Xmas Cards 3

All Wrapped Up Christmas Card

Shop Shutterfly for elegant custom Christmas photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Moved

Don't come 'round here no more!! I've moved the blog to a better site...

www.horvathhappenings.wordpress.com

Happy 39 Months Gabey!

Cute picture, huh? It's amazing what a handful of candy will do for a 3 year old's cooperation level.

September is a month of endings and beginnings, the most notable being the end of summer and the beginning of school. You started your 2nd year at Miss Debbie's Little Thinkers school in White Haven...and as expected, you love it. School is still just one day a week, but since you are now in the preschool program it lasts 2.5 hours and is a bit more structured. You work on letters and numbers and in just 2 weeks of school you have learned to trace and to cut with scissors. Each week has a theme based on the letter you are learned to write, complete with a related snack, craft, and story. You also get to pick out a "library" book to take home, and you enjoy this very much.

First Day of School 2010!

I had a proud mommy moment when I picked you up last week and Miss Debbie was full of nothing but compliments about you...how well you picked up letter tracing in just one week, how well-behaved you were, and particularly how affectionate you were. I'm truly thankful that we came across Miss Debbie, she has been a wonderful role model and I have to say I'm amazed that not only are you enjoying school and reaping the social benefits, but actually learning too! Its going to kill me to move you next year, but it only makes sense to attend the "pre-k" year of preschool at one that is geographically closer to the elementary school you will attend. I've already started researching, even though the though of your little self going into a new school with new teachers and kids breaks my heart. But, until then, these are your classmates:

Ben (currently in an "I hate the camera stage), you, Theresa, and Annalie. Only Maddie was missing.

Aside from what you are picking up in school, I've noticed some changes in your smarts in other areas. One example would be your understanding (or at least verbal use of) abstract phrases. Words like "any", "forever", "all day", "yesterday", "never" "now" and "later" are a regular part of your vocabulary. There is nothing cuter than me instructing you to eat breakfast and you telling me forlornly that "Mom I never, ever want to eat breakfast today." Or talking about something that already happened and you stopping to confirm whether it was "yesterday" or "this morning". I need to get a calander soon and start showing you what the days of the week are.

Monster Jam

Your love affair with monster trucks continues. I snapped this picture a few weeks ago to document what is a daily scene in our house...you, with your little trucks and matchbox cars all set up on the coffee table. I would say you spend a good portion of your playtime playing "Monster truck jam" on the table. I have no clue why we even continue to buy and allow other people to buy you toys...with the exception of books nothing else holds your interest for very long. You also have medium, large, and remote control monster trucks...but none of these are the same as your little ones. I have no idea how many you have (20?) but you know all their names and you know the ones that you DON'T own yet as well. I love watching you play these both because your creativity in sounding like the announcer of Monster Truck Jam and the fact that it keeps you busy for hours (yes hours, not exaggerating.)

You also have a routine most weekdays with Daddy that you go down in the basement and watch Monster Truck Jam (often the same dvr'd episode again and again) while Daddy works out. Usually if I go into the basement I'll find an assortment of couch pillows lined up meticulously on the floor--you pretend to be a monster truck jumping over obstacles as you watch. Monster trucks in the "spacement" with Daddy is without a doubt the highlight of your day.

In other ways I see you growing and maturing all the time. There's lots of little basic things that you can't do for yourself that you "should" be able to do...such as dressing, undressing, getting into a chair, and going to the bathroom unassisted. I've read a lot about how first children/only children often do these things later because their parents assist them much longer than they do subsequent children. You also have a personality that is such that you will half-heartedly try something and then immediately give up, crying "I can't DO it! Help me! Help me Mommy!" in a voice so pathetic one would think I threw you outside in the snow naked and instructed you to pick the lock to get back in. Nonetheless, you are slowly fostering new ways to learn to do things for yourself...

You can't redress yourself, and you don't always hit the bowl, but watching your hilarious "dismount" (think: gymnast on a vault) makes the extra time to let you do this yourself worth it.

Yeah, we're still working on the getting dressed thing.

And so, time marches on. The next time I write to you, Halloween will be a thing of the past and it will be NOVEMBER (how?? Already??) The holidays will be just around the corner, and the dreadful post-holiday winter months will be looming. But until then, I'll definitely enjoy sharing the aspects of fall with you...hayrides, Halloween, playing in the leaves, fall foods and the return of warm sweaters and winter jammies.

Happy Fall, Buddy. Thanks for making every season, every month, every holiday and every experience that much more memorable for us:)

Fall...Frolic, Fairs, and Otherwise

Fall is officially here. Cold evenings and crisp mornings are becoming the norm rather than a surprise, and although many days have reached the 70's, we are definitely edging towards the colder part of the year. The sun is weaker, the days are shorter, plants are dying and summer tans are fading.

But fall is an awesome time of year for us. First and formost, we look forward to our annual "Fall Frolic" party each year. Every year it has a different feel, but some things are constant: certain guests, a large pot of chili from the Lookout House, and bad weather. Well, bad weather until this year! The past 3 years have been raining, with one year being so terrible that some people cancelled because they didn't want to drive in the rain.

This year though? It was worth the wait to have a PERFECT fall day. Blue skies, no wind or clouds, and the highest temp was 65...perfect for sitting outside in the afternoon, and also perfect fire weather as the sun went down. We got to test out our newly built-by-Gabe brick firepit, and it does the job. Marshmellows were roasted, an insane amount of food and of course drink was consumed, no injuries occurred and the company was great! Thanks to everyone who made it out...though, despite making a conscious effort to remind myself to take a lot of pictures this year, I put the camera down early in the afternoon and forgot about it. I did want to share this one though because I spend a lot of time with these two girls, and this is probably the first picture ever of the 3 of us:

Me, Jen, and Josie. You could say they're part of my Mommy Posse...

In other fall related news, today we took G3 to a local pumpkin patch/corn maze place called Maylath Farms: in addition they have mums, a farmers market, baby animals, games where you can shoot apples and corn (for the testosterone-charged crowd), pony rides, haybale mountains, hay rides, and a little kiddie train ride. This is the third time we have gone and as with my usual visions of fall-themed activities, it didn't quite live up to my expectations. The first year G3 was a baby and we did the corn maze with Kellie and Shawn (way less fun when it sounds, especially in the hot sun when you're all wearing fall sweaters for photo-op reasons). The next year he was 15 months, and although he enjoyed the pony rides, he wasn't very impressed nor was he cooperative for picture taking. This year, he was in rare form: a combination of tired from Fall Frolic, 3 year old-ness, and the argumentative side of his personality. Several meltdowns were narrowly avoided, and we skipped both the train and hay ride. (Which, for the record, I felt terrible about because he really wanted to do both of them, but just wasn't worth the risk of meltdown...which occurred (thankfully) at home in full-force just moments after we pulled down the driveway.)

I may take him back as a reward for good behavior at a later date to ride the train and hay wagon, but in between he did enjoy himself a bit and I got a few shots...

Making friends with a goat...

Slingshotting apples at wooden fall-themed targets: every boy's dream.

Love when I actually get a decent picture of Mommy and G3

It should also be noted that we attended the Bloomsburg Fair not once but twice this year. First we went with our friends Jon, Aubrey and their little girl Bella. This was a chaotic and crazy day as it was the first day of the fair and, well, we had 2 3-year olds in tow. Much junkfood was consumed, the kids rode a lot of frightening rides that they are apparently tall enough for at 36 inches, G3 had a meltdown in the moonbounce, and was asleep in the car before we even hit the highway (5 hours of fair will do that to you!) The second time was just us and we went at night (which is when I prefer to go to the Bloomsburg Fair, just something different about bundling up, the lights against the sky, and it reminds me of going when I was a kid (and a college student, complete with my flask tucked in my hippie bag:)

The rest of our October is going to be very busy, particularly on the weekends. I have four photo shoots coming up, Gabe's birthday is in a few days, Halloween festivities, a trip to Dunwoody and a wedding (that Im both photographing and attending...eek!!)

