grown in the last few months. He’s writing his name, sounding letters and doing simple math at school. I think about where he was at the time of B’s birth and it seems like he’s come nearly as far as the little one. Leaps and bounds.

Of course, I feel like I could literally see B grow if I looked closely. It’s insane. At bedtime these days, we say “night-night.” He waves! And we go rock. We moved the rocker into his room about when he stopped falling asleep in the middle of whatever chaos was going on in the living room. Still the easiest child to put to bed, he’s typically asleep before I can sing a single round of Twinkle Twinkle. Rocking him to sleep is a pure joy and every night I hold him for a while as he sleeps so I can appreciate his babyhood. It’s the kind of moment I know I have to soak up. It’s the kind of moment that, tonight at 7:42, inspired me to get this entire thought process on paper.
Here we are and already B is ten months and a few days. It’s time to order birthday invitations. He’s been on the outside longer than it took to “grow him.” These are the last couple of months we count in measures of months... Sippy cups are in play. Bottles are less frequent… Crawling is turbo-charged and standing and stepping from one piece of furniture to another close by is a favorite game along with Peek-a-boo.

Tonight as we rocked I was thinking about how these are the best months of babyhood. There’s a routine in our life that’s in greater than three hour increments. Plus, he’s got all kinds of interactive tricks that are very entertaining. Most importantly, he’s still a baby by most accounts. He still feels like a baby, with his head in the corner of my arm, even if his feet are sticking out from under the other arm a quarter of a mile…He still looks like a baby in his footy PJ’s with his paci. He still sounds like a baby when he cries to be picked up or because I took my phone out of his hand… And he still smells like a baby just after bath and when he spits up all over his shirt each and EVERY morning when we put him in the car seat to go to school (there’s a magic button or something).

It’s in these months, the second time around (and almost certainly the last time for us) that I feel like I fully realize and appreciate the importance of soaking up the baby things before they completely disappear. And it’s this feeling—that can feel like sadness from time to time—that turns into the most genuine gratitude I have ever felt. All is right in the world for a few minutes while we rock. It’s this feeling—that can feel like sadness from time to time—that has me living more in the moment than I have since I was a child myself.

Ask my other half, I have been guilty on many occasions of making myself miserable by trying to look waaaaay down the road. I’ve wanted a detailed photo of what the future looked like. I wanted promises and guarantees. I didn’t realize it before now, but as a mom, I’ve flip-flopped. In fact, I’ve nearly neglected the future. Since G was born, I’ve been so focused on right now I haven’t looked down the road much… too busy to think beyond right this minute. This weekend. This month. Unless you’re trying to plan something with us, in which case as much advanced warning as possible is critical to getting on the agenda. We’ve got a lot of obligations you know. Always something…

I am in the process of balancing the future with the now. Living in the now—which is more than getting through the day. Planning for tomorrow, while appreciating tonight. Both are important. The kids grow up… all too soon, the kids grow up… When it comes to aging, the future always seems to arrive quickly. The future is all on the brain these days. It’s unclear in a lot of respects. I am thinking about how I want five years from now to look. 10 years from now. 20. In a good way, not the paralyzing way of the past.

In the mean time, I know this for sure: these days of being the parents of young children are a short time in our life. In reality it’s just a few years. I want to make the very most of them. So, that when we look back, it feels like longer than it was. It feels like longer than it was because there are so many wonderful memories made in this time—the short time is so rich.

I can draw a parallel to college. It was only four years (thank you very much), but so much happened during that time—it was such a great time—that when I look back it seems like a majority of my life's memory. In actuality, it was just a small fraction. And real quick, while on that topic, I’ll just add how excited I am about the plans in the works for the fall. Boulder, here we come.

We celebrated my uncle Steve’s 70th birthday over the weekend. A friend of his he’s known since he was 7 or 8 years old attended the gathering. That’s so cool. I hope my oldest friends make it to my 70th. I feel certain for Steve and his childhood friend David, “life moved pretty fast” (I loosely quote Ferris Bueller). Happy Birthday Steve!

At the same party, I visited with a friend and her 18 year old son. I remember when he was probably 5 or 6. Basically G’s age. How did he get to be 18? So. Fast. It was a couple days after the party that I saw a photo of the same mother and son on Facebook and it brought me to tears. I am certain it seems like yesterday that she sent him off to Kindergarten. I see in his face the little boy he was… but it’s just barely there. I see in her eyes the pride in what he’s become…Freaks me out. Here’s why…

On Monday we marked the first day of school and the first annual Boo Hoo Breakfast for my neighborhood circle of moms. It was an occasion worthy of a vacation day in the name of fun, total relaxation and distraction for a mama worried about her baby on his first day. I was happy to support my dear friend (with mimosas) when she returned from walking her little boy to the school around the corner for Kindergarten. I remember being 23 thinking my coworker was crazy when she showed up teary on the first day of school. I had no idea. But now. Now! I know that this school year will fly by and in the blink of an eye it will be my turn to take my first BABY to school. And about a minute after that, it will be Baby B’s turn… Make it stop. Just for a minute. Freeze the frame.

Remember this scene from Big? I couldn't find the whole thing... but this gives you the idea. It does seem like they grow up overnight sometimes.

sassy supersicle

2010-08-03T23:35:00.001-05:00

2010-08-03T22:54:00.000-05:00

2010-07-26T21:33:00.010-05:00

There sure have been some good stories since the last post.

Like the Father's Day when G was so tired he fell asleep about 6:30 p.m. and when we woke him up to go to bed and Deeda shuffled him to the bathroom to potty, G literally pottied on Deeda, at which time Deeda's Father's Day celebration was truly complete.

Like G's first sleep over with Tal where I noticed the two of them playing like real friends do. Not playing side by side but feeding off each other... taking one another's imaginary world and making it their own...building a story together. Taking turns. It really was something to see. A major milestone as far as I am concerned.

Like B's first words... Da! Da! and every now and then you'd swear he spits out a sentence... in between motor boating. He loves to motor boat.

Just in the last week, at nine months on the dot, B has started with major protests when we take something from him or when he doesn't get what he wants. waaaaaaaaaaaaaah. It's new enough that it still makes me laugh...but before long we'll have to figure out how to take care of that.

Last week G wanted to wear his "Clark Kent" clothes, as in a button down shirt and clip on tie, to school because his new girlfriend Andrea wants him to dress fancy. I asked him what happen to Isabelle (the ex) and he said he just can't decide... good!

The other day I picked G up from school. The class was on the playground and G was sitting to the side pouting. The teacher made it clear hew was beating himself up more than he really needed to... so I went over and asked what happened. He didn't look up. He mumbled, "I used my super powers on Taylor." Now, I am not going to tell the child he doesn't have super powers. I just reminded him to use them for good, not bad. No kicking allowed.

There is something blogworthy nearly every single day at our house. I love that. But I haven't been good about keeping up...

Time flies. And that's what inspired me to sit down and quick get at least something down tonight. Because this morning... just before 6 a.m., B was making noise in his bed and Deeda brought him to our bed where he cooed and snuggled in back to sleep. Just after 6, G came in, his feet flopping all the way... and he crawled in next to me laying as close as he could. Still, snuggly, and quiet. And we layed there. And I thought to myself: these days are numbered. It's just that at these ages, it works as part of our routine.

Now, there are a lot of mornings when the four of us in one bed isn't so sweet. G is kicking, B is pulling up and playing with the blinds, I just want a few more minutes of sleep... and then B spits up all over Deeda and pretty much from then, it's "everyone up." But this morning, it was wonderful. The four of us. Before the morning madness began...

Look at these cuties. B is 9 mos with 7 teeth. G is 4 and a half and he is totally into superheroes.

Summer Fun's in Full Swing

2010-06-01T23:41:00.014-05:00

I've been writing this post for a long while, saving it for a time when corresponding photos are ready to upload. But the post just keeps getting longer... and the photos keep getting put off. So, here's the recap of our May... Photos will follow. Promise.

At the start of May, Deeda and I basically said, "see you next month" and let the craziness ensue. As a result, I have actually come to realize that relaxing may, in fact, be easier away from the casa than at the casa. For one, sometimes the kids aren't with you when you're not at home... Two, when they are with you, there are more hands around to hold them. Three, I can't do the weekend list of chores if I am not here. So, I have no choice but to chill. That all said, I find myself weary after all our adventures in the last 30 days. AND I maintain that a weekend at home with no todos is about as good as (and in our case as rare as) a vacation.

