The weekend

It's hard to believe that Nico is a year old!  He is so smart.  I know all parents say that about their kids, but this guy is just blowing us away with his smarts.  He wants to know what everything is, pointing to things and saying, "dat?" or, "that?" (okay, he doesn't say, "that" really, but it sounds like that is what he is saying!)  One thing he says for sure is "balloon," or "boon" thanks in large part to the dozen "boons" we have floating around the house since his birthday. Today he played peek-a-boo with just his hands, instead of hiding behind the curtain like he normally does. He was rubbing his eyes, and I said, "Where's Nico?"  and he removed his hands, smiling.  I said, "Peek-a-boo!" and he did it repeatedly, until he tired of the game.  And, the biggest news of all?  He is standing.  All by himself.  Not to be outdone by his sister, he stood up during her gymnastics class without any assistance, and has continued standing unaided ever since.

Next up, my baby has a birthday. And I mean, MAH BAYBEEEEE.   This one:

Yes, my little starter baby is going to be 5 years old.  FIVE!  As in, 12345.  How is that possible?  He continues to blow me away with his smarts, his love, and his smile.   We are celebrating this weekend. For his birthday decorations, Bode says that he wants: Cars, Buzz Lightyear, and Spiderman. Not to mention that he is currently obsessed with all things "Planes" too. "Oh, boy, I thought, "how do I pull that off without it looking like Disney/Pixar/Marvel exploded all over our kitchen?"  Oh, BOY.  Do I have a boy on my hands, or what?!  I love him like crazy.  I'll try to make it happen.

Happy weekend.
xo

Birthday expectations and reality

Nico's 1st birthday came and went.  It did not meet my birthday party expectations. In fact, all plans kind of withered and curled up as soon as the invitations went out. Family was ill , family came in, and life remained busy.  The week of his birthday found me uninspired and floundering.  I did perk up on his actual birthday, buying balloons and generally happy for him. We had an impromptu cupcake party in the evening. And I mean, impromptu.  What happened?  I don't know. I guess I was just busy with everything. Suddenly it was 6 o'clock and I'm defrosting the cupcakes from the fridge.  I had no idea where I put his "1" candle (still don't).  I plucked a beeswax taper from our junk drawer and plunged it into the cloud of vanilla frosting.  We sang "happy birthday" quickly, but with love.  And then it was over.

I always have big expectations for my children's birthday parties. Like a lot of parents, I want them to be happy events.  And Nico's first birthday was no exception.  But circumstances out of my control did color the outcome.  I knew very certainly that holding onto these expectations were only going to lead me to more disappointment.  So I let them go.  And I tried to focus on what is important: Nico is so loved, Nico is happy, and Nico is healthy.  He was surrounded by love on his birthday and all the days leading up to the big 1st year event.

This leads me to think about how I handle disappointment in my life. Of course Nico's first birthday is not a big deal. As I stated above, what matters is that he is loved.  But this has me examining my own motives and how I process things when they do not go as *I* had planned. This is important on the small "birthday" scale, and the larger "life events," like when your mother dies unexpectedly. I have a lot to think about, I guess. What do you do when your expectations are not met?  How do you handle the rejection and the disappointment when the outcome is short of what you desire?

Bode: First Day of Kindergarten

Bode had his first day of Kindergarten on Thursday and all is well.  He really likes going to "camp" (he went to camp at this school over the summer, so he is calling it "camp").  He likes his teacher, Miss Lyn. And that, my friends, is all there is to report.

I made French toast and bacon for his breakfast, and he seemed happy about that.  And I made him 'dress up' for his first day, even though this is not a dress up type of school. He is at Forest Kindergarten, which means he is outside all day.  So as soon as I took the obligatory (obligatory for me)  photos at school, we went inside and changed.  It was damp and chilly, so we changed out of his Polo, into 2 shirts and rain gear. 

First outfit change

Miss Lyn, Bode's Kindergarten teacher

It really was...calm and easy (and still the morning seemed to rush by super fast and I was left with all these emotions for several hours until I picked him up).  His transition back to school was easy. I am not sure if it's because he really thinks that he is just going to camp or if he's familiar with some of the kids, or what. I guess time will tell.

His teacher reports that the past 2 days went "great" and Bode ate a ton at lunch. On Thursday, he ate brown rice and veggies.  On Friday, he couldn't tell me what he ate, except that it was a vegetable I had made before that he didn't like.  Friday night, Bode told me, "I rike eating at home better because the food is sweeter." 