I'll leave you with a cute picture of G3 and his new buddy Bella...these two kids could not be more different, but they got along splendidly.

A Whiny, Self-Centered Rant About My Life In General This Week

I'm having a rough week. A week when I feel like THIS:

A week when, no matter what I do, it doesn't seem to be enough for anyone, whether that person is 3, 33, or 63.

A week when things that should be ridiculously simple become difficult battlegrounds.

The kind of week where someone offers you something, but then rescinds their offer unless you do something else that they want. Sort of like a personal version of bait n switch.

The kind of week where you find out someone you used to work with doesn't like you, at all. And you shouldn't really care because you haven't seen said person in years, probably won't EVER see said person, and if truth be told you didn't really like said person much yourself. But it still makes you feel like crap.

A week of worrying about things I can't control.

A week of worrying about things I should be able to control, but can't.

Feeling disapointed when my opinions, needs, wants and desires are not really valued.

Feeling irritated when asked to do the impossible. Take a close up photograph that includes 3 miles of landscape behind it? Sure no problem. Remove chainsaw grease from pants? Let me get the magic wand.

And for a bonus on top of all these serious and not so serious irritations and complaints, it looks like our annual Fall Frolic party is going to be rained out AGAIN. This is the point where I put in a bunch of expletives. Seriously. I know I can't control weather, and I don't care. I am so sick of spending parts of almost every day working on our property and yet never getting to share it on the ONE day of the year that we have a big party.

And because this is a selfish whiny rant, I'm going to include a few things that I would really like right now. Sort of like a wishlist, of the selfish, whiny rant variety.

I would like a new mattress. I don't want to shop for it, I don't want to finangle for it, and I don't want to have endless conversations with my husband about how we don't need one (we do) or how much its going to cost. I just want better sleep.

I would like the sun to be out on October 2nd. Doesn't even have to be warm. In fact, if its cold we can use the new fire pit that Gabe spent hours building, with Fall Frolic as its first use in mind.

I would like be able to pursue my career without roadblocks.

I would like to know the end result of things so I can stop worrying and laying awake at night pondering the what-ifs of life. This combined with a new mattress should be able to cure my sleeping problems.

I would really like some recognition for everything that I do on a daily basis. Yes, it 10am and Im blogging in my pajamas, and yes, this is one of the main perks of being a stay at home mom. But before the day is over I will also have washed, dried, folded and put away 3 loads of laundry, vaccumed and mopped the floors, unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher, paid some bills and balanced the checkbook, run to the bank, cut down a few dead perrenials, do a basic clean-up so we aren't tripping over monster trucks and washing our hands over dirty dishes, start a grocery list, make a trip to Nathan's to price out mattresses, take a child to the potty no less than 4 times, feed, clothe, and bathe said child, work on editing photographs from a photo shoot yesterday, begin preparing for a photo shoot on Sunday, and wash and change all sheets on all beds.

And this is just what's on my list.

Happy 38 Months Gabey!!

See that picture at the top of my blog?? I'm keeping it up there for a LONG time. When its frosty in the morning, or the first night we need to turn the heat on, or I dig out the puffy coats, I want to see that picture and simultaneously mourn summer and anticipate the next one. Isn't it funny how in July, looking at pictures of sledding and snow seems so foreign? I guarantee that looking at pictures of bathing suits and swimming and lush green backgrounds will seem weird come next February...

And with the start of "fall" and September also comes your 38th month. It was a pretty quiet month for you, all things considered! Other than a trip to the beach with Grammy, Grandad, and CeeCee, we chilled out at home a bit more. Playdates were attended, pools were swum in, dirt was dug and we're still working on grasping the last of the summer-like weather before fall comes...

Rock Glen Pool with Teddy and Stanley (currently tied for the honor the Most Ridiculous Amount of Cuteness)

We definitely did a lot of swimming this summer, but especially in the last month. We swam at Jen's house, the Rock Glen Pool, and the Country Club pool (courtesy of friends who are members). I have to say, though I have no interest in joining the country club, I loved taking you to the pool there. We mostly went with my friend Josie and her little baby, sometimes on weekends with Daddy in tow, and sometimes during the week when it tends to be less packed. Our "final hurrah" was last Tuesday, and there was literally NO ONE there since school had started up again. After an entire summer of refusing to wear floaties and not understanding that if you DID wear them we could let you go, you figured it out. It was awesome. Suddenly you were like a little fish and were even braving jumping in without being caught. Makes the anticipation of next summer that much stronger!

"I swimming!"

On the behavior front, we are doing okay. We have had a few tenative playdates that have more or less gone okay. I think with the start of school next week, and with someone besides me reprimanding you, the remnants of the hitting problem will be curbed (fingers crossed!!!) You have definitely been very sassy lately...you like to respond to things I tell you to do by saying "YOU clean it up Mommy!" or "No YOU go in time-out Mommy!!" But I really can't complain this month and I think that being less "on the go" has benefitted you.

Taking time to smell the roses, errr, dig in the dirt.

Other changes this month are small but all add up to you becoming more grown up. You're getting better at getting undressed and dressed by yourself. You always put your shoes and hat in the shoe basket when we get home. You don't like Mickey in the living room when you're playing sometimes, and you've learned how to coax him out and shut the doors. Sometimes when you are upstairs playing in your room, and I want to go downstairs, you tell me you want to stay there and I let you (we have a monitor, so I can hear you, but it feels weird to say "Oh G3's upstairs playing in his room.") You can carry your plate or cup to the counter and sometimes do so without being prompted. You love to "help" us do certain things, especially Daddy outside. He recently built a ramp (bridge?? its hard to say...) for outside the fence, and you were right in the mix, measuring and helping. Pretty damn cute. Most people in your life have noticed your penchant for mechanical, meticulous, hands-on stuff. I'm not sure I forsee you being an artist, or an athlete (um...we won't talk about your inability to put your hands up, let alone catch a ball. And experiences at the pool with the tetherball were less than successful). But I do see you being an engineer. Or a neurosurgeon. And when that happens I'll be like, "Yes, even at age 3 he was cutting his playdough with such precision!"

Taking it all very seriously!

And so that's the month in a nutshell. We did some other cool stuff like attending a family reunion of Kramers (my mom's side), traveling to Harrisburg to go the Science Center (lots of fun) and hanging out with friends. Soaking up the last of the days of sunlight past dinnertime, fresh produce, mornings outside in the sweltering sun, shorts and barefeet, leaves on the trees, swimming, road trips, and so much more. I could cry just thinking about it all ending. But I AM excited for fall with you...raking leaves (you are SO getting put to work this year), Halloween, pumpkins, festivals, Fall Frolic...all that good stuff. Until next time...one last photo that screams "summer summer summer"....

Peeling corn with Grandad (ignore Grandad's lime-green and maroon ensemble...)

Staycation...

Day One

11a.m. Take G3 to Grammy and Grandad's. Very excited for beach. Mom runs around in usual scatterbrained manner while Dad and G3 take turns yelling excitedly "The beach!"