May saw not one but two conventions for The Dental Network. Deeda is still brimming with new and exciting ideas... The boys and I managed swimmingly on our own, complete with a 7:30 a.m. meeting on day three. Made it on time thank you very much.

On the heals of Deeda's his out of town adventures I spent three nights in Orlando with the CP gang learning software stuff and having a great time. It was a working event but something about Florida, a hotel and dinner among good friends made is seem an awful lot like vacation to me. To top it off, we went to see the Blue Man Group. It's a visual feast and laughing felt so good. Meanwhile, Deeda and the boys seemed to manage just fine on their own... nonetheless, I bought $40 worth of Spiderman guilt gifts at the Orlando airport. Deeda is really the one who deserved a gift.

In between Deeda's convention and my conference we squeezed in a trip to Austin. We played with the Slack's on their boat and had our inaugural meal at Buster's Barbecue, a new venture Nana and Papa are enjoying being a part of. It was a quick but good visit.

Memorial Day weekend, we hit the road for Dallas to enjoy what has become somewhat of a family tradition of pool time and catching up with Grandaddy, Nennie and the Perritte aunts. Though, none of us stand a chance of catching up with Aunt Alyssa, it was good to work on our tans.

I am happy to report G seems to have retained his swimming skills. That said, he nearly had to sit the swim time out after a good bonk on the chin the previous weekend that resulted in two stitches. The minor emergency experience was truly the best it could have been. He didn't hit his head on the side of the neighborhood pool. Just the chin. Thank heavens. We didn't have to wait in the ER for hours. Thank heavens. And nobody passed out. A dose of good judgement told me to leave the room. And G was super brave about the whole thing. His bravery is truly an inspiration. I could see the fear in his eyes, and at the very same time the courage. Have I mentioned once or twice in this space how proud I am of that boy?

This past weekend, we made a long weekend of it in Galveston enjoying some quality time with the Bromley's and some new friends, too. Accommodations were superb! It's good to know people who know people... In total we had six kids and six adults. The 1:1 ratio is excellent for beach going. G reported tonight at bedtime (in a moment of clarity amidst total delirium brought on by total exhaustion) his favorite parts were playing at the beach, making sandcastles and sleeping on the top bunk! My favorite parts were the good friends, good food, good photo ops and a good look at the starry sky with Deeda.

Already we've had a lot of adventures this summer and the fun has just begun. All this traveling and some really good advertising makes me wonder about the swagger wagon...

Mother's Day

2010-05-09T23:35:00.011-05:00

Mother's Day is my new favorite holiday. Today I was completely selfish and kept the boys all to myself. I had a little piece of heaven with each of them. My best days and my favorite memories are the ones we make when we're home with no agenda other than being a family.

The first actually came yesterday when Deeda came waltzing across the front yard at a block party like a knight in shining armor coming to the rescue after three nights away from home. I wasn't expecting him and I have to admit, I literally had to catch my breath. I was truly happy to see him. I missed him and secondarily, I missed his help.

The second came with the Bear this morning... we had one of those interactions that's a little deeper than the average coo and hair pulling. I can see the wheels spinning behind his eyes.

Later, G and I chilled on the sofa. We rested under the blanket, watched the world outside through the picture window and chatted about our plans for the afternoon.

Other highlights include a brief dance party G, B and Deeda stirred up. The giggling coming from G's room was enough to draw me in with the video camera. Later G and Deeda washed my car while B and I napped. The house was daytime quiet. The kind of quiet I usually only get late at night. daytime quiet is way better because it's rare. Very rare.

It was really a great day. I didn't do any laundry today. Even though it's piled up waiting for me. We didn't go to the store today... and I don't have our weekly meal plan in place....

We hit the neighborhood pizza joint for an early dinner. It was dinner out with a four year old and a 6 month old. It wasn't the most relaxing... Who's big idea was it anyway? (mine). But it was good. And the kitchen was clean when we got home. Best of all... on our way out the door a woman looked at me and said, "your children were so well-behaved." Whoever you are, nice lady at the restaurant, THANK YOU. Thanks for noticing. We're trying our very best!

Picture Spring

2010-05-09T22:52:00.007-05:00

Last month I took an online photography class hosted at Big Picture Scrapbooking and taught by the wonderful Tracey Clark of Shutter Sisters. I had a great time!

I learned of the class at the (now somewhat infamous) Mom 2.0 conference (because I can't stop talking about it). And though I was skeptical that I would be able to make time to shoot a photo every day, I thought I'd try. In the end, I came close. There were times when I had to play catch up, but I am proud to say I completed 29 of 30 assignments. Letting myself have that one, is a lesson in and of itself.

Carrying the camera with me even to and from the office provided more opportunities than I imagined it would. I also had time to play with and learn more about my still new Birthday lens. Most of all, I was inspired and truly enjoyed interacting with the class and posting my images to the classroom gallery. Many a night I was up far too late "playing." Having a personal project in the works rather than on a perma-back burner does wonders for my mental state of "not having enough time."

The hardest assignment (I thought) was a self portrait. That was day #2 or #3 and I thought, "oh lord, I can't do this." But I did. And I included the portraits in this slide show to prove it. My favorite assignment was probably "catch lights" because it was all about catching the light in eyes. I had two wonderful subjects for that one! Past that, I had a good time playing with shallow depth of field and blown out color.

I feel like the collection I came up with documents what turned out to be a month of some major milestones. B crawled for the first time and G learned to ride his bike without training wheels. Moreover, the blooms that were just beginning on April 1 had fully sprung by the end of the month. And, I admit there are a lot of flowers here. But flowers are easy targets for a girl with a camera AND let's not forget the class was called Picture Spring.

On April 29, my photo was featured on Shutter Sisters. I thought I might burst when I clicked there to see who the instructor picked to feature that day! Because no matter how often my mom (love you mom) and the rest of the family comment on my photos, a little recognition from Tracey Clark felt REALLY good.

I planned all along to somehow collect and share the photos. The slide show posted here seemed like a good way to share with everyone. Quality is degraded in a big way... but it was fun to put together. For the high quality version, I am going to print a photo book. It will be fun to flip through in about 20 years.

Dee Dog

2010-04-27T22:24:00.009-05:00

Last Friday Deeda and I had to choose to let our Dee dog go so she could take her place in heaven. Even though, there was no question it was time, I would consider it among the hardest things we’ve ever had to do.

Dee was our first child. A problem child, but our first child. Despite her somewhat unfavorable habits that became affectionately named “dumpster diving” and “jail breaks,” we loved her deeply and she loved us back with thousands of daily greetings, kisses and leg humping, of course.

Before G arrived, we were concerned about how she would react to becoming a big sister. She never disappointed. In fact, her patience was amazing. She, too, came to love G despite the fact he dethroned her. Likewise, G came to love her. The grief that came over him when I told him the news was heartbreaking, but heartwarming at the same time. While my own grief multiplied when I felt his too, I also felt proud of his ability to love so truly. And later, as we continued to discuss heaven and God, I was warmed by his questions about where “exactly” heaven is, how you get there and how many hands God must have to make all the animals and people in the world.
I literally watched Dee age over the last couple years and more so in the last few months as her geriatric problems multiplied. Guided by a wonderful vet we managed her medical problems as best we could with meds. But last Wednesday, she couldn’t get comfortable. By Thursday she wasn’t walking. Friday the vet seemed to think she had “thrown a clot” or essentially had a stroke. She wasn’t eating…

The house has been quiet. No knock at the back door. No clanking collar at the water bowl. No snoring. Man, she could bring the house down…

We’ve moved the trash can to the kitchen, but keep going to the laundry room with the garbage. I shut the gate before I get out of my car, just the same as I used to, and I am reminded there’s no dog waiting to escape or wagging her tail at the back door.

She is missed. There is a void. We’ve suffered a lot of family loss in just a few months… it’s never easy. But losing something that’s been a part of everyday is especially difficult. Dee was truly one of a kind. Our poo poo head.

All About April

2010-04-27T21:15:00.011-05:00

B is six months old. How can that be? In one week he had his six month shots, crawled across the living room floor and sprouted his first tooth. Busy week for the little guy.

Specs: He weighs in at 18 lbs 12 oz, he’s 27.25” long and his head is 18”.

The new thing is a whining thing… in a cute way… almost the way a puppy whimpers with excitement. mmmmmm. mm.mmmmm.mmm.mmmm.

