Will I really do anything for my kids?

People say that all the time. "I would do anything for my child." And they probably mean it. Sometimes it's put to the test and sometimes it isn't. Sometimes it's tested with little things, sometimes with big things. You know, there's that mom you heard about that lifted a car because her son was trapped underneath it.

I had a little test.

**warning, potty talk to follow**

I brought my kids into work to show off. They hadn't seen Jack in at least a year and it had been a couple months since I brought Gracie in. Gracie was as sweet as could be just being passed around to all the ladies. Jack, on the other hand, who is dying for it to be warm outside so that he can run around, found the loooong hallways highly entertaining. He hasn’t had that much room to run in quite a while. He would run from one end to the other at top speed, everyone laughing at him the whole time and commenting that they don’t know where he finds the energy.

This is a little off topic, but if you really knew my son you would know that his energy stores are limitless. Sure sure sure, people say that all the time about their kids, but really, his are limitless.

Anyway, back to me.

He was running and running and then stopped in front of the desk where we were all standing and proclaimed that he “had to go poopy.” Ok. I take him into the restrooms, into the handicap stall. Since he had to poo I helped him get everything down and just as I was about to turn him and lift him onto the potty he just starts peeing. Everywhere. On the floor, down the side of the toilet. I quick try to lift him so that the remainder will go into the toilet. But I lost my balance.

This is where my test came in.

Do I drop my son and cause him to fall head first into the toilet?

Or do I fall over, with him still in my hands onto the bathroom floor with nothing to break my fall?

Want to know what I did?

Of course I didn’t drop my son. For goodness sake. Instead I fell full force onto the bathroom floor. Hitting my spine against the metal stall wall and landing on my knee on the tile floor. That would be ceramic tile in case you were wondering. You know, the really hard stuff.

And Jack was still peeing.

I guess he really had to go.

So here I am, laying on my side on the bathroom floor, Jack still in my arms, Jack still peeing and me saying a silent (quick) prayer that I’m not laying in pee. I quickly jump up (ow, my back. Ow, my knee) and lift him up just in time for him to finish peeing (yes, he’s still peeing) in the toilet. I guess he had a lot to drink. Then he still had to poop. Oy.

Slightly off topic again but still pertinent to this story… I’ve been a little sick lately. Just had something going on that caused me to lose a lot of weight really fast. This, in turn has made some bones very noticeable lately. You can see my collar bone clear as a bell, you can see the top part of my rib cage and you can see each little bump of my spine going down my back. How is this pertinent to the story you ask? Because I hit one of those boney little nubs of my spine directly, with all my remaining weight (and Jack’s), on the metal stall wall.

Yeah.

Ow.

I have a big ‘ole internal bruise on my back now that hurts whenever I lean onto something… you know, like the sofa, a chair, the bed. Fun stuff. Oh and a big ‘ole nasty bruise has popped up on the side of my knee too.

But you know what?

Jack didn’t fall.

I’d do anything for my child.

Twenty-Five things

There was a recent craze sweeping through Facebook where everyone was writing 25 things about themselves. I never bothered. Off the top of my head I just couldn't even think of more than a handful of interesting facts about myself. My dad and my sister told me "it's easier than you think, once you get started it just starts pouring out." Yeah right. I'm just too boring I think.

Well, I was reading my dad's blog, thoroughly enjoying reading little tidbits about his past when I came across his blog entry for 25 things. I guess he copied it over from Facebook. For some odd reason I decided to give it a try this time. So I opened a blank email and started typing.

Here's what I came up with. I still think I'm boring but hey, that's me, right?

1. I’ve been crocheting since I was very young. 8? 10? And my grandmother had to teach me because my mom is left handed.

2. I’m a procrastinator. Plain and simple. But I’m good at disguising it.

3. In an odd twist from #2, I HATE being late anywhere. I MUST be early. Must. Which makes life very interesting with 2 kids that don’t have a sense of urgency.

4. Not only do I crochet but I cross stitch, I can sew when necessary and I love baking. I used to LOVE painting ceramics.

5. I am a computer programmer because my father knew that’s what I was good at. I was so indecisive in college that I needed that helping hand.

6. I guess those 2 previous things make me pretty left-brained.

7. I love to organize things. Give me a messy closet and some money for supplies and I’ll have that space organized and beautiful and functional.

8. I am addicted to taking pictures. I was recently at a wedding where twin 4 year old girls were in the bridal party and had the most adorable dresses. At one point during the reception they sat on the floor in front of me and started playing patty cake. I took their picture.

9. I hate drinking water. Hate it. But I do it anyway.

10. I have made friends with 20 amazing women online just because we all have children born in November 2005. I’ve only met a handful of them but I depend on them because they really are my friends. I don’t know what I’d do without them.

11. I have trouble making friends in real life. Always have. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. Am I a bitch?

12. I truly am addicted to Facebook. I know people joke about that all the time but I really am.

13. My sister is probably my best friend next to my husband.

14. Just like my father, my cursive writing is so bad that I print everything. And my signature is a joke, ask any of my family.