12pm Departure. Ask G3 repeatedly if he's going to miss Mommy, answered with "No, I miss Daddy," and "You go home now Mom? I go to the beach!"

12-2pm. Shop at the Susquehanna Valley Mall with nothing in particular in mind to purchase. Plus side: can browse bookstore uninterupted and I don't have to share my Auntie Anne pretzel. Downside: spend most of my time browsing children's clearance racks. Only purchase is 5 pairs of Gymboree underwear for the little guy. Who I won't be seeing for 4 days.

2-3pm: Drive home. Revel in the novelty of being able to listen to my favorite songs ON REPEAT as many times as I want without screams of protest and peanut gallery comments like, "That's enough, Mom! MOMMY! I want my music!

4pm: In one fell swoop all plans for the evening are cancelled. Zumba class...cancelled! Girl's night with Jen...cancelled!! Chance of swimming...0% due to hurricane happening outside! Eff!

7pm: Husband graciously allows me to tag along on his "night out". Stop by Dave and Jill's, then on to The Lookout for dinner. By now its 8pm and I haven't eaten since my Auntie Anne's pretzel...so guzzling 3 glasses of wine seems like an excellent idea. After all, Im on "vacation"!

10pm: Home. Passed out in chair. Miss "Jersey Shore" :(

12am: Husband escorts me to bed.

DAY 2

8am: Wake up. Massive headache. Ask Gabe what the hell happened to me. He laughs and points fingers at me. Hmpfh. Apparently training for a drinking marathon by having wine nightly was a complete fail.

8:30-9:30am: Coffee and computer time WITHOUT Dora in the background. Ahhh.... Plan out the day: haircut, pedicure, and some shopping. Plan to meet G2 for an errand, and ask worriedly how long it will take. Then remember: not planning around child. Nice.

9:30am: Quick inventory of G3's fall/winter clothes leads me to cross "shopping" off the list. Holy heck, who is buying for this kid?

10:30am: Rush out of the house at Gabe's request to meet him for an errand. Eventually get to the "me" part of my day...getting a haircut, shopping, and pedicure. Except forgot the gift certificate for the pedicure. Decide its okay, as I want to watch the DVR'd episode of "Jersey Shore" and take a much needed nap this afternoon.

2pm: Make pit stop at my friend Josie's. Play with ridiculously cute baby that makes me miss mine a little. Okay, lot. But, no time for that, must go home and nap! Without someone asking me repeated "Mom you gonna wake up?"

5pm: G2 arrives home from work an announces that we are leaving STAT for Knobels Grove Amusement park! Because that's what we do when child-free...go to an amusement park. Despite having been home for 2 hours have not managed to nap or watch "Jersey Shore" due to feeling the need to fold laundry, clean up, and try on clothes so I can have an outfit for dinner tomorrow night...

5:30pm: On way to Knobel's. Feel like ass. Realize have not eaten since Auntie Anne's pretzel at the mall at 11:30am.

6pm: At Knobels! Despite my initial not wanting to go, I am excited! Everyone and their brother is also here tonight, and Gabe looks like a kid in a candy shop as he purchases $20 worth of tickets for us to ride the big rides!! Try to ignore all the G3-sized children squealing with delight around me.

8pm: Leave Knobels. Rode 3 rides: The Phoneix, after which I decided I might as well just start writing checks out to the chiropractor in mass quantities. The Wipeout was next...oh, The Wipeout. What a horrible death ride. Made you go in all directions at once. Gabe made the sign of the cross multiple times and later said "I would have rather died than stayed on that ride any longer." Finally the Galleon...a light, gentle, flying boat ride that makes me feel like I'm going to barf the perogies I just ate in order to quell my hunger-induced nausea...

Gabe...mentally saying a prayer before The Wipeout

9pm: After sitting in traffic in Catawissa, PA for almost 30 minutes, we finally hit the road only to have Gabe pull off the highway and insist I drive because his night vision is poor. We pull into The Lookout House yet again, and I am tired, starving, and a little nervous about having a glass of wine...

10pm: Burgers are the BEST. Home to watch "Jersey Shore"...

11:15pm: Bed. Remind Gabe that I want to sleep in tomorrow and relax, and not rush around. He agrees

Day 3

7:30am RUDELY AWAKENED BY HUSBAND OUT OF DEEP SLEEP. Said husband thinks this is funny and refuses to let me go back to sleep. Stomp angrily downstairs for coffee and laptop time, but am harrassed by text messages ordering me to come back upstairs and hang out.

10am: After much banter, texting, and other nonsense (and, I might add, NO relaxation!) I agree to forgo my pedicure plans yet again in order to head to Lewisburg early. Gabe is on top of the world and I figure I might as well be too, even though, being exhausted, I don't really feel like it!!!

11am: On the road!

12-2pm: We hang out at the Nowicki Mansion with Nancy and I have the chance to decorate her cast with my rainbow of sharpies...I KNEW that minor in Art Studio was going to benefit me someday!

2pm-4pm: Drive into town to hit the new Barnes n Noble...and while it doesn't feel right to skip the train table section, it also doesn't exactly feel wrong. Shirt and book are purchased and we head out to Ray's sister's house for some afternoon mojitos and tomato salad.

7pm: Off to dinner at The Brasserie. Here we have many of my favorite things...dinner out, outdoor dining, good friends, good food, and a strong drink. Unfortunately we are missing a few other things that I generally enjoy, like, enough light to see the food I am eating. Raymie and I furiously fill out the comment cards at the end of our (otherwise wonderful) meal while Gabe and Nancy roll their eyes at us. Many photos are taken.

9-11pm: More cast decorating, with the added inspiration of vodka. Flaming fire soccerball is impressive crowd pleaser.

11:15pm: Go to bed with visions of the best night's sleep ever...after all, I have no reason to wake up in the a.m., I've had just enough vodka for a subtle little buzz, but not enough to be drunk, and Gabe surely, surely won't make the mistake of waking me up again....

2am: Wake up. Gabe missing. Find him downstairs asleep in the living room. Foolishly shake him violently, directly resulting in him flying out of the chair like a ninja and shouting some uncomprehesible noise that is a cross between tiger and caveperson. Shakes it off and comes to bed.

2:10am: Gabe is immediately asleep again. Lucky bastard.

5:30am: After 3 hours of tossing, turning, thinking, over-thinking, trying to get Gabe to stop moving in his sleep, crying a little, sweating, and relocating to another bedroom, I finally, finally start to fall asleep again. But not before realizing that (a) I guess I did need a staycation (b) I totally wasted my staycation by not relaxing at all and (c) I soooo miss my little guy. A big whole bunch. And, (d) 3 nights in a row of crappy sleep is NOT how I wanted to spend my kid-free time!!!

Day 4

8:30am: Wake up. Exhausted but can't sleep. Trudge downstairs, bummed to find that early birds Ray and Nancy aren't up, and I can't work the coffee maker. Efff.

10am: After conversation and coffee, it is decided that a diner breakfast is in order to combat the rainy day/hangover feeling (though, no one is actually hung over.)

11:30am: All agree that diner breakfast is completely satisfactory.

12-1pm: Silver Moon! No trip to Lewisburg would be complete without a trip to the flea market. (Let's pause and take stock of the crazy things we did without child: Knobel's? Check. Didn't sleep in? Check. Farmer's market? Check. We're wild, really.) I should mention that for the first time ever I got to browse the heavily packed antique section, which I usually must forgo due to the giant poster outside stating "NO STROLLERS ALLOWED"

2pm: Leave to go home. I have grand visions of me, the couch, and some television. I didn't think I wanted it, but I do. I sooooo do.