He continues to be an easy, easy (knock on wood) baby who virtually puts himself to sleep and stays that way (knock on wood again).

He thinks G is the funniest thing EVER. In fact, while mom and dad can get an occasional laugh, G is the one who can really get him going. Already, that baby wants to be where his big brother is and playing with whatever his big brother is playing with. He even seems to have an affinity for Buzz and Lightning.

Big brother remains cooler than ever with sharing his stuff and his parents with the little one. He loves the little guy as much as we do. He also loves riding his bike. One afternoon a couple weeks ago Mr. Claus caught his attention and convinced him he could do it without training wheels (we’d be trying but must have sounded something like the Charlie Brown teacher). Not unlike learning to jump off the diving board or catch a baseball, the pride and accomplishment this child feels when he learns something new is wonderful to witness. He sits awfully tall and proud on that bike seat.

He’s also learning to write his name and is more and more into writing notes and drawing. His favorite thing to draw right now is people. Super heroes and families we know are among his favorite subjects.

We saw the end of the first Tball season last weekend... Best part about it? I think he likes the trophey (a.k.a. his Piston Cup a la Cars) as much as anything... maybe short his LA Dodgers hat which he pretty much hasn't taken off since he got it.

the moves

2010-03-24T21:39:00.012-05:00

I read somewhere that this is the golden age of babyhood. B is 5 months (22 weeks today) and is such a happy boy.

I know because he offers up big smiles all the time. Huge smiles. They come over his face starting with his mouth up to his eyes and I swear his ears probably wiggle as the wave of emotion passes over his face. It's a process. Wide on both sides... Which reminds me how Grant's smiles at this age used to remind us of Harrison Ford... crooked from one side to the other.

B has some moves these days. His favorite is the two legged kick. It's almost like he's going to do that break dance move where you lay on your back, kick and arch your back until suddenly you're standing... you know the one? I wouldn't be suprised to see him do it. I mean, he's been doing his cruches... got the stomach muscles all toned. Seriously, he lifts his melon and his shoulders up off the floor trying to sit all the way. If he could get his spine to stiffen up, he'd be upright, all the time. Won't be long...

Move number two is impressive for a boy this age. The inch worm. (isn't that also a break dance?) Just this week, we've noticed some major progress in his tummy time scooting. I've seen him full on, up on his knees a couple times.... then he works his body like an inch worm along the floor right off the blanket we have down, onto the rug and then he spits up. on the rug. nine times ouf of 10. Never on the blanket. truly. never. on. the. blanket.

Yes, we still have spit up like no other. The bibs and burb cloths are in constant rotation. we change clothes a lot more, too and the result is truly a mountain of laundry. I folded for a full hour the other night. I was behind... and I was determined to clear the dining room table... but seriously, an hour? That's a lot of folding.

We started solids about a month ago. Just following the four month appointment. At first he wasn't so sure. And we didn't have a good routine in place, so it was total chaos. Now we've finally fallen into the mode of feeding B while our dinner cooks. Then he's usually pretty cooperative and content to hang and digest while we eat. He's had all his fruits and I am starting veggies Monday.

B has found his voice in a big way... it started about a month ago with squeels of delight. Loud ones! Now, he "talks" to his toys and you can tell when he's giving them a talking to... he wants to do more than he can...

His coordination has come on so strong. When he reaches out for a toy, he usually gets it these days. He will hold his pacifier in his hand and from time to time, get it back into his mouth.

He "sings" in the car to and from school. And tonight he hummed himself to sleep in my arms, smelling all yummy with his hair all freshly washed and fuzzy.

And I realize, now I am just making a list. But at least I am getting the list of all these things out of my head and into the record. I know from experience with G that I won't remember. I am constantly referencing my journals with G, trying to piece togehter timetables of when what happens and when he did what.

To quote Ferris Bueler, "Life moves pretty fast..." We celebrated 10 years of wedded bliss earlier this month. As part of our celebration* we showed G the wedding video. He was super impressed and liked our costumes a lot. It was so fun to see everyone 10 years ago. Especially the kids. G didn't beleive for one second that baby in the video was his cool cousin Alex...

About the same time as our anni, G's teacher Miss Vanessa became Mrs. Vanessa and went on a honeymoon to Disney (which G thought sounded like a great idea. In fact, he's currently planning our next vacation. He wants to go back to Sam's house in Colorado and to the beach).

Anyway, the wedding talk seems to have made an impression on my eldest ladies man. So much so he's made a move on his classmate Isabella and they have announced their plans to marry. She's going to wear her snow white costume and G is going to where his daddy's tuxedo. This talk has been going on consistently for weeks. And just this week we got an invitation to her house for a housewarming party. Of course, we have to go. Meet the inlaws and all...

A real ladies man we are raising here. This kid literally picked up several cute and sassy divas in their 20s outside a cupcake store in uptown park on a Friday night. It was our anniversary* we celebrated with the entire extended family at Cafe Express. I wanted to do something special with G so we dashed to the cupcake store across the way (where they incidentally charge $36/doz). On our way out, he says "Hi ladies, we got some good cupcakes."

That G. He's a real softy. Sensitive type... he hugged B the other day in the kitchen and B really did kinda hug him back, wrapped his arm around his neck and cooed. It was a real moment. I looked at G and thought he might cry. He realized it was a moment every bit as much as I did. On the opposite end of the spectrum, G was getting in a bit of trouble tonight. I was standing in the hall, holding B facing outward with one arm and pointing my finger at G while I lectured with a raised voice on the reasons not to goof around until you fall down and get hurt in the bathroom. Anyway, B must have been smiling at G while I was bitching. Cuz, G glanced at his Bro and kinda smirked in the middle of his pout. And I saw my future flash before my eyes! These two already have a brotherly form of communication and a bond... and it's only just begun.

I can't let the update go without mentioning the stomach virus we barely suvived last week. Had us down like dominoes, on a 24 hour rotation nearly to the minute. Probably picked it up in the doc office while there for B's ear infection... which I thought was a sinus infection since G had that along with a fever the week before. Wellness would be so nice, but I know the casa won't be truly rested or well for a few more months. I have found myself in a total daze more often. Just out of it. Need to find a way to get my me time and my sleep in.

In extracurricular news:

Deeda put in a great stent for the 2010 HSL&R. I think it's safe to say on his behalf he thoroughly enjoys the work, loves the cause and the commraderie. He even got G a spot in the grand entry parade, carrying on what I will officially call a family tradition.

T-ball is super fun. Practice on tuesdays, games on saturdays...Tball at age four is really something. In his first game, G's was standing on third when the coach told him to "run after the ball." Coach meant, run home after the batter hits the ball. Grant heard what he said literally and when the ball was hit, G dashed into the outfield after the ball. It was like something from a movie. complete with the visual of a tiny child in a HUGE batting helmet looking like a bobble head running after the ball.

I hosted an event for about 30 Friends of Red at the casa last night...wine was a good draw for some bonding and furthering the effort to turn the great school around the corner into a neighborhood school again. I am also enrolled in a photo class for the month of April and continue to be inspired by bread crumbs I am following from my new connnections at Mom 2.0.

So- I think that's the summary. Geeeshh... it's a lot! I wouldn't blame anyone for not reading ALL THIS blabbing... but at this point, I am just trying to catch up and maintian the family record. Once again, I will vow to post more often. shorter blurbs. more reader friendly. I know.

****************************************

* Oh yeah, the asterisks. I didn't want to interrupt the story I was telling to stop and tell another. I don't know why, but I really was feeling a lot of anticipation and excitement for ouranniversary this year. Ten years! It's a big deal. So much has happen in that time and it's a nice even number to measure just how much has gone down. One tile kitchen floor. Two houses. Two kids. Vacations. Infamous nights out. A lot of nights at home (the best)...

Anyhoo, we had great intentions to get away or at least get out for a better than average date night. As it turned out, Deeda babysat while I spent the evening on our anniversary with the Raben clan due to the death of dear Mamu/Rubye's. Her death was both a loss and a blessing. She will be missed.

The days that followed were frustrating. We had a house full of family... we wanted to celebrate our anniversary... and I wanted to be with the family too... We didn't even have sufficient time to exchange cards until nearly a week later... much less have a real talk and contemplate our life together... I was so frustrated over the whole thing. Did I mention I was frustrated?

