I think I can

This is the article that I wrote for January’s issue of my Mom’s Club’s newsletter. Let me know if you find it inspirational or just too overdramatic. Or you could all just lurk like always. :)

I think I can... I think I can…

This year I resolve to lose the baby weight. This year I resolve to exercise more and yell at my toddler less. To allow the person behind me with only one item at the grocery store get in front of me and my cart full of crucial foodstuffs like ketchup and goldfish crackers. To recycle more. To worry less.

Oh and one other little thing. This year I resolve to change the world… or at least my part of it.

It’s pretty hard to imagine changing the world when some days it’s all I can to do get the dishwasher unloaded. So here’s my plan. First, I’ve volunteered to head up the Service Project Committee in the Mom’s Club. Second, I’ve planned to lure you all to help with fantastic ideas and projects that are fun for kids. Third, I’m prepared to cajole any willing volunteers with promises of a feeling of accomplishment and the happiness that comes from helping someone else. If necessary I am also willing to bribe with goldfish crackers.

I don’t think it takes as much time as you think. If you don’t have the time that’s ok, just resolve to help out when you can. If you do have time, even if it’s just a little bit and you’d like to help change our world, drop me a line or give me a call and together we’ll figure out how to get started.

Happy New Year!

Janice

Big Red and the boys

Yeah, this pic was totally worth going out in the rain for.

Dear Connor - 26 months

Dear Connor,

I keep meaning to write letters to you and your brother each month, but it seems that when I can get around to it, is the best I can offer at this point. I’ll try to do better.

You are twenty six months old today. In celebration of your Dad’s recent extended time off from work last Tuesday, we decided to take you and your brother to the zoo. Getting out of the house was a major excursion and I truly believe that I’ve taken camping trips with less planning. You Dad made observation that the double stroller takes a lot longer to fold than the single stroller but then decided that once you have enough children to fit in a double stroller you’ve already realized that you are never leaving the house quickly again anyway.

Unfortunately it was naptime for all of the zoo animals. So many were sleeping in far corners that we determined that you would probably think that the zoo meant you got to see only rocks and waterfalls. You really dug the Aviary, because you got to get down and run around, although you were more interested in the puddles on the floor than actually looking at birds. You are such a little boy. The next day we decided that your favorite part of the zoo trip was getting to ride on the Zoo bus back to the parking lot. You were pretty into that.

You’ve been more independent lately, wanting to do things yourself, especially undressing. You sometimes ask for help, as you did the other night before getting in the shower when you had your shirt up over your head and were yanking on it so violently, that it was causing you to spin and disco dance around the bathroom, yelling, “HELP! HELP!”.

 I did not help, only because it was hysterical and I know you in fact, CAN undress yourself. I know this because you’ve decided to take every opportunity to show us that you enjoy being naked. This was especially fun when you were in bed for the night, and stripped down peepeeing all over your nice clean sheets… again and then again. We started putting you to bed in Pjs with the feet cut off turned around and zipped up backwards which seems to do the trick. This all started because we introduced you to your very own potty.

I thought it might be easy to potty train you because for a while you were on a schedule so strict that you pooped each morning at 10:30am. Since that time, you’ve become more sporadic in your pooping, so it’s a little more difficult. But you enjoy nothing more than stripping down in 10 seconds flat and sitting on the potty explaining to us that you needed to go “peepee on da poddy” to keep yourself from getting in trouble for getting naked, yet again. I would be fine with this, if you had actually taken your clothes off because you actually had to pee, but you never do until you decide to get up from the potty and sprint across the living room leaving a wake of urine behind you. You have peed on the potty twice now which you should be proud of, but might be canceled out by the fact that you have also pooped twice on the living room carpet. It’s because of this that we’ve decided to put the potty away for a few weeks and try it again.

Christmas is coming and you are getting pretty excited. You aren’t real clear on who Santa is, but know something about him and his reindeer are a big deal and that you get smiles when you tell people that Santa says, HoHoHo. You are doing really well with the Christmas tree in the living room which is surprising. I thought for sure you would have pulled the entire thing down the first day, but seeing as how we put most of the ornaments on the top three feet of it, you’ve become bored and are content to turn the lights on the tree off and on, until your Dad and I start to feel like we might be having a seizure.

I can’t wait for Christmas. I can’t wait for you to see all of the toys that Santa brings to you, or the excitement you will have getting to see both sets of Grandparents on the same day. I can’t wait for you to look through your stocking. I can’t wait to see what’s in the bag that the preschool sent home with you, that says, To: Mommy and Daddy, From: Connor. I can’t wait to let you tear into the Gingerbread house you are going to make with Daddy. You make the holidays joyful again. Merry Christmas, Baby.

Love,

Mommy

Expectations

They say that the transition from one to two children, is a hard adjustment and it really is. But I’ve heard from many that the adjustment from two to three children is not that hard at all. So I’m going to tell you the truth. Going from one to two children is hard because you think that it’s possible that the transition just might suck. When you go from two to three children you know it will. And it’s all about setting expectations.

Dear Tristan - 3 Months

Dear Tristan,

Last Tuesday you turned 12 weeks old. A whole three months you have been with us now and I think you’re coming to like us quite well. You are especially fond of my boob and your paci. I’ve seen you smile at both so we can see you are already starting to make a list of your likes and dislikes. You aren’t quite sure what to make of your big brother, because at times he annoys you and at times he cracks you up so we feel like the brotherhood bond is coming along nicely. You are also pretty into Daddy right now. The recent time off granted to him by his previous job has given you more time to gaze adoringly at him cooing, your little arms flapping around his face.