2:30pm: But of course, we have to stop at Lowe's. I would rather cut myself than do this, but I oblige and lo and behold, we randomly walk out with the PERFECT patio furniture at 50% off!! It is a staycation miracle.

430pm-9pm: Truck unpacked, patio furniture assembled, ass parked on couch. "Wedding Crashers" is on and I immediately, finally fall asleep.

And so our staycation comes to end. It was a pretty random 4 days considering the exciting events that contenders for this weekend...such as a trip to Vegas, a trip to NYC for the day, or even going to the beach. I didn't do half of what I wanted to do (pedicure?? NO. Work on scrapbook?? NO. Deep clean house?? Definitely not! Relax?? Not really...)

But I did do a few things I "planned" on, and I didn't miss my little guy quite as much as I imagined that I would. It was nice to hang out with Gabe as "just us" (even though his idea of "hanging out" and mine are vastly different!)

And the best part is that tomorrow morning I get G3 back...I can't wait!!

Dear Gabey...

Dear Gabey:

Today was a very trying day with you. I know I have written about the issues we've had with you and hitting your friends, but it came to head today in a way that was not good. The details aren't really important--he said, she said, where we were, if you were tired, if you were antagonized: none of it matters. Today, for what seems like the bazillionth time, you reacted to frustration by using physical force, and you hurt your friend.

I know you are only 3, and I know you actions aren't fueled with maliciousness or the intent to cause harm. They are powered by something I understand well, a feeling of rage when things bother you that cause you to want to kick the wall, or hit something, or wipe everything off the dining room buffet in one fell swoop (Mom, comments here aren't necessary!!)

It was a trying day because I felt such disapointment in you. I felt disapointed in myself for putting you in the situation. I felt embarrassed and hurt for my friend who's daughter you bludgeoned with a kiddie blender. I felt angry because I know why you hit, and I watched you control your impulses for the entire day and was so proud of that. But before I got a chance to tell you that, I had to throw you in the car and take you home, send you straight to your room and punish you by taking away your monster trucks and television. And, consequently, ban you from your friend for awhile. In some ways I am happy this happened with a good friend that I can talk honestly about and who wants to help me work on this problem...in other ways it sucks royally because I need to be the adult and as much as I want to spend time with my friend and hang out and swim, I need to instead refrain because I am trying to teach you good behavior, and its not going to work if I keep putting you in a situation you aren't equipped to handle at this point in time.

Most of your life, Gabe, you have been thought of and perceived as an "easy" kid. You didn't cry as a baby, you slept well at night from an early age, you were easy to take places, you always got along with other kids, you listen pretty well, and in general are a good kid. Very rarely do I have those legendary stay-at-home-mom days where you want to pull out your hair: you are good company, you entertain yourself well, and are generally easy-going in the grand scheme.

But its the little things with you. Your shoe is wet. You can't get your sleeves pushed up, or you get them pushed up but they aren't even. Your crayon breaks. The TV show you watch every morning is suddenly replaced with a different one. The song on the radio in the car changes (OMG GOD FORBID THIS HAPPENS!) You drop a piece of food on the floor and Mickey eats it. You own 17 plastic dinos but you can only find 16.

Don't get to bed on time? Miss a meal?? Skip a nap?? Can't go swimming 'cause its raining? NO SWEAT. You can roll with these punches, its those little tiny details that make up your day. I used to joke when you were a baby and people commented on how pleasant you were "Yes, but when he's not...watch out!" And so perhaps I've jinxed myself.

I keep asking myself how we ended up in this situation? Did you learn the behavior from someone else? Did I not act soon enough when it came to disciplining you? Am I not strict enough? Too strict?? Are you going to be a social pariah and forever known as "the kid who hits?" Why, when every other kid is learning or knows that "we don't hit" are you struggling?

Even though I know the answer, because I know you. I know that beneath your quiet and usually pleasant demeanor you are extremely intense and sensitive. I know that the same force that will drive you to collapse in a puddle of tears when, after you meticulously line up 35 monster trucks and one falls off the table, is the same force that rears its head when someone grabs a toy from you, or gets in your personal space, or does something silly when you aren't in a silly mood.

I get it buddy. I know what its like. But--you can't hit.

Im lucky to have such good friends who are willing to help me help my son. Im thankful that my husband makes a point to talk to Gabey about hitting--he is never there for the incidents, but has a quiet way of reprimanding later. Im thankful for mom-friends who understand that it doesn't matter what your kid does, when he does it, or how he does it, what kind of job you have, or if you stay at home, or whatever: its hard. You want your kids to be the very best they can be, and it sucks royally when they are not.

So, yeah. Even though hours have passed and you've already gone to bed, I'm still disapointed in your behavior. And I hate feeling like that. I mean, you're 3!!! Aren't I supposed to get a pass on this feeling until at least age 13?????? So I thought maybe if I wrote about it I'd feel a little better.

I love you little buddy, so much. And I know you are sensitive, and intense, and I know your heart is good. And I'm trying to do everything I can to help you learn to communicate your feelings in a socially acceptable way. So cut Mommy a break okay, and stop beating up the neighborhood.

Summer Bucket List, Revisited...

Back in May I had a post about my "summer bucket list" ... things I wanted to definitely do this summer. What with the dog days winding down (yes, I know its only August 6th) and fall looming upon us, I thought it was a good time to check it out and see what I've accomplished and what I still need to squeeze in!





1. Summer party?? You bet. We had one, and it was great. Would love to have another but I sense our next large gathering is going to be the Annual Fall Frolic (how is it time to be mentioning Fall Frolic again...how!!??)





2. Knobel's??? Sadly, haven't managed to do this yet. Fortunately, Knobel's stays open til September, so there's time....





3. Teach G3 to Swim?? Well, sort of. He had swimming lessons, and he's a lot more confident in the water. We HAVE spent more time poolside this summer than ever before, so that's a win-win...





4. Rickett's Glen?? Nope. Boo.





5. Repeat of GNO with Jeanette and Nancy? Yessssss. Great night with two of my favorite girls!

6. Dunwoody?? Of course.





7. Take advantage of the 3-4 days G3 is going to the beach with my parents and go on a trip with G2?? WELL...this is coming up next weekend and we have nothing planned. After much back and forth about what to do we've come up with ... nothing. This may or may not be directly related to my husband's complete inability to make a decision. Stay tuned to see what the "staycation" brings...





8. Philly Zoo?? Nada. Maybe we can squeeze that in...





9. Utilize my deck to sit outside more?? I definitely did this! Gabe and I spent quite a few evenings reading or just chilling outside until it got dark.





10. Photo shoots? Im a bit bummed I haven't had more this summer. I have so much interest and then things fizzle out. I do have quite a bit lined up for September and October though, so no complaints.

G3's Bucket List: Dig in the dirt. A lot...

So, with the crazy part of the summer over and done with, I have a mental list of simpler things I want to do over the next month. Hit the pool as much as possible. Have a few more "lake days" where the swimming lessons were. Sit outside at night as much as I can. Have a few more fires. Eat outside (restaurant-style, or picnic-style. Both work!)

Can't do this in the winter :(

Make a point to play outside every day (what the HECK am I going to do with G3 between November and March...inside all. day. long. ????) Keep the kiddie pool full. Let him make a mess of himself in the garden we're currently trying to thin out. Hunt for frogs. Go for walks when its cooler (sadly this has not happened much this year due to Mickey's newly diagnosed arthritis. Not much fun to go for walks or runs without him.)

Ahh this is the life...