And then I made an important realization. A distinction really. Marriage is about two people, yes. But it's also about family. It's the whole enchilda. And even though the family stuff was all in our face and seemed to be impairing our anniversary celebration, in the end it helped me see that. I am so grateful for our family. All of them. I wrote something really good to that end in C's card. It was better than what I am coming up with right now. But you get the gist.

Mom 2.0 Inspired

2010-02-22T21:16:00.019-06:00

Since it would surely be sacrilege to attend Mom 2.0 and not post something about it on my blog, here goes.

This conference, geared toward mom bloggers, celebrated motherhood, talked about maintaining authenticity in the face of marketing endorsements and encouraged this influential market to use its collective voice to its full potential. Talk of how the community of mom bloggers (though built in cyberspace, it really is a community) raises their audience up by sharing their experiences was another recurring theme. It's true. No doubt. Reading and relating to a story feels good. It reminds me I am not the only one whose life feels like this.

And that’s just the most concise way I can offer the gist of what was covered over two days. There’s plenty more, but what I really want to get to is the feelings my time among these amazing ladies elicited. I left the Four Seasons hotel Saturday afternoon, empowered, inspired, high, mindful, grateful, warm AND fuzzy. I wanted to figure out how to bottle the mix of emotions. I hardly remember driving home, I was so lost in thought. I came straight to my keyboard to put down some notes. Anything to capture the essence of the day. And then I remembered what drew me to the event in the first place. This feeling had already been bottled!

No wonder this video has gone truly viral. More than 50,000 hits last I looked. This piece by Katherine Center is, to me, the essence of what keeps me going when I feel like this motherhood gig is too much. This is important work, and it is work. The line “what you’re doing matters” was a theme of Mom 2.0. It’s a phrase I will repeat to myself again and again.

I’ve been a little hoodoovoodoo about this whole thing since I stumbled upon it about a month ago. It just seemed like the universe aligned to get me there. I am so glad it did.

It actually started last summer. I was in Kinkos dropping off a Fed Ex. A little girl approached me and said,

“My mommy wrote a book. You should read it.”

She handed me a card. I smiled at the girl and her mom and walked out the door having a little conversation with myself about how a mom would find time to write a book and how cute it was that the girl was so proud of her mom…. I put the card in my wallet.

Flash forward. About three weeks ago. I come across the card. I start bumping around and see the video. I watch it twice (and 20 times since) and tear up. So good! At the end I notice the mention of Opmom. Opmom.com (now http://www.thetastefullife.com/) is the site my friend Carrie Pacini started… It is a small world after all. Hmmmm? Wheels turning, already inspired and I hadn't even registered yet.

When I got to the speaker list, I was floored. The lineup was truly incredible. The more I read, the more excited I got. Admittedly, what excited me the very most was a bit of star power. One of my absolute favorite bloggers, Heather Armstrong, was booked as a keynote.

For my grandparent readership, Heather Armstrong was on the list of Forbes Most Influential Women in Media in 2009. Number 26. If you read her post at dooce.com about being number 26 you’ll get a sense for why I love reading her blog. Her success as a blogger is groundbreaking. She also just penned a deal with HGTV. Quite a case study. Above all, she makes me laugh and sometimes I really need a laugh. She writes (for all the world to read) the kind of things I only say in my head. I relate to her. We’re a lot alike. Only she’s on the Forbes list with Oprah and Barbra WaWa.

And here comes the point. The source of some of the empowerment that came for me personally at Mom 2.0 is the fact that we are alike. I sat there in awe of Heather Armstrong, and so many other ladies I met. So many. And guess what? They aren’t so different from me. Short of the long: I left reminded that I can accomplish big, cool and powerful things, too. I don’t know what big things I am out to accomplish, but being reminded I can is a start.

It’s easy to get busy getting by. Day to day. Hamster wheel syndrome. “Time to make the donuts”… Time to feed the baby. Time to go to work. Doldrums. It happens to me and I am one of the lucky ones who really loves my husband, kids and work. I can’t imagine what it’d be like to be unhappy in any of these areas AND live in the wheel.

This is not to say that the daily grind isn't part of "what matters." It all matters. Cooking dinner on a weeknight can be a chore, but sitting down to the table as a family matters. It all matters. The good. The bad. And the ugly. It's all part of life and very necessary.

It's just that to set out to do big, cool and powerful things, I need some time to focus on something besides the things that are required. Getting up and going to work is required. Doing laundry is required. The store. Picking up the house. The good ole todo list. It should be called the have to list. By the time all the perquisites are done, there’s not much time left (if any) to dive into the higher level coursework so to speak. The want to list.

Time to move up from Life 101. Step one: make and take time to daydream and formulate full thoughts, theories and ideas. Time to be me. Not mommy me. Not wife me. Not marketer me. Just me. So, I can be open to and look for inspiration. I love being all those other versions of myself. But after Mom 2.0 kids, I need to be the first version of myself from time to time.

I am one of bajillions of women desperate for some time to herself. I get it. I am not saying anything new here. I am just saying, this event reminded me how powerful taking the time can be. By taking time to find passion and enthusiasm we live bigger, better lives. When I go out and get empowered, I bring it home to the dinner table for the boys to see. The "time out" I took last week is really all it took to stop fussing, breathe, get inspired and fired up. Battery charged. It was so worth it. It was so simple. It was super special. I am still flying!

the story changes daily

2010-01-12T23:38:00.004-06:00

THAT WAS THEN – bittersweet. more sweet than bitter.
January 7, 2010

It was inevitable. The tears would come.

So, I was feeling “ready” for a few hours without little B. A few errands ALL BY MYSELF (I sound like G) seemed like a really good idea. A couple hours away and a short stint for B to spend his first day at “school.” Start with baby steps, so to speak.

And then I was in the classroom giving detailed instructions to three women who probably know thousands more baby tricks than I do. I was lingering and hovering –finding it hard to walk out the door. Eventually, I did. Thanks to a lunch date with Sarah (at which we had a glass of wine. It helped).

Couple hours later, I returned to find B was fine. We both survived.

When I did this, nearly four years ago with G, I truly thought it was the end of the world. I thought I was already failing at the motherhood gig, because I didn’t consider it a viable option to totally change our lifestyle and find a way to make it work on one income. Possible? Sure. People do it all the time on far less. But right for our family? Not so much.

Still, I worried that daycare would not be good for G. He’d wind up with abandonment issues and he’d be confused about who his “primary caregiver” was…blah, blah, blah. Oh the trauma and the guilt. Drama mama! Truth is, G’s going to daycare had more negative impact on me than it ever had on him. I never would try to convince a first time mom of this. I couldn’t have believed it before. But, I think school has helped make G the social butterfly he is.

The child introduces people… is the life of a party… knows a lot of stuff I couldn’t teach him myself and is a super caring kiddo with a generous heart. He’d be all that anyway, but when it comes to how he interacts with others and his comfort level with himself – I think school has given him a lot we couldn’t have offered him at home.

So this time around, I know B will benefit in many ways. I know he knows I am the mama.( I know because he snuggles me different than anyone else and I do love that!) I know he’ll be entertained, rocked, fed, changed and talked to. And I know we’ll find a routine that works.

I am not misty with worry. I am misty because he’s going on 12 weeks old. These precious weeks have gone by too fast. And he’ll never be two days, two weeks or two months old again. The moments are so fleeting! And the photos don’t capture the smell or the emotions attached to these moments in time. I am already forgetting little details I want to remember. Like how huge his cheeks were when he was born, the hair on his hears, the size of his little hands and feet… I already can’t think of what else I want to list…

On one hand I am tired of anticipating the end of maternity leave. It’s weighing on me really. Just get here and get it over with already. On the other hand, I am clinging to every moment. Taking liberty to hold him through entire naps because I can… It will be a real luxury to find time to do that on a weekend when we’ve got birthday parties to go to, errands to run and life to get in order before we begin again on Monday. Besides, before long he’ll be too big to hold for an entire nap… before too long, he’ll look up at me and say, “I don’t need you to cuddle me tonight.” As G does now from time to time… (thank goodness he also says, “I want you to carry me.” )

I knew it would go by too quickly and I knew the list of things I really wanted to do was unrealistic from the start. I haven’t done the craft projects I had in mind, read the books I’d planned to, or even watched a bunch of good movies. Days have gone by quickly just keeping up with laundry, running to the store and preparing for and celebrating the holidays. We live in three hour increments between feedings, on no real nap schedule.