You know what the swing means. If you are placed into said swing and do not at that exact moment feel like napping, you turn your bottom lip inside out immediately and start hysterically crying. You will stop as soon as you are picked up again. You are amazed by the mobile that hangs over your bassinet.

There’s not much to say about your eating habits since you are still just drinking milk, but I truly hope that you, like your brother will pretty much try anything once, even if you have a genetic disposition for macaroni and cheese with chopped up hotdogs just like your Dad. Other than milk, it appears that nothing tastes better than your fist.

You aren’t a great napper, settling for a long sleep through the night and two short power naps during the day. That’s just fine by me. You have decided that you will be held at regular intervals. Especially if you have been put in front of your kick gym for a whole 10 minutes, deciding all at once that maybe you don’t like those flashing lights… even if they do play Mozart.

But the best part of all of this for me, is that you think I’m funny. I mean really funny. You can’t quite laugh yet, but you try and make a little squeaking sound. The squeaking sound, further cracks you up making you smile so hard that your head wobbles.

I predict that you will be a thoughtful child. The Yin to your brother’s Yang. I think you’ll probably be all boy and I’ll bet you are going to be a busy one too. But hopefully you’ll stop and think before tasting an earthworm.

Love,

Mommy

Of danger and opportunity

Originally I was going to post a piece about how the Asian symbol for crisis is formed from two words… danger and opportunity. Since I decided I should research it first, lest it be inaccurate and my lurkers be compelled to comment and found this.

http://www.pinyin.info/chinese/crisis.html

So today I would like to post a piece on how the Asian symbol for crisis is in fact NOT formed by those two symbols, but will not deny that if I am trapped in a conversation where that urban myth can be used to inspire or change the course of thought pattern in another person, that needs encouragement I won’t quote it.

 

Undergoing, ongoing reorganization

Last Thursday, I actually stopped and thought about how blessed we are. How lucky I am to be able to stay home with the children. How lucky we are to have a great house and how lucky our kids are that they’ve never wanted for anything. And especially how lucky we were that the husband is willing to go to work each day to provide it for us all and how lucky he is to have such a great job. I was feeling thankful. Grateful. Lucky. That was the same evening that Jorma came home and told me that he had with 9 other people been laid off due to, “undergoing, ongoing reorganization”. I thought about it later and was so confused that after my gush of admiration for the universe this could happen. So, we are trying to stay positive. Perhaps we are about to move on to bigger and better things. Perhaps the next job will change his life, (and ours). Perhaps the next job will be the opportunity of a lifetime. Meanwhile the kids are thrilled to have Daddy around full time and I don’t have to wash a bunch of dress clothes each week. Now, less laundry… that’s something to be thankful for.

The most wonderful time of the year

I used to have my Christmas shopping completed by Halloween. I used to have my presents wrapped and in the closet the day after Thanksgiving feeling smug that my shopping was all done. I used to walk through the mall with no shopping to do and look at the stores and holiday displays of Santa and his reindeer, complete with polyester and shaved white wax for snow... just looking. I used to go to holiday parties and drink Jagermeister and beer, eat nachos and go to work on 4 hours of sleep. I used to sleep.

Now that I’ve got children, I don’t sleep for other reasons… ear infections, midnight feedings or untwisting those bazillion twist ties they use on toy packaging. I don’t feel smug that my shopping is done early, because it’s not. I don’t go to party’s during the season unless they are from 11am – 2pm and involve balloons. When I walk through the mall I have a baby in the front pack a toddler in a stroller, a bag of diapers, a bottle and a bag of goldfish crackers, a purse, a cell phone and most likely… no makeup on. But all in all I feel pretty good about trading the parties and lack of procrastination for footy pjs and stories about Santa. I laugh more at my toddler explaining to me over and over again, that “Christmas tree, RITE DARE!!!” as if I can’t see the large spruce that has taken residence in the living room, than I did at Jager laden holiday festivities. Now I actually look forward to the holidays, instead of dreading them. Now I understand how people can accidentally spend so much on their children, because it’s just so easy to keep buying and buying and buying when you actually have an excuse. Everyone talks about the blessing of seeing Christmas through the eyes of a child, but I don’t really see it that way. Instead I see Christmas through the eyes of a mom and that in itself is a whole world of wonder. 

Another Year Wiser

Yesterday I celebrated my 35^th birthday.

I remember when the bartender at one of the restaurants I was working at turned 30. I remember consoling her and telling her that she wasn’t OLD, that she was being ridiculous and that she had so much more life to live. I was 21 at the time and while outside I was consoling her on the inside I was thinking that she really was OLD and that I didn’t blame her for being upset since her life was almost over. Now I’m 35… (that’ll teach me). How in the hell did this happen?!

Connor had a hard time not opening all of my presents for me and after a maddened frenzy of toddler fury and determination, he landed himself in time out while I finished my unwrapping. He went to the store with Daddy and picked out a chocolate birthday cake for me and my very own Dora the Explorer balloon, which he was content to show me, yelling, “Happy Birfday Mommy!” but would not allow me to touch. I think there might have been a little bit of confusion when we blew out the candles. I’m pretty sure that he thinks that yesterday was his birthday again, which is fine, as long as I don’t have to share my new books or bath and body works lotions with him. I might share my Ice Age 2 DVD with him but only if he says, “Happy Birfday, Mommy!” again and again to me, because it makes the pain of turning 35 totally worth it.

Yay Me!

Happy Birthday to me!