And finally, just appreciate and soak in all the little aspects of summer that make is so wonderful. Going outside in barefeet. Going outside without having to put on layers upon layers. Daylight that lasts into the evening and starts long before you wake up. The smells of fresh cut grass, overripe tomatoes, chlorine, suntan lotion. Icepops as a daily treat. Everything green and full and lush. Weekends that aren't "What are we going to do?" in the sense of trying to find something, anything fun to do; but rather "What are we going to do?" in a way of having too many choices and not enough time for all of them.

Thunderstorms. 90 degree temps. Wearing dresses. Being "tan" (aka not pasty white). Summer parties. Sitting at my parens pond (crap--we need to squeeze a few more pond nights in!!) Because soon it will be fall and while I do grasp all those little delights that make fall its own kind of magic--sweaters, pumpkin patches, soups, chili, Fall Frolic--it comes with a bittersweet taste of the winter coldness that is just around the bend.

But until then. Summer!

Happy 37 Months G3

I contemplated changed the titles of these "letters" to you, Gabey, because I realize the obnoxiousness of celebrating your "37th" month...what am I going to do when you're 6--write about your 58th month? But nothing else is coming to mind and so we shall continue with the trend...happy 37th month!

The first month in your life as a 3 year old...what a whirlwind. Our crazy busy summer weeks slowly dwindled down...swimming lessons came to an end, our far-away friends flew back out west and the birthday season is over (though you keep asking, almost daily, if it's Daddy's birthday. Maybe I should have waited a bit longer to tell you "Daddy's birthday is next!")

This month has been both good and bad. The good: you've finished swimming lessons, and while you certainly don't know how to swim yet, you do have more confidence in the water and you can go underwater, a crowd-pleasing move you are never reluctant to perform. I don't know how but you instinctively learned to hold your breath--whether it was from Daddy dunking you or learning to blow bubbles in swim class I do not know. You did pretty good for a toddler in a daily lesson that was an hour long. You weren't overly fond of being taken out in the deeper water with Miss Melissa, but overall the experience benefitted you. Of course, now we have to watch you like a hawk in the bath and your kiddie pool, since you like to "practice" going underwater, but I digress...

Pretty sure you were screaming "Get me down!" but you did it anyhow!

Now for some bad...your hitting-my-friends problem has returned full-force. I feel like I've talked and written about this subject to death lately, and I don't want to clog up your sweet, nostalgic monthly letter with tales of you bludgeoning your friends but, well: its a problem. We are doing our best to handle it in the best way for you, and I know that you "get it" because when you DO do good at playdate, and I ask if you know why I am proud of you, you respond immediately with "I not hitting today!" So we will perservere with quick, consistent, and a bit more strict discipline, and try to be ample with the praise when you ARE good. Most of your aggression seems to be directed at the friends you are the closest with: in particular Maddie. She has her moments as well--she likes to antagonize you and like any good woman, knows just what buttons to push. I liken your relationship to the closest one to a brother-sister one either of you has as the moment. You talk about Maddie constantly with such adoration, I can only hope that you stop acting like her abusive husband and return to acting like her BFF.

Thankfully you didn't try to drown any of your friends...

Now we'll go back to the good. As always, with each passing month you get a little better at communicating. You no longer ask "Where he is?" when you mean "Where is he?"...strong grammar is a positive asset in my world, so I like this. You have stronger opinions and you aren't afraid to voice them in a defiant voice. The person who coined the phrase "pick your battles" must have had a toddler. "I NOT wear that hat! I wear this one!"--no problem. "I want an ice pop!" (at 8a.m.) um no. Sometimes when we get in the car and you don't know where we're going you'll tell me where you THINK we should be going. Maddie's house, Ben's beach, and Dunwoody are all popular answers right now.

One really, really cute trait you've developed is that of making your own observations about things. This is really, really cute sometimes. For example, the way you tell me you don't want to wear shoes outside is to say "Mom, I not wear my shoes. I want to wear my toes today!" The not-so-cute side of this trait is evident as well. We have had a few pregnant friends give birth recently, and we explained about the baby in the belly, and then it comes out. The other day you grabbed ahold my stomach flab and said "Mom, there's your baby!" Um, thanks buddy. Your father is not immune to this honesty either. The other night at dinner you looked at him contemplatively, and then said "Daddy your nose is big." The look on Gabe's face was priceless. I am just waiting for the humiliating day to come when you tell this to a stranger or ask a fat lady when her baby's coming out!!

At least Mickey doesn't mind when you tell him he stinks...

As we have always done, we end our days with stories, talking, and snuggle time. I have been doing this a lot more than usual this summer, mostly because Daddy has been heading outside after dinner to do yardwork, or we are so busy that I feed you first, and while Daddy is cooking our dinner I do the bedtime routine. As much as I sometimes find reading book after book mindnumbing, I have been enjoying the extra bedtime routines. Its a lot more fun to read to you now, mostly because you like to comment on all the other things on the page. Sometimes I actually read the whole story, and other times you just nararate what you think is going on--either way its adorable.

I've almost always been the one who physically carries you up to bed, and I would ask you what your favorite part about your day was, and we'd talk about all the good things you did, and what tomorrow held in store. Lately, you've become an active participant in this conversation and it is so. damn. cute. It is the highlight of my day. Whether we lay together on the couch, or sit in your chair in your room, or talk through the bars of the crib (yep, still in a crib!) the conversation is precious. It's usually humorous...I mean, a 3 year old putting his hands behind his head, laying back, and saying "Its time to talk about the day. Hmmmm? What did we DO?"???? It doesn't get much more adorable than that! I do have to be careful about discussing any plans for the next day that aren't set in stone, because you inevitably wake up and immediately say "Mom we're going to Maddie's! Let's go NOW" (and will continue to say so every second until we actually do go!)

But this persistant and rigidity in memory has a plus side as well. I can't think of a much sweeter moment than going to get you out of your crib on MY birthday, and having you say "Mom! Its your BIRTHDAY! Your friends coming over? You got cake? What number are you?" - it completely melted my heart. And later? When your father brought home a cake for me (something he's never done and I didn't particularly care about)? Knowing that he bought the cake, and I loved the cake, mainly because of YOUR excitement at blowing out candles and of course, eating the cake?

Well there is just something so super sweet and wonderful about that. And that is the essence of being 3. For all the tantrums, the defiance, the beating of other small children...there is still such a sense of wonder, innocence, amazement and delight in the tiniest of things: cake, birthdays, frogs, mud, ice pops. None of these things are particularly amazing in and of their own right but seeing them through the eyes of someone who hasn't been disapointed by life is a gift in and of itself.

Happy 37 months big guy!

Oh, Facebook, How I Adore You

It's no secret that I adore Facebook. For so many reasons....I love this method of keeping in touch with people I don't see often. I love the jokes and witty banter between myself and people I do see often. I like being able to share pictures of my son with everyone from my Gram to his nursery school teacher in one shot. I like expressing myself through a "status update."

I've gotten more advice and solved more problems (how to get crayon out of a load of wash, how to potty train a 2 year old, how to deter snakes from the garden--among others) thanks to Facebook. I've given advice to lots of people in areas I know a lot about...photography, pets, babies. I woke up on my birthday to find 20 messages on my wall wishing me Happy Birthday...and the day delivered quite a few more--if you can find the negative in THAT please let me know!!

Without Facebook, I doubt my little photography business would be as successful as it has been. Not only can I share my website and other photos that I take, but a large portion of my "friends" on FB either live where I do, or live in Selinsgrove where my parents do. This is a great amount of exposure.