I was tired some days. At my wits end on occasion (especially during those few weeks of crying jags). I snapped off several heads (and apologized). But I also soaked it up. I noticed when I felt totally happy. And I did. Quite a lot of the time…

How often do you get to feel totally and completely happy? How often does the joy totally and completely override the worries and todos and todon’ts? For me, it’s not that often….I am more often glass half empty. A great devil’s advocate. Slightly pessimistic. And I am not a morning person. This is my nature. I am not unhappy. I just view the world with caution and I am slow to wake up.

But when he smiles, it’s total and complete happiness. The joy overrides EVERYTHING. It fills the air. In the morning, (early morning) when he’s stirring and ready for a change and bottle, I appear over him in the pack and play at the end of our bed and he smiles a huge gummy smile – a smile that wrinkles his nose and reaches all the way to his eyes. That’s a great way to start the day.

When there’s a baby around, the world just looks different. It’s harder to ignore all that is right.

******

THIS IS NOW - It’s not quite so sappy today… a little snotty, in fact.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010

What a difference a few days makes. Focus shifted.

So, G started with the fever on Saturday. Sunday appetite disappeared, fever remained and he threw up in his bed, the hall and then finally, the toilet. Monday morning, the doc said she didn’t think it was the flu. Until she tested anyway out of concern for Baby B and confirmed G has type A flu. “Could be swine flu,” she said, “we’re still seeing some of that in the community.”

It’s Tuesday and the fever only just let up tonight. High was above 103. Tamiflu seems to be kicking in and I have a filled scrip in the fridge ready in the event B shows any signs… Every spit up, sneeze or cough makes me feel like he’s a time bomb. Not to mention the fact that every little something I feel in my body has me thinking, “Oh Sh**! I’ve got it.” I wouldn’t be surprised, I have been sneezed on a few times. Lots o' snot r us. And despite cans of Lysol stationed at key points with sanitizer and Clorox wipes, it’s just hard to contain the germs.

Meanwhile Deeda continues to recover from his elbow surgery last Thursday and it seems we discover something else he can’t do each day. (Some way to spend your 37 birthday. Happy Bday Deeda. It's 12:15. The day is officially yours.) Having your right arm wrapped and immobilized requires help putting on pants that don’t have an elastic waistband, deodorant, serving food, putting on shoes, etc… Oh! and no driving! And he’s in this bandage until next Friday (at least). I get cabin fever for him just thinking about it. Meds seem to help with pain but that could also be because shortly after he takes them, he goes to sleep…

Thank heavens Nana is a real trooper and (once again) extended her trip. She has literally been here more than she’s been home in the last few months. I can’t be thankful enough. Her physical and moral support are a tremendous help. Ready at standby, too, is Grams who drove C to the doc today and will return tomorrow for appointment "part deaux." Strategically, I don’t want to expose her to our germs because we need her even more if I “go down” or Nana goes down. Seriously, you never know...

Maybe we’re over reacting a little but I feel like some strategy is important… It’s kinda funny and inconvenient right now, but it could get ugly fast if this flu starts making the rounds about the family.

So, none of this is what I had planned for this, the last week of maternity leave. This week was to be the start of some routine… B going to daycare. Me going to get a haircut and my teeth cleaned, maybe squeeze in a fun project and finalize Bday party prep for G (festivities are scheduled for Saturday morning a joint party with pal Brooks). Once again, I had visions of homemade cakes, aprons and pearls. Wrong! once again. Just not in the cards.

48 hour no fever school rule means, G could, maybe, go to school on Friday if he stays on the steady upward swing. Friday sounds VERY far away this Tuesday night. AND now that he’s feeling human again, it will only be harder to keep him quiet and in recovery mode. Meanwhile, I want to watch B with my own two eyes so I can administer tamiflu the second he does anything out of the ordinary. He is not going to school and getting used to it as we’d carefully planned. From what I read online we're not really in the clear until the weekend is behind us.

I have managed to regain some perspective since this morning when I felt sorry enough for everyone, including myself, to have a little cry and pick a fight with Deeda. It’s just bad timing. C’s surgery alone would have been enough… add flu to the mix and the emotion surrounding the big back to work day and we have a “tilt” situation. BUT I was able to keep the ball in play. Where are all these silver linings are coming from these days? Who am I? As I sat in G’s bedroom with him watching the portable DVD player… in our PJ’s at noonish, I did remember that I said wanted to sit around and watch movies ( I was thinking something other than Cars again, but it still is a cute show, even the 750th time). I do want all the time I can get at home with the kiddos. So, in some ways, maybe this ordeal has made me slow down and do some of that… So, I did it with a can of Lysol on my hand. Still counts.

Gotta laugh, really. Not much else you can do between baby feedings, sterilizations and wrapping C’s arm in saran so he can shower. I’ll finish by saying, I so know it could be worse. I recognize none of this is serious. And I know how fortunate I am to have the help I do… but still. Really?

p.s. no photos for these posts because I still haven’t sorted through the photos or made any uploads since thanksgiving… eventually. There are some good ones. I got a new lens for my birthday!

'Twas just days before Christmas

2009-12-21T23:39:00.011-06:00

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?

2009-12-05T22:46:00.006-06:00

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

2009-11-10T16:21:00.015-06:00

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

2009-10-15T10:46:00.007-05:00

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

2009-10-15T10:13:00.011-05:00

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

2009-09-07T14:10:00.010-05:00

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

2009-07-29T23:02:00.003-05:00

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.

2009-07-22T21:16:00.006-05:00

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

2009-07-22T20:49:00.007-05:00

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

2009-06-28T23:37:00.005-05:00

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

2009-06-28T23:14:00.005-05:00

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

2009-06-23T21:42:00.005-05:00

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

2009-06-07T21:20:00.005-05:00

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

2009-06-07T21:16:00.003-05:00

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!

2009-06-07T21:01:00.008-05:00

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!

2009-05-18T22:13:00.004-05:00

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!

2009-05-18T21:25:00.011-05:00

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

2009-04-30T19:32:00.005-05:00

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...

2009-04-21T23:13:00.010-05:00

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

2009-04-14T21:19:00.013-05:00

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

2009-03-06T22:53:00.009-06:00

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

2009-02-02T23:21:00.011-06:00

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

2009-01-19T23:10:00.003-06:00

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?

Happy Holidaze!

2009-01-04T22:07:00.021-06:00

It’s back to the grind tomorrow and something tells me if I don’t do this now, it could be a while. Where I get into trouble is letting too much time pass between entries and wanting to get it ALL down. Then, it becomes a big task to blog rather than a quick update. So I will add to what’s becomeing a mighty long list of resolutions to blog in blurbs in ‘09. Of course, like all the other resolutions that will have to start tomorrow. There is a lot to catch up on tonight.

First of all, Grammy turned 90 on the 18th. Mom and Steve suprised her with a party. Truly something to celebrate!

Christmas Eve we baked cookies and visited the Martinez Outback for the annual tamale dinner and family get together. This year, Grams, Deeda and Uncle Alex did a special rendition of What Child is This. Grams played piano, Unc Alex accompanied on guitar and Deeda sang. It was great! As was Aunt Laudie’s tango and Carlitos’ and Unc Charles’ version of Oh Holy Night. But I wouldn’t be telling the whole story if I didn’t include the fact that G was quite taken with the mike and did several numbers himself. Jingle Bells, Frosty the Snow Man and Rudolph were top hits of the season. G carefully tapped the mike as if to say “check, check” with each number. He was also sure to read the sheet music as he sang. A budding musician? Perhaps. A ham? For sure. If you have any doubts click here.

Christmas morning we had the most wonderful egg enchilada casserole of all time and that’s all I have to say about that -- except sorry. Back to the list of resolutions… So many things to work on. Seriously, the morning was great. Santa was good to us. G’s stocking was full and Wingo, the Elf on the Shelf, must have delivered his message about the Diego Dino Rescue Mountain because there it was under the tree! Santa also brought a big boy bike. Despite the fact a bike was all the talk prior to the big day, it has been of no interest since. That and making #2 on the potty continue to be a bit of a battle.

The top toy of the holiday may well be the little Spiderman Santa thought to put In G’s stocking at the last minute. Who knew? Buzz Lightyear has been big in more recent days. G taped a rocket to his back and has been flying him all over the house. We’re big Buzz fans these days. Tonight at dinner, G was quoting Toy Story 2 (another gift). It took us a while to figure out what our little jokester was telling us but apparently “Pork Bellies are Falling.” The kid truly set us up telling a joke like a stand up comedian. The gleam in his eye, laughing at his own joke. Again with the ham.