On Fridays, Miss Amy (Bode's preschool teacher and Gianna's future preschool teacher) assists in the classroom.  So it was a lot of fun to be reunited with Miss Amy on Friday morning. Bode had a huge smile on his face when he saw her. Gianna got to say Hello to Miss Amy before the first day of school, which is nice, too.

After school, I suggested that we get a treat to celebrate Bode's first day.  He wanted to go to the bookstore cafe (ugh) and get a stuffed pretzel, milk, and a treat.  He picked out a chocolate cupcake for his treat.  Gianna picked out a pink cupcake for her treat. Nico got nothing but a rice cracker. And he was not happy about that, believe me.

And next is little Miss Mia's big day. She is so excited. Miss Amy told me on Friday, "I don't think you're going to have any problems with her! She is READY."  Yes, I know. But I am not. In fact, Thursday and Friday, I was so emotional about her, about what *I* am losing. I had such a good time "alone" with her while Bode was at school. I think I am always hyper-aware that these minutes are precious, but more so this past week. Everything that she said and did just shone brightly. She is such a beautiful little girl, so full of love and smiles, often saying, "I love you, Mommy" (and PING! goes my heartstrings. every.time.)  I will cry on the inside when I drop  her off on her first day. But I will make sure that her first day is happy, and special.

And then, after that (is this my life, now, or what?!) is Sir Nicholas.  Yes, this jolly baby is turning one. I can not believe it. The fastest year of my life.  I will try not to be sad. (are you noticing a theme here?) But again, I will put my emotions aside and be happy for this lovely little boy. We will have a party to celebrate this little guy's first year.  Celebrate we will!

Party on, people. 

xo

Labor Day weekend

This end-of-summer weekend has been anti-climatic.  It has been a slow, lazy, grey weekend, punctuated by thunderstorms. We have stayed in, ate in, and been generally lazy.

Now that I've painted such a dull picture, I have to back up and confess that we did have some sun on Friday.  We went to the park.  Once again, Bode was terrorized by another little boy. What gives?!! I am so angry at these little boys who think that they can just hit my son.  This time, Bode was following a little boy up a slide (that is covered, like a tunnel). Before they even went into the tunnel, this kid turned around and started hitting Bode repeatedly.  Bode looked over at me and wailed.  He then got hit again and I yelled, "Come here!" because I was afraid that Bode was just going to stand there and be pummeled repeatedly.  Bode ran over to me and I soothed him.  His face and neck were all red from where the little boy struck him.  The kid had already ran off to another play structure while I was trying to calm Bode. The mom didn't do anything. She was busy talking to somebody. I was so angry that I took everybody home. It was such a downer.  Later, when I explained the situation to RWF, he thought that maybe the boy was scared by Bode.  Doubtful.

GET OFF THE COUCH, P!

On Saturday, I took the two older monkeys to the Farmer's Market and to the carousel for one last hurrah.  

On Sunday, we.... I am drawing a blank. That's how exciting it's been around here!  Oh. We stayed home. I ran a long run, and was simply exhausted afterwards. Plus, the crummy weather kept us inside. 

Today, we met some friends for a play date. We were supposed to go to the park, but thunderstorms prevented that. We met at our local bookstore instead.  That lasted about 15 minutes before two of the children were running around and chasing each other (note: their initials were not BWF or MGF. I'm just sayin') (Dear Karma, I can write that because you and I both know that it has been BWF and MGF in the past. For once, I could stand back because finally, it was not my children causing the ruckus. Love, HAS).  So our playdate ended quickly, with promises to meet up once everyone is acclimated to the new school routine and our weather (hopefully) improves.

School!  Bode starts this Thursday and I am in denial. Denial! I can not believe it. I'm really not thinking about it. I'm just going to let it happen.  Then, next Monday, Gianna starts preschool. My baby girl is going to skip, no, RUN into school and not look back.  I just know it. And that is going to leave me and Nico alone, together.

It is crazy to think that this time last year, I was preparing for a baby!  I was so close to meeting my preshus! My Nico!  And to think, his 1st birthday is right around the corner!  I can't think about it too much, because I'll get sad.  It was a crazy year for me, and I had a lot of emotional struggles.  He has been such a blessing to me.  He has kept me sane and happy. There is nothing better for your well-being than holding a baby.  And a smiley, chunky baby is even better.  I adore this boy so much. 

And that is all the news that is fit to print (for us).

Happy Labor Day weekend, end-of-summer to you.

xo