I like keeping in touch with those close to me who live far away. As someone who doesn't really talk on the phone, I am certain that some of my friendships would have drifted away if not for FB. My girls in Pottstown, my oldest friend in Alaska, Sarah and Natalie in Montana. And of course, there is my sister who lives in North Carolina. I'm not saying we wouldn't still be close but Facebook sure does make it easy! And I can't tell you how much I enjoy reconnecting with someone I never thought I'd see again--an old co-worker or a college friend, for example.

And of course, there is the curiosity aspect. Facebook is a window into other people's lives. I'm not going to lie and say that I don't read people's statuses and check out their pics for the pure sake of being curious. And in many ways it reaffirms what I already know--I have a good life, I have a good family, I have a good kid. But with that in mind, there is the humorous side to knowing so much about everyone's lives, the "OMG I can't believe..." side. Though I definitely don't hold back much of what I put on Facebook, I also don't post things such as the last arguement I had with my husband, woman troubles, or anything that is really personal or will cause drama. It seems unnecessary and in poor taste. But, although I think a lot of people feel this way, clearly not everyone does!!! Here are just a few people who are on my friends list that continue to amaze, shock, and entertain me.

The Serial Poster By serial poster, I don't mean someone who updates their status 2x a day and adds pictures once a week. That would be me, and a lot of other people. By "serial poster" I mean someone who updates their status everytime they do something. Like go to the bathroom. Drive to Taco Bell. Pick up their kid from school. Feed the dog. Typically this person has between 10-20 status updates A DAY. In addition to status updates, they like to add pictures daily. Pictures of their dog sleeping on the floor. Pictures of a bird that landed on the hood of their car. Pictures of their kids doing nothing. Pictures of pictures that have nothing to do with anything, such as a photo-of-a-photo of last years flip-flops. This person posts pictures in albums, on their wall, and on other people's walls. They obviously spend a lot of time scanning old photos from the past, as there are new "oldies" almost every day. This person posts from their phone and computer, and will do a status update while driving, while at the OBGYN, or while waiting in line at the grocery store. One can only wonder who is raising their children, feeding their pets, cleaning their house and you know, going to work for them, since they are obviously on Facebook 20 of 24 hours a day!

The Family that Fights Online...Um, Probably Fights at Home Too This is something that has no end in sight, people who visciously fight with their husbands, wives, parents and children on their Facebook walls. The walls are the public place...anyone who is a "friend" can see what is written. Its a place to write "Happy Birthday" or "Want to meet for lunch?" or "I miss you!" NOT a place to write (to your teenage daughter) "If you don't get your ass home NOW we will be calling the police" and then have your husband chime in with "I've been dealing with your shit for 13 years, I'M DONE. Move out, I don't care" and then have your father chime in "Like you two know anything about raising kids." Or to publicly detail every account of discord between you and your fiance with status updates such as "Since you won't answer your phone, dont be surprised when you come home to boxes all over the house because I'm leaving!" or "My husband is a complete jackass". To me, this kind of stuff is terrible, and its even worse that there is no shame in sharing this kind of stuff with.the.whole.world. On the flip side, its damn good entertainment in the same sense that Jerry Springer and Maury Povich are entertaining.

The Shady Drama Starter This is the kind of person who posts something obvious in an oh-so-subtle way. Something like "Im so freaking mad I could kill someone...you know who you are!" Of course, many of said person's friends will comment with "OMG who are you talking about?" and "Do you need me to get involved? Im here for you!" and the original poster will reply with, "Oh you know who I'm talking about. She's got it coming." Basically its high school bullshit even though the people talking are usually in their 30's. You have to wonder if they REALLY plan to "knock her F***ing teeth out" or if that's just in their fantasies that occur while curled on the couch in PJ's on Facebook!

The Wow, There Really Are People Out There Like That...Think of every stereotype you know of. Imagine it exaggerated. And know that yes, there really, really are people out there who are like that. People who post at 11am "I wanted to sleep in but SOMEONE wanted his cheese doodles" accompanied by a wall photo of a naked baby with a saggy diaper holding a bag of cheese doodles. Or the people who regularly post status updates in terrible, horrible, how-can-you-not-know-this grammar like "Wish my uncle werent coming to help us move...he ain't gonna be no help!" People who make slight prejudicial comments...not outwardly racist or demeaning, but close enough to make you wonder. People who post pictures of themselves going to the bathroom (yep, have seen more than one of those!) People who continuously talk about how their kids make them better, and they try to be good for their kids and in the same day post pictures of themselves doing things that clearly AREN'T good for kids...I could keep going on this one but I'm sure we all have seen a sampling.

The Let's Post Every Single Bad Picture Ever Being a "photographer" I might be biased here. And I will say that looking at other people's pictures is one of my favorite parts of Facebook. BUT...don't post all 245 vacation pictures, including 37 of the ocean. Don't take 19 pictures of your son in his highchair and post...all 19. Why, why, why do people post pictures that are so blurry or out of focus that you can't really tell what they're supposed to be? And in this same category goes the self-portrait kings and queens. Teens are the common culprits, but we'll cut them some slack 'cause, well, they're teenagers! They're supposed to be obsessed with themselves. But I am perplexed at the stay at home mom who has 37 profile pictures of herself making kissy lips in a mirror, all with completely different outfits and hairdos. First off--who has this kind of time? And secondly, I've attempted the self-portrait-with-camera-phone a time or two (usually to send a picture to my mom or sister of a new haircut or new glasses). Its not easy. So my conclusion is that if you are good at taking this kind of picture, you take WAY too many. And finally--those who post drunken pictures of themselves. Not saying that there isn't a photo of my in my albums where I might be intoxicated. Sure there is. But there's no photos of me (in existence, let alone on FB) where Im passed out on the toilet, laying on the ground drooling, or flashing someone. (Side note: I should say no photos in existence since 2000. Or 2006. One of those.) In any event they aren't on FB where everyone from my grandfather to my ex-boss to potential photography clients can view.

The My Life Sucks Poster And finally, a very special kind of poster. I have one particular person in my head, though there are lots of them. Its a girl I know from a few years back, someone who I would not be in touch with were it not for social media, but who I gladly accepted a friendship with in order to reconnect. It was an old co-worker with whom I always got along with and enjoyed her self-deprecating humor. Clearly, I didn't see the real her in person quite as well as I do on Facebook. She posts frequently, and I have never, ever (maybe once or twice, but that's it) seen a positive status update. Im not saying she doesn't have things to complain about, but most of the things she bitches endlessly, tirelessly, and bluntly about are things she could change about her life. I used to comment on her statuses with uplifting words of encouragement, but I no longer do that b/c she shoots every one down. She mostly complains about her terrible, horrible job in retail, and how everyone who is a customer is an asshole, a jerk, and ignorant. She complains about her boss. She complains about the weather pretty much yearround--even gorgeous weather is "not so fun when you're stuck inside all day".

She complains about her living situation. She complains about the fact that there is nothing on television (quite frequently). She complains that Wawa doesn't make good hoagies anymore. She bitches about health and weight issues frequently but when given suggestions or advice or even sympathy she rebuffs it with negativity and excuses.

I guess the thing about this person is that she makes me both sad and thankful at the same time. Sad that her life, her exisitence is completely shrouded in a shitty job, living alone, watching TV and eating as well as complaining about everything under the sun. Thankful that I myself don't have that kind of exisitence. Confident that if I did, I would be able to change things about myself and my life to overcome it.