The gifts just seemed to keep coming. Four sets of grandparents and an extended family of friends and relatives are too good to us. If there is anything Cars we don’t have I would be surprised. By day four or so of the festivities G was totally and completely spoiled, asking “do we have any presents today?” So we’ve spent the last few, more quiet, days attempting to deprogram. When he wasn’t getting something he wanted last week, G placed his hands on Deeda’s cheeks, looked him in the eyes and said, “Daddy, let me help you say yes.” Clearly, it was time to reel it in a little.

For my birthday we finally made it to Max’s Wine Dive which didn’t disappoint in the slightest. As per usual we had several drinks and then planned the rest of our lives (again). Then we took in Four Christmas’. Vince Vaughn is always good for a laugh and the title seemed like something we could relate to. Before we headed home, I decided I deserved a little vampire “fix” so we made it a double feature and saw Twilight. Yes, it was my 35th birthday but that Edward Cullen makes me feel 16, so it was the perfect birthday date. I admit a little infatuation, but will remind my other half again that the reason I love the story so much is because it’s a true love story and I can totally relate.

In addition to five Christmas’ and a birthday we managed to work in couple of fun shopping extravaganzas, trips to the park, several movies, too many great meals, a trip to the Children’s Museum, a couple of gatherings with friends, a car wash/detail and my first batch of cake balls --we had a few days to sleep in and stay in our PJs. We caught up with our families, some friends and each other. I don’t think there is anything short of a prescription that would keep me from stressing at least a little over the holidays, but it should count for something that the stress comes from the desire to uphold tradition, make memories, wrap really pretty packages and play like a domestic goddess as if I bake and cook like this all year long.

In the rear view mirror I can see the stress comes from wanting so much from such a relatively short period of time. The final word: we made it. And it was fun.

Happy New Year!

Tigers and Vampires Oh My!

2008-11-19T21:46:00.012-06:00

There went a month. What have we been doing? It's been a blur since Halloween. Have I ever mentioned we're a busy clan? I am on calendar overload. Tracking todos and engagements. Counting the days until Christmas. Yikes!

Where to start... beep. beep. beep. let me back up a few weeks.

The Thursday before Halloween Tigger hopped all around with a ton of other neighborhood kids who paraded around the park. It was great to see so many families in the park.

Halloween night didn't disappoint either. We had a great time at the Bromley's block party, trick or treated and made it home in time to answer our own door several times. The Halloween "experience" was complete. Smile.

Toy Story has taken reign as our favorite movie, though Cars remain our favorite toys. At least two still go everywhere we go... G reports they have a "real" Buzz Lightyear at school which may be why we have had wonderful drop offs lately. No drama. All thumbs up from under his new regular "costume" of a baseball cap and sunglasses. Some days he's still wearing them both when I pick him up in the evening. Joe Cool.

The other thing he's wearing these days is underwear (not to be confused with panties - Deeda wants to be sure everyone knows that). After a couple accidents on the bulletproof sofa and several puddles on the floor, the child is proudly wearing underwear to school. We're not there yet but the progress is promising. Let's just say I am not buying the next batch of diapers at Costco (we're now card carrying members). I hope we don't need that many more.

G isn't the only one leaving puddles on the floor these days. Our old girl Dee has been diagnosed with cushings and we're struggling to get her condition under control with meds. In the mean time she's still regularly having accidents because the condition inspires her to drink a ton of water. We've been to and from the vet for many rounds of testing. Please keep our first child in your thoughts and prayers.

After a nightmare on Sunday night, stories of Monsters in his bedroom came home from school with G on Monday. Something has Mr. G spooked. Maybe it's because he got bit at school yesterday? Maybe he's heard me talking about vampires...

Who's excited for the Twilight movie to come out? Had to toss in that little note. Everyone knows this is my current "thing." Thanks to Nennie for the book that started the whole thing. I've always loved me a little "Goth."

2008-10-23T23:25:00.005-05:00

For the first time this season, the air is truly crisp today. A jacket wouldn't look stupid at this temp but isn't required either... the cool air feels great! I've been in the mood for weeks. The kind of mood that inspired me to buy goods for baking cookies and to plant mums. I've been nearly giddy the last few weekends. I know. Giddy is not a term commonly applicable to describing me, but I love October THAT MUCH. I would be sad it's almost over if I weren't looking forward to Halloween so much.

I've had Grant's costume a month at least. Tigger. That's what he picked way back when I ordered it. My first EBay purchase was a success. Those things retail for nearly $40... Good thing I didn't spend that, because now he is saying he'd prefer Spiderman. Last week it was Woody from Toy Story. I am considering locating a Spidey suit. He would be cute in tights and we could tease him with photos in about 20 years when we're planning his wedding rehearsal dinner.

Actually, his best suggestion for a Halloween costume has been "a naked jaybird." This is what we call him as he commonly streaks through the living room after his bath. So, the other night after we chased him down and were wrestling him to get the pull-up on before he parked his bare bo-hiny on the sofa he said, "I'll be a naked jaybird for Halloween. Oooookaaaaay?"

In other Halloween festivity news, G made some Halloween cookies with Grams and Pops last weekend while Deeda and Mommy played at the Aggie game in College Station (the day before our "horror-scope" had the word whoop in it. seriously!) The significance of the cookies is that a couple weeks ago, we started talking about Halloween cookies and G said he'd "make Halloween cookies for Santa Ooooookaaaaaay? Pretty cool he remembers making cookies for Santa last Christmas...

But that's not all folks. The things that this kid says never fail to entertain. They're learning about where fruits and vegetables come from at school. Ask the child about it and he'll give you the spiel, complete with hand gestures to help you understand exactly what he's describing. It goes something like this:

"You get some seeds and you put them in the ground. You pat them down and water them every day and they grow big and tall like a beanstalk."

So we were talking about it one night at the dinner table and he was telling us, oranges grow on trees, potatoes grow in the ground, milk comes from cows.... So, I said, "Where do eggs come from?" He looked at me like, "duh mom." And said very matter of factly, "The grocery store."

Another quick one. It's so cute to observe him learning the language. He gets the concept. Really does. Here's how I know. He was naming the tools in his tool box with Pops who said, "pliers" as G pulled the plastic pliers out of the box. G corrected him. "No, I just have one plier Pops."

And last but not least, a new three syllable word arrived at the park the other day. He wanted to stop swinging. So I stopped him. He said, "Let me get situated" and adjusted himself in the seat. Then we were off and swinging again.

In other news the pile of tree limbs and fence was removed from our front yard this week. We're scheduled to get a new fence on Monday. Hooray!

Back to the grind and that’s good.

2008-10-06T00:02:00.008-05:00

The word of the day is raisins – that’s short for decorations.

It’s a grind until you’re all out of the routine and then you miss it so. This weekend brought a feeling of normal and a feeling of fall. After a long week of tearful drop offs at school and catching up at work, it was so good to have some home time. We needed it to continue the clean up but we also managed to watch a movie, cook a meal at home and eat Mexican with friends. What more could we ask for?

Going to the store to restock the freezer never felt so good. G was a model child on the trip and the nightmares and flashbacks from the trip I can’t even bring myself to write about a few weeks ago are starting to subside. I still have to play the Rocky theme song in my head to gear up for taking him, but we proved this weekend it’s possible to go and get back without incident or the need for assistance from law enforcement. Someday I’ll tell the whole story….

Anyway… Add to the full fridge, a return of one portable AC unit to Home Depot, a Prince’s Hamburger lunch, nap time yard work and an afternoon run to Target and we were all on cloud nine when we sat down to have this year’s inaugural batch of pumpkin soup for dinner.

Princes Hamburgers is full of neon lights and sparkly vinyl chairs. It looks an awful like the sha-boom life would be a dream scene in Cars. G was amazed and he got his first gumball there—and his second when number one hit the floor. He also liked pushing buttons on the juke box and we heard “If you’ve got the money honey” while we were there. Reminded me that I still love that song…

This morning I had to giggle to myself as we all puttered about. G was reuniting with every toy in the cabinet by pulling them out on to the living room floor, Deeda was in this garage reuniting with his toys too and I was placing Halloween spiders and ghosts throughout the house sipping my second cup of coffee. We all needed the time together and the time in our own surroundings doing “our thing” respectfully.