15. I like having mice as pets. I don’t see why people think the tail is so gross.

16. I’ve also had a rat as a pet.

17. I have 3 cats. Phoebe, Melissa and Danny Boy. All with human names because they are family in our house.

18. I have a cat with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). Let me tell you, that’s a joy.

19. My first car was a 1982 4-door Buick Skylark… in orange. This was in 1993. I called it my orange juice box.

20. I inherited my ability to consume large amounts of alcohol from my father.

21. I enjoy cooking. I’m enjoying it more as I get older and I’m less afraid to try to do things. The cooking thing was definitely inherited from my mom. Nothing is ever made from a box in my moms house.

22. I graduated college in 1999 and I’ve been at the same job since 2000.

23. I made the YUMMIEST cashew pork the other night.

24. I miss going to Disney World every couple of years.

25. I’m finished after having 2 kids.

26. I love my son Jack and my daughter Grace more than anything in this world.

27. Eric and I love to go to Gettysburg and ensconce ourselves in the Civil War.

28. We plan one day to be Civil War re-enactors. I even have a dress and Eric has most of a uniform.

29. I miss doing puzzles. Between having cats that like to play with the pieces and having no time because of the kids it just isn’t a possibility anymore.

30. I prefer to drive. I think I might have inherited that from my dad too!

31. I love roller coasters. Love them. Is it the adrenaline? I actually made Eric take a week off of work and we drove to Ohio so that I could ride the tallest roller coaster in the U.S.

Ok ok, so maybe I was able to come up with a few more than 25 things.

Weeble's wobble but they don't fall down

I have a Weeble Wobble! Gracie has learned to sit up! I’m not quite sure when this happened considering we hardly ever get to put her on the floor… too much traffic from local 3 year olds. I’m guessing she’s been practicing when in her highchair at home or the swing at daycare. She likes to sit forward when in those things so she must have been building the right muscles.

Jack was napping and I sat her in front of one of her toys. I figured I’d lean her on my knees so that she could sit up. Little stinker never told us that she didn’t need help!

Eric and I were sitting there dumbfounded when I finally remembered that I had the camera in my hand. So I took a little video and a few pictures.

I can’t remember for the life of me how old Jack was when he started sitting unassisted but this seems early to me. She’s not even 6 months old yet!

Guess what Gracie has enough hair to do now!

It’s finally happened. She has just barely enough hair that I can play with it. It was Sunday afternoon, Jack was napping and Eric says out of nowhere “You should do something with Gracie’s hair.” OK! How convenient that I had bought some baby hair bands a few weeks ago at Walmart. So I get the brush, a couple hair bands and the most easy going baby in the world and Viola! She has a volcano.

For those of you that aren’t in my immediate family, a volcano is a single ponytail on a young girls head… directly on top of their head. You know, “volcano-ing” out of the top of their head. Here’s a visual aid.







That of course then turned into two pigtails.









Oh how I can’t wait until there is just a little more hair, making this easier to do. But she was such a trooper… she didn’t care in the least! She just continued to play in her exersaucer completely ignoring what I was doing. I think Eric even made some sort of comment about her being like a puppy… you can do whatever you want to her and she never complains. My poor, poor puppy. Just wait until she has more hair and it’s warm enough outside that I don’t have to put a hat on her head.

Gracie, Gracie, and more Gracie

The kids naps don’t overlap anymore. Gracie has graduated from taking 3 naps to taking 2. And with Jack taking one nap it seems that someone is always sleeping in our house now. Gracie naps from 10 to 12, Jack naps from 12 (sort of) to 3 and Gracie naps again from 2 to 4. This is going to prove interesting for making trips out of the house, but one thing that is working out nicely is that we’re getting some one-on-one time with Gracie. Poor Gracie, she’s already so accustomed to a life of Jack in her face. Any time we play with her or talk to her or try to take pictures of her it’s like a magic trick. Let’s see how long it takes for Jack to show up. I love my son. Love him dearly. But goodness, I’d love to have just a little bit of time to enjoy my daughter at this age as I got to enjoy him at this age.

Here’s a sampling of what it’s like to take pictures of Gracie when Jack is home and not napping.











I'll freely admit that occasionally I catch them just right and get a cute picture of them together. But my, I don't think I can count how many pictures I've deleted of the back of Jack's head. LOL.

Visit to Mom-Moms

Our schedules have been a haze since having Gracie. Having a newborn, Halloween, Jack's birthday party, Thanksgiving, Christmas. We are just now getting up to Eric's parents house to visit extended family and letting everyone meet Gracie.

She was a gem. Didn't mind being passed around like a hot potato, slept on queue. I couldn't ask for more. She also got to meet Cole, who is... are you ready for this... Eric's mom's cousin's adopted daughter's son. Phew. That's a mouthful. But what's remarkable about this is that he was born the same day as Gracie, just a few hours before.

Besides being passed around, MomMom didn't let go of Gracie much.













With Aunt Mabel.


With Brenda.


With Aunt Sandy and Cole. Cole was adorable, looks just like a preemie Cabbage Patch doll!




Yes, Gracie tired to eat his bib.


With Great-Grams.


With Norma.


Jack wasn't into all the baby-passing-around. So he decided to drive all his cars into the kitchen and line them up, then drive them all back. Can you say o.c.d.?

Gracie is 5 months

Yup. 5 whole months. You know I took some pictures.















Photo shoots can be exhausting.