So, the brilliance of facebook--not just a way to keep in touch, share photos, and promote one's business...but a window into the lives of other people. When you think you have it bad, you really don't. And when you think you have it good, and you want to share that in a status update, there'll be 30 people out there who agree with you in the form of hitting the "like" button.

I Never....

I think pretty much anyone who is a mom, either stay-at-home or working, can attest to the fact that in the days before having a kid you form lots of opinions of the things you will and will not do when you are a parent. Most of these opinions are formed through observation of other people's children...your friends, your family, random obnoxious children in restuarants and grocery stores. And then you have a baby, and then you bring it home. And then it grows up a bit. And suddenly you are doing alllll those terrible things that you swore you'd never do. And you suddenly realize how terribly judgemental you, in your pre-child days, really were.

Because being a parent is crazy-hard, even when its not, if that makes sense. You have to keep them safe and alive, nurture them, listen to advice from everyone from your parents to your friends to the checkout girl at the grocery store. When you sit at home with them, you're not doing enough and when you're out and about you're overwhelming them. When you take time for yourself you feel guilty, but when you don't you feel lonely. When you leave them with grandparents you miss them the second you turn your back, but when you are with them 24-7 for days in a row you dream of "adult time". When they do something bad, you feel like the world's worst parent.

The inspiration for this post came from 2 sources. One--another blog I read had a "top ten" list of "I get it" moments that moms have. Two--this afternoon, I had to pee. As often happens, my little shadow accompanied me. He noted that my pants were down and said "Your pants on the ground, Mom?" A few months ago, there was an American Idol audition that became kind of famous...and old guy singing/rapping a song called "Pants on the Ground" which basically consisted of lyrics like "Pants on the ground, pants on the ground...lookng like a fool with your pants on the ground!"

So what do I do? Grab little Gabey's hands and start dancing (from a sitting position--remember, I'm peeing) and singing "Pants on the Ground". He sang too, and tried to pull his pants down, and we both laughed and then I finished up and we went about our day.

And so, this is my life: singing "Pants on the Ground" with another person, while peeing. Who'd've thunk it? Among the other things I never imagined myself doing....

1. Having a Kid Obsessed with TV. Oh no. Not me! I hate TV! Okay, not really, but I sort of view TV as something you do when there is literally nothing else to do. And, Im a stay-at-home-mom. So of course my kid was going to spend his days doing arts and crafts and playing with Baby Einstein puppets all. day. long. Right??

Maybe for the first year. But then, he started to show an interest in the big beautiful box of entertainment. Then interest became an obsession. I capitalized on this, justifying it as freedom to take a shower, clean the house, Facebook--I mean, pay bills on the computer, uninterupted. And before I knew it my child was addicted to television--anyone who knows him is well aware of this fact. At our recent Dunwoody weekend I heard him no less than 50 times proclaim "I need my TV"...half of the times no one was even listening, he was just talking to himself. How is this possible!!!??? Shouldn't MY kid be out collecting pine cones and making sand art??

2. Having a Kid Addicted to the Binky. I swore I wouldn't use one. And if I did, it would be short lived. And never in public, cause that was...trashy. And then I had Gabe. And I brought him home from the hospital. And I gave him a binky. And he never cried. And he slept really well (as long as he had a binky). And he LOVED his binky. And when the time came, he gave it up without a fuss--rather, it was me shedding a tear over the tattered and cracked pieces of plastic that I was throwing away, along with a chapter of babyhood. Are you kidding me???? Binkies rock.

3. Have a Kid Who Refuses to Eat Real Food. Lindsay, pre child: Finds picky children obnoxious. Why would they not eat the perfectly grilled and marinated steak, seasoned potatoes, and olive-oil dusted green beans my husband slaved over? Why are they instead eating a bowl of MY raisin bran for dinner?? Lindsay, post-child: Gogurt and pretzel sticks for dinner? Covers calcium and carbs, sounds good to me.

My dad recently asked why I didn't "make" little Gabe eat dinner. I advised him to try and "make" him eat dinner next month when they take him to the shore. I'm really excited to hear how this goes. Since the list of food G3 will willingly eat includes: peanut butter sandwiches, smoothies, french fries, yogurt (sometimes) and everything in the cake/cookie/candy food group. Recent attempts to "force" him to eat with us have been utter failures of tears, frustration, and wasted food. Make the kid a separate meal of microwaved nuggets and bread and butter? Everyone's happy.

4. Have a Kid Who Hits. After all, aren't kids who hit the product of families who beat each other? Doesn't a hitting kid indicate a child who has no discipline whatsoever?? Isn't a kid who pushes another kid indicative of a future sociopath?

Let's pause while all parents of toddlers have a good chuckle.

I will say my kid is worse than the average in this department. Why is he like this?? I do not know. As I say to him often "Do I hit you? Do I hit Daddy? Does Daddy hit you? Does Daddy hit me?" (The answer to all those questions is NO, fyi.) Although he watches an abnormal amount of television, its all Dora and Sesame Street and last time I checked Bert wasn't smacking Ernie around. We are working on teaching him that this is wrong, but seeing as my little love is moody and intense, with a temper, its taking a long time to get through to him. He is learning impulse control, slowly. But--pretty much all the kids his age hit and push to some degree. It isn't right, and some of them learn that quicker than others. I've learned to roll with it, punish quickly, and be generous with apologies.

5. I Will Never Have a Kid Who Throws Fits in Public. Again, let's all pause to laugh loud and long at this one.

Ever been to a grocery store where a kid was melting down, screaming, kicking, yelling at his mom, and think to yourself "OMG what a nasty child. MY sweet little angel would never do that." If you've thought this, your sweet little angel either hasn't been conceived yet or is under the age of 4 months. They all do it, and you never, ever know when its coming (even though, of course, its usually your own fault for hauling them out at naptime, or with a fever, or after a strenuous playdate). Yep, there is no greater feeling than trying to soothe a tantruming child that you'd much rather throttle while 500 pairs of judgemental eyes (and probably 20 pairs of sympathetic been-there-done-that eyes) watch you. Don't think it won't happen to you. It will.

6. My Kid Will NOT Eat Fast Food. And when we go out to dinner, he can eat normal food like we do. Um, right. If we go out to dinner, and take Gabey? I'll get him whatever he damn well pleases, whatever keeps him happiest longest. French fries and ice cream?? You got it. Happy kid=happy mom=better parent. That should be a no-brainer, really.

7. Anyone Who Doesn't Breastfeed is Just Lazy. I will still proclaim that I think that breastfeeding is the best for babies. And that it should at least be attempted. And if I ever have another child I will definitely attempt to b.f. But as someone who did this for only 19 days before quitting, I will never, ever view another mom's decision to give up on breastfeeding.

Why, you ask? I think for some moms and babies it comes naturally. A baby with a strong suck reflex and a mom with a good milk supply can usually travel down this path with few, if any problems. For me, the first 6 days were like that. And then it started to hurt. And then little Gabey wouldn't really eat much. And then I tried to pump with a handpump (never, ever attempt this, ITS BRUTAL!!) which yieled next to nothing. And then it was suggested that I supplement him. Which led to an even weaker suck reflex since he was fuller. But the pediatrician was concerned that he was losing weight, so not supplementing was not an option. Many emails were exchanged between me and a lactation consultant named Jill, my mother, and other friends who had successfully breastfed. Of course, they all told me completely different things as there is no one way to make this work. Pumping was encouraged to build up my milk supply, which was dwindling. Pumping only served to help speed along the process of cracked and bleeding boobs. Each time it was time to try and feed G3 again, I would literally dig my nails into my palms to keep from screaming because it hurt so bad.