Despite circumstances, we made good memories while we were evacuees. Many trips to the Wal-mart, Lakeway park and “chick a fill” back and forth down the roller coaster street with the windows down (Living in H-town the hilly drive to Casa Butera really is something special for a two year old). We swam at the Sullivan’s (G still wants to go back). We had a super Austin-style Friday night mole Mexican meal complete with live music and a lake view. We walked dogs “all by ourselves.” We made a good soccer team. We ate Papa eggs. G had the Cabelas experience and hasn’t stopped talking about it since. And we are now the proud owners of one rescue helicopter—just like the one we saw land at the top of the hill. WOW!

We saw at least 10 great sunsets. G even appreciated the sunset. He was still for the sunset. He told us what color the clouds were. Ole Ike made us slow down a little. It felt good.

Toddler Tip: If you make pumpkin soup a dipping sauce (like ketchup) , a two year old will eat it. He even dipped his green beans!

Ike Blows

2008-09-13T22:25:00.014-05:00

I didn't make that title up. But I love it! I saw it spray painted on a boarded up window in a photo reminiscent of "Breast Pumps Suck." I will make a million on that T-shirt yet.

Certainly things won't be the same at home for some time. I have been glued to the news and Internet trying to comprehend the impact of Ike. I want some facts of course... but I have spent a lot of time viewing photos. I can write my own story based on what I see. I don't want the spin. That said, I saw Geraldo standing in front of a pile of rubble tonight and a Seawall Blvd. green street sign was so strategically on top, I could hardly stand it. This is why I love to hate him. I heard he blew over at least once during his reporting. I would love to find that clip too!

As for our Ike story, there's no drama (thankfully). On Thursday we had decided to stay home and hunker down which was what our Mayor and Co. suggested. Deeda was hard at work boarding up the windows... I was at the store in line. And then we were "ready" with nothing to do and a view of plywood. So we opened a bottle of Champagne.

On Friday morning, Deeda finished up some additional boarding I requested Thursday evening, while G and I went to the park, with about every other mom and kid in the hood, to run off some steam... As the morning went on, I kept seeing on the traffic report that the roads were clear and kept thinking, even though we weren't at all ready to leave, maybe we should just get outta dodge. I was scared. I was scared G would be scared.

Once the decision was made, we were gone in about 30 minutes. A major record for the Dionne's but time was running out and the wind was picking up. By Bastrop it was blue skies and smooth sailing. So, we made a late escape and were almost feeling guilty yesterday evening when we sipped our cocktail in the AC in Austin.

Today we learned from our neighbors our house is fine and major tree limbs intact. Our fence is down but it was on its last leg anyway. Our neighbors lost a beautiful pear tree in their front yard. It was always gorgeous in the fall...

I am relived but I also have to go moderately melted Velveta and say I realized only a few miles down I-10 west that it didn't matter if we had the things we thought we needed or if the house has a foot of water in it when we get home. Deeda and mommy-mommy-ma were riding up front, Dee-dog and G-man were riding in the back "happy together." We made PB&J and ate Pringles on the road.

Deeda was up texting for updates in the wee hours. It was awkward to wake up not knowing how things were at home with our family and family of friends. And it felt even funnier to go about our daily rituals in a basically business as usual way.

By about 1o we were at Home Depot in search of a generator (couldn't hurt- this won't be our last rodeo and we're unsure how long this one will last). The customer service lady told about five people standing there, a nearby location had 4 generators left. It was like a race to the cars... as our favorite comedian says, "everybody out!"

By 10:30 we had arrived at Home Depot number two where we put our hand on the last box first (we win)! We are now the happy owners of a generator. I can finally put all those safety tips I've written about for the Co-op to good use. Generator or not, I'll admit, I hope to have my happy-self here at Camp Butera until the generator is not a necessary tool. I don't do heat. Everyone knows this about me. I don't catch either. Most people know this about me. (except Kyle Haver who learned a few years back)

After a trip this afternoon to the nicest Wal-mart on the face of the plant (no kidding!) we were home for a steak dinner. We brought them from our freezer. Can't let a good steak go to waste! I know everyone who spent Saturday evening in the heat at home is hating on us. We know. You're still welcome to join us. Come on up.

Ike is over but it ain't over... the hard part is only just beginning. I hope as we hear from more of our peeps we learn nothing but good news.

G-man thinks the greatest thing about the last couple days is that he can hold Huey's leash on walks "all by himself." He walks confidently and when he's really proud of himself he shrugs his shoulders. Yeah, we don't know either. It's like a bird strutting his stuff...Friday he said, "I have an idea" and "I have a special game for your mommy." Loved both those things. And he introduced me as Amy to the dog. AND he now pretend answers the phone "this is Grant Thomas Dionne." No lie.

Why ask why?

2008-09-03T23:24:00.011-05:00

Tonight I am recalling the successful ad campaign “why ask why?” G has been in his new big kid class for two days… For two days he’s come to me when I pick him up and said, “I had a bad day.” It’s killing me. He misses Luci and Bertha his teachers from the two’s room. But his friends Brooks and Zachary gave him a very warm welcome Tuesday morning, so I am comforted by that… still, transition is hard. And some of the kids in this room are considerably older. Almost four and going on three are very different. Already I can see he’s learning a lot from the older kids. The word of today is “why?” Tomorrow it might be something choice like SH#*T, so I should be grateful I suppose.

Here’s a taste of turkey taco dinner with the Dionne’s tonight.

“Grant, sit down. Don’t stand in your chair.”

“Why, Mommy, me no stand on my chair?”

“Because it’s against the rules."

Sitting down slowly he says,"Why?"

"It's not safe.”

“Why?”

“Because you might fall down and hurt yourself. Plus, it’s not polite.”

Deeda adds, “You don’t see me or mommy standing in our chairs do you?”

“Why?”

“Grant, that's enough. Be a good boy.”

“Why be a good boy, Deeda?”

“Because if you are a good boy, and you don't stand in your chair, and you eat your dinner you may be lucky enough to get a Popsicle.”

(Now I am rolling my eyes at Deeda for the bribery- thinking the child has just gotten exactly what he wanted)

“Me have purple Popsicle?”

“Maybe. It’s a surprise,” Deeda says and smiles at me thinking we’ve dodged that bullet and then…

“Why?...”

And that’s just a sampling. The hits kept coming. Why, deeda, me no pee pee in bathtub? Why no watch more lightning mcqueen? Why brush my teeth? Oh boy!

Anytime we are in transition, from play to dinner, from dinner to bath, from bath to bed, from book to lullabies—we have stalling. Laying on the floor. Changing his mind 200 times. The stalling has been getting insane and now the child has a new tactic in his bag of tricks. The famous, infamous, "Why?"

I can hear the whole bit Bill Cosby does in his Himself show. Next thing we know, we'll be asking why did you drink my drink and his line will be I don't know. (You said for me not to drink your drink. Then, why did you do it? I don't know.... )

Anyway, we first attempted reasoning. Such a rookie mistake. And so we quickly learned the best way to end the interrogation and resorted to the classic, I never wanted to say because I hated to hear it as a child, “because I am I said so.” This doesn’t end the questioning but it doesn’t offer a new topic query either. It’s something.

The other favorite phrase these days is: “heeeeey, wait a minute!” A line of Mater's when he realizes it's not the Ghost Light. Speaking of Cars,he has two new additions to the box and hasn’t put them down since he got them. Tex and Dinoco Lightning are the hottest “fast race cars” in the box right now.

Singing is also in Vogue. “Our favorite song” as he calls it is, Happy Together by the Turtles. We heard it one evening on the radio about two weeks ago and he loved it from the first time he heard it. Easy to learn, long notes he can sing LOUD. So happy to-geth-eeeeeeeer!

Not so easy to learn but another fav is "Old Mc Farmy had a duck. E-I-E-I-O." He’s close. Of course Old McDonald had a Farm…and then the duck, but you get the point. I am laughing out loud just typing this one. It’s really funny!

My favorite phrase these days is “Hold me like baby. Never let me go.” This is one he says when we tuck him in to bed. A request I love to hear.

Age of Aquarius

2008-08-21T00:57:00.006-05:00

A partial eclipse of the Moon took place on Saturday, August 16. I wouldn't have known if I didn’t get some very informative junk e-mail from astrology.com Monday. According this site, the eclipse was in Aquarius. Confusing leadership situations, power struggles and sharp words were to be expected. These are all details Deeda might have liked to have known before I went all psycho over the weekend. No reason. All’s well now (always was)—just temporary insanity.

I was already blaming it on the full moon when I got the eclipse memo. But I was most happy to have the fact that the sun, earth and moon literally aligned to blame for my behavior. Intrigued, I dug a little deeper and expect I will now get MANY more junk emails from astrology.com because I made a few clicks.

According to the astrology experts, the lasting effects of the eclipse depend on what house the sign Aquarius falls in on your personal birth chart. Turns out Aquarius is barely on the cusp of my 10th house. Which means nothing for this eclipse based on what I can find. Still, I told Deeda I was CERTAIN birthing one Aquarius boy who lives in my house counts for something… And there you have it. I am not crazy. I am a mom. A working mom. And I just want some time for myself every now and again- Damn it!

Ironically (or maybe not) Aquarius in the 10th house is all about “focus on the goal of many.” This sign in this house is connected to far-seeing visions and group work. To that I say hmmmmmm and announce the first meeting of 10 or so mom’s who really want to see their kids ride their bikes to the neighborhood public school is scheduled to be at our house tomorrow night. I do believe I have “a cause” I will be working on in the coming years. The global hope is quality education and community. The underlying benefit is saving 10s of thousands of dollars on private school so our kid can go to college someday instead.

And while we’re on the topic of planets, let’s talk about Krypton—as in the planet Superman is from—for a moment. You didn’t think I would post without a G-man story did you?

So, I have glasses. I never wear them. But I’ve been so tired lately and my eyes are bothering me. I decided to give them a try for the second shift in the evenings. So, I am wearing them last night and G says to me,

“Mommy, you’re like Superman. You have glasses. Take them off. Fly me.”

So, I took off the glasses, closed the computer, put on my cape and knee high red boots and flew G to the bathroom for his bath. My kid thinks I am like Superman. I can live with that.

p.s. I am also most impressed he knows the Clark Kent look and relates it to the man in tights. Where did he learn that!?

swim class part deux

2008-08-11T23:20:00.008-05:00

I think G and I may be thinking the same thing, "please don't make me go to swim class again."

Really, tonight's class was no worse than last week. But it wasn't better and that's the problem. Fingers crossed tomorrow (we really have to go two days in a row) will be better. He does all "the moves" like a champ. He floats by himself. He jumps off the step to the teacher. He dives for his rings. He doesn't seem scared of the tasks. It's the fact that Deeda isn't in the pool with him that seems to be the catch.

Tonight we could see him tightening his jaw trying not to cry...and then other times he called out or did one of his infamous screams. Still, a lot of hiccup-ish, crying, hyperventilating. There are two other boys in the class. One of them would talk to G while the teacher was on the OTHER SIDE OF THE POOL! We could read his lips and see he was saying, "Why are you crying?" He would touch him on the shoulder trying to comfort him. Something about seeing two toddlers in this interaction is so super cute.

On a lighter note we're all fired up for the Olympics and have replaced the nightly Lightening McQueen routine with an option of five minutes of swimming, diving, beach volleyball or gymnastics.

The sayings of the week are:

"A little bit." As in,"I want to play with my Thomas for a little bit before I brush my teeth."

Then there's, "Come closer mommy. Come closer Deeda." This is a routine that tends to happen toward the end of dinner. We both scoot closer and then we get a kiss on the cheek. We hate it!

And who could forget Deeda's favorite, "Step up your game?" There is no real appropriate context for this one. It's just the phrase the boys exchange and then they giggle at each other about it. Tards.

Little Big Swimmer

2008-08-04T23:18:00.015-05:00

We've been watching olympic qualifying swim races on TV. Grant calls the racers "big swimmers." He mymics them doing his version of the backstroke on the living room floor and "loosening up" before he dives off the sofa. He's watched the whole dance they do on the starting blocks and he's got it down. He loves his goggles and practices his stroke in the bathtub nightly.

This evening marked his first goldfish swim class. We've been talking it up since he graduated from guppidom. We arrived just in time to get G in his swim diaper, required plastic diaper over that and Lightening McQueen trunks over that. It's a process.

Together, Deeda and I delivered G to the big garage door opening where the big kids enter and over to Mr. Charlie his new (and wonderful) instructor. It didn't take but a nanosecond for G-man to recall what we'd been telling him, "Deeda was going to watch this time." The tears began to flow. We smiled and gave him the thumbs up as we turned our backs on the poor child and left him for the waiting room. I was feeling lost somewhere between it's good to teach your child to swim and we're horrible parents.

The next 3 hours, I mean 30 minutes, were torture.

Standing on the step at the side of the pool, he inhaled deep sobbing breaths and puffed his lower lip in and out. The child nodded his head when Mr. Charlie gave him instruction, then went back to his silent tears. I thought his little goggles might fill up with all the tears... But through the deep sobbing breaths, he slapped an occasional high five. He floated by himself in the middle of the pool. And he waited his turn standing ALONE on the side of the step while the teacher went to the opposite side of the pool with another child.

We were behind the glass on the edge of the bleachers in the front row, noses to the glass. I thought I was going to cry I was so proud. I thought I was going to pass out I was so nervous. I thought I was going to jump up and push the red emergency button every five seconds.

When class was over, we waited with the other parents for the pruned children to file out dripping wet with lollipops in their mouths. Grant exited the pool in tears and cried harder once we scooped him up and hugged him. Then, after just a few more sobs, his smile emerged. We praised him and gave high fives all around. By the time he was dried off he was all big talk, "I dived. I floated. I swim Mr.Charlie."

He was as proud of himself as we were of him. We celebrated with a ritual "hambuabuabua" on the way home. Then he practiced his "stroke" in the bathtub before we once again read Thomas and the Big Big Bridge "a little bit." He hit the hay under his purple bee-c with his little bee-c in hand and Tyrone the orange moose from Backyardagins under one arm. Lights out.

baking day my ***

2008-07-21T21:36:00.016-05:00

Desperate for new things to cook that can be plated within the 20 minutes I have between the time I kick my shoes off and put my bag down until the time Grant's ready to eat, I signed up for a email newsletter called "Menus for Moms." The menus promise fast, kid friendly and healthy menus. A lot of cook chicken on Monday and use it in Wednesday's recipe too type things. "Efficient," I thought to myself.

I remember the Saturday nap time I spent checking it out and signing us up. It was probably two months ago. Of course, I haven't had time to review the handy dandy Menus for Mom's emails I've received every week since. What else is new?

Bumping around procrastinating my "homework" tonight and I clicked on the link in my inbox. This is the tip that came up on the home page.

"Pick a day each week and designate it as your baking day. On baking day, spend a couple hours making snacks (gummies, granola, popsicles, etc.), hot dog/hamburger buns, and bread. Then you can avoid the snack stuff and the bread aisle at the store."

When I stopped laughing I scrolled to the bottom and cancelled that subscription. Then I immediately logged on to post this message (still procrastinating quite well).

Here's my tip: Uncle Ben's 90 second rice, Birdseye steam "fresh" frozen broccoli and left over grilled chicken. Grill as much as you can fit on the fire Sunday night and you've got good eats for the week.

This meal is especially good if your plumbing is for crap and you'll be doing dishes in the bathroom sink until you further notice and/or the winning lottery ticket arrives. Such is the case at our house.

P.S. Our new hand me down grill is Christian's current pride and joy. Thanks to casa de Nana and Papa for the donation!

P.S.S. Fresh frozen broccoli is right up there with fresh frozen catfish, but it will do.

P.S.S. Christian is a great cook and often cooks for Grant and I giving us those 20 minutes to play. He is a good deeda and deebabe.

Here We Go

2008-07-15T23:01:00.008-05:00

House of Dionne. It's a play on the fashion house names. Get it? A house of style. As in, House of Chanel. As you can see in this photo (one of my all time favs) we're a fashionable little family.

Oooooor, you might feel it's less of stretch to say Casa de Dionne is an homage to Deeda's heritage. Depends on which one of us you ask. Also depends on what you consider a stretch- Deeda's so called Mexicanism or his fashion sense as seen in the left corner of this photo. It's a toss up.

At any rate, I suspect the postings here will be largely about the happenings "here in this house." It's "where it all happens." If you know the rest of that lyric, you know me well, I am glad you're reading.

So, here goes. Welcome to the 90s Mr. Baaanks. The Dionne's are bloggers. One more attempt to prove we're NOT OLD yet.