Then he got thrush, and so did I. Which equals more pain. Still, I perservered until the 19th day, when I sat down to nurse and nothing came out of one side. It was my birthday and the 19th day at home trying to feed an infant from my body. It wasn't working. So I "gave up" and gave him formula. I suffered none of the painful after-effects of stopping breastfeeding, which led me to believe that my milk supply was pitiful to begin with. And G3 immediately started to gain weight, and he was happier, and he slept longer stretches, and now Gabe could help me with the feeding, and I could go out in public without having to run home every two hours (b/c there was no way that I could have managed to b.f. in a public place--it was a major process just to get my bra unhooked.)

So that's what worked for us and anyone who might scoff behind my back and say "Hmmpfh she didn't even try, she only did it for 19 days" can go jump in a lake. My kid grew just fine, he is rarely sick, we bonded plenty, and my poor, poor boobs were saved from a fate of becoming flat and flabby and battered.

I could keep going with variations of these seven things I swore I would never do, and of course have. I'd never let my kid eat meals in the living room. I'd never let him watch extra TV so I could facebook/blog/check the mommy board longer. I'd never have a glass of wine in his presence (hahaha!). I'd never keep him out 3 hours past his bedtime because I was having fun at a friend's house. I'd never feed him candy while shopping to keep him from whining. I'd never put him to bed without a bath, or brushing his teeth, or without a story.

But you know what? He's happy. He's healthy. He's loved. There's 4000 million things you are "supposed" to do...and I figure we're doing about 100 of those so that's ok. We don't let serious offenses go without consequences. He's not malnourished. We don't beat him and lock him in his room for days without food. We rush to aid when he really, really needs us. We'd give him the shirt off our back, our drink, a hug, sit outside with him way longer than we want to just so he can dig in the dirt until he's done. We'll watch a Thomas the Train movie from start to end. We'll hold him in the middle of the night if he wakes up crying.

Really, he's got it made. And so do we.

The Craziness that is July...

As I have mentioned, July is our crazy month. Starting Sunday July 4th and continuing through this past weekend, I have been on the go (and to a lesser extent so has Gabe) pretty much non-stop. We celebrated the 4th with my cousin Erin and her in-laws, my good high school friends Jeanette and Natalie were both home for visits-which prompted several GNOs (girls nights out.) In between that there were multiple concerts for Gabe, a graduation party, doctor's appointments, vet appointments, birthday celebrations for G3, people coming to our house to fix things, and last week we began swim lessons. The craziness tapered off with the annual Dunwoody weekend.

Swim lessons are still going on this week but in the absence of 5000 other things, driving to White Haven each day seems like a piece of cake!! Our little fish has sprouted some fins and gills...he is doing GREAT. He can blow bubbles, get his face wet, and kick with the best of them (though he is reluctant to move his arms). His party trick, however, is dunking underwater. He holds his breath, goes under, and pops back up!!

The lessons are in a friend's lake development, and I am so glad we decided to do them. The instructor is awesome with the kids (anyone who can get up to 9 toddlers to listen while bobbing offshore is a hero in my book!) but also, the kids really are learning to swim!! Its also really nice to hang out with my mom friends while the kids have the lesson, and then afterwards. We've been lucky with the weather--hot and sunny for the most part, and on the cloudy, stormy days we still seem to have escaped class being rained out.

Miss Melissa teaching Gabe, Nathaniel, and Annalise how to blow bubbles...

The end of our madness was the annual Dunwoody weekend. Dunwoody always has a looongg wait of anticipation, followed by the fastest weekend ever. I look forward to it so much every year, as does Gabe, and I think after this year G3 will too. We had a great time this year...it was hotter than any year I can remember--and Dunwoody is generally about 10 degrees cooler than anywhere around it, due to being situated deep in the woods. This year it was high 80's for sure. The kids had a blast playing, though G3 was not the nicest to little Collin, and both of the smaller children were pretty much wiped by Sunday. There was much eating and drinking. A lot of good conversation and companionship. The added element of CeeCee's presence (though not, much to G3's displeasure, Uncle Shawwwwn...)

Saturday is always the best day at Dunwoody...the morning starts off lazily (usually) with the regular attendants bumming around, some of them fishing at Mud Lake, my dad scurrying about like a squirrel in preparation for the arrival of others for the annual cookout. Around noon people start arriving...and this year's arrivals included my sister's high school BFF Shelby and her family...Shelby was a permanent fixture at Dunwoody weekends for many years growing up. We ate, celebrated the birthdays of Aidan and G3 (and I swear, we are done celebrating him now!!) and then the afternoon drifted lazily into evening. People separate into groups, commencing at the dock, or the pavillion, on the porch or among the scattered camping chairs. Wine glasses are full and very, very dirty children slowly start to melt down. We did sparklers this year, which is something I always remember from my Dunwoody years as a kid...though G3 and Collin were probaby too little, seeing as both of them managed to burn their fingers. OOPS.

Should also be noted for posterity that it was a terrible sleeping weekend for G3, though we did learn some things. One--he's totally old enough to know that when I say "Time for bed, everyone else is going to sleep too" I'm completely bullshitting him. Two--in attempt to change the scenery on Friday night around 11pm (while he was still crying and screaming) we moved the pack and play into our room. We have NEVER all slept in the same room, mainly b/c G3 is a light sleeper and G2 is terrible at sneaking into a room--not a good combination. But, it was a success Friday night. Saturday the monkey went down just fine, but he woke up due to an accident in his pack n play. I woke to the sight of Gabe holding G3 under one arm, a giant stuffed otter under the other, and attempting to change the bedding. He had stripped G3 of his jammies but, unable to find new jammies, had dressed him in plaid madras shorts and no undies. I told him to just give me G3, and put him in bed with me. (Gabe and I were in separate beds due to the heat and, you know, we're super romantic like that.) Anyhow-sleeping with G3 sucks!!! He moved alllllllll night long. But, since he's never actually fallen asleep in a bed with me or G2, I guess I'll consider it a win...

Lindsay, Shelby and Kellie...this pic was supposed to include the Dunwoody sign above us but it was cut off and sort of tilted. Possibly the photographer had too much wine. No names will be mentioned (Mom!)

Birthday madness! I've yet to see this level of excitement in an adult but I hope it still exists after age 3!

This is Dunwoody, in a nutshell.

This is a bit out of order, but it should be mentioned that our little July 4th gathering at the home of my cousin's husband's parents was a GREAT day. "Best July 4th ever", Gabe said, and those of you know him know that Gabe is hard to please. (Or, it could have been the Kosteva mojitos talking.) In any event, the day included a lot of swimming, drinking, eating really good food, and great company. There is never enough time for me and Erin, but we take what we can get, and this was a pretty good day. Also in attendance were Erin's mom Nanci and her fiance, and Ken's parents Ed and Jane (the hosts). Super highlight of the day was actually getting a really good picture of me, Erin and our boys--probably the first in the 10 months Max has been in existence!!!

Gonna have to save my tales of girl's nights out, friendships, and summer craziness for another post...things may have slowed down but not enough for me to write endlessly on a Tuesday morning!! I always consider Dunwoody the halfway point of summer...and while I am sad for it to be over, and sad that summer is already halfway gone, I am looking forward to a more relaxing 2nd half of summer--just soaking in the sun and hot air, swimming, late dinners and evenings of wine on the deck. Early mornings by myself with coffee while my little guy sleeps late to rejuvenate himself....dreading the fact that we keep moving closer and closer to the end of summer and the start of my nemesis...WINTER. Thank god fall exists as a buffer!!!