Catching Up with Six Things

Last Monday, my resolutions kicked in.  I started Weight Watchers and greatly reduced my coffee intake.  I kept the television and computer off for most of the day and spent more time playing with the kids.  Instead of falling asleep on the couch in the evenings, I started going to bed at a decent hour.  And the result?  A more patient and well-rested mom with happier kids who is down a few pounds and suffering from a slight headache due to sugar withdrawal.  Also, a blog that hasn't been updated in about a week.

For a quick update, here are six things I would've written about over the last six days, if I would have had the time and energy.  

1: Playdate at Chrissy's house. Will and I both met some new friends at a fun playdate. Chrissy made the most incredible sandwiches (chicken salad with apples on raisin bread... who knew?). Considering it was his first time meeting a lot of new kids, Will played pretty well. Proud mommy-moments included watching Will share, be polite and be kind to babies. Not-so-proud mommy-moments included watching Will make guns out of Legos, jumping off the ottoman and trying to pull the Thomas tent as it was full of other little kids.

2: "Are you kidding me?" Apparently, I say this a lot. I think this is my 'frustration phrase', reserved for times when I'm feeling stressed or irritated. For example, as we're running late for nursery school, when both kids are bundled and loaded into their carseats on a 20 degree morning and Will announces that he has to 'go potty right now'. Or when I've just finished bathing and feeding Liam, and he's finally drifting off to sleep, I hear the distinct sound of a diaper being dirtied. Are you kidding me? Now, it seems Will has adopted this seemingly harmless phrase.

"Will... come sit down for breakfast."

"Mom, are you kidding me?"

"Will... no more television."

"Mom, are you kidding me?"

"Will... time for a nap."

"Mom, are you kidding me?"

This is now his retort for any request he doesn't find pleasurable. He uses this pointedly annoyed tone and usually accompanies the phrase with a loud, deep sigh. Do I do that? Yep. Uh oh... Note to self: Omit 'sucks' and 'crap' from daily vocabulary before it's too late!

3:  Liam's 5-month well visit.  Liam had a well visit last Monday.  He is 26 inches and he weighs 17 pounds 10 ounces.  He got 2 shots and 0 tears-- He was happy and cooperative throughout the entire visit.  I think he likes all the attention.

4:   Twister.  We got Will a few new games for Christmas.  His favorite, by far, is Twister.  When he plays with mom, it's just Twister.  When he plays with dad, it becomes a wrestling match.

5:  Melanee's First Birthday Party.  We went to the party as a family and had a great time.  Bill and I enjoyed great food and conversation.  Will and Brodee made guns out of legos, ran and chased each other, destroyed the ball pit and tortured a poor 16-month old.  Liam discovered shiny, mylar helium balloons.  Like I said, great time.  

6:  Will's First Skating Lesson.  Will and dad had their first 'Parent and Tot' skating lesson.  Will did great.  He's one of the youngest out there and he made lots of improvement in the first week.  I met Bill and the kids at the rink, because I was coming from a tutoring appointment.  Bill got both kids ready and dressed Will in a matching outfit.  The pictures are priceless. 

One in a Million

Bill and I make a pretty good team.  We have different strengths and experiences, and as a result, we compliment each other.  We disagree, from time to time, on minor issues.  For example:  Is the Simpson's Halloween Special appropriate for a 3-year-old?  Does string cheese and chocolate milk make a nutritious breakfast?  Could the Bumbo double as a bath seat for a 4-month-old in the bathtub?  When trying to leave a toy store in the middle of the day, is it appropriate to try and convince your child that the store is 'closing'?  

Lately, we're trying to come up with creative ways to get Will to comply.  Bedtime has become one such issue.  Up until recently, we would announce 'bedtime' and Will would happily trot up the stairs for a bath, a book and bed.  Then all of a sudden, he began to whine and sulk and protest.  So Bill came up with an idea.  And I admit, there was a lot of eye-rolling and skepticism on my part.  This is what Bill told Will: "Lay down and try to go to sleep.  We'll come up in five minutes.  If you're not sleeping when we check on you, then you can come downstairs and play."  

Who would have thought that this actually works?  But it does.  Will has never called down from upstairs, asking for us to come check on him, and he doesn't complain nearly as much about going to bed.  And it's so simple.  He just falls asleep.  Here I was trying to explain to Will that he needed to get sleep in order to grow and get more energy.  Let me tell you, that just did not fly.  

Bill is a great dad.  He 'races' Will to see who can eat more broccoli first and he hums "Tom's Diner" to Liam when he's fussy.  He already knows how to transform all of the Transformers that Will got for Christmas (this is harder than it sounds) and he takes turns getting up early with the kids on days off.  He is one in a million.

Date Night

My wonderful husband made a suggestion last week.  My parents, who had volutneered to take the kids overnight, could watch Will and Liam and we could go out for the night.  We set it up for Wednesday night, but we never made definite plans about what we would do or where we would go.  The only thing for sure was that Wednesday night (the whole night) was just the two of us (for the first time in TWO years).

Wednesday was kind of a crappy day.  It was dark and rainy and I was going on about 4 hours of sleep.  Bill announced (on his way out the door) that he would be home late.  Will wasn't too cooperative with the before-school morning routine (washing, dressing, eating-- you  name it).  I arrived at BJ's, with baby in-tow, only to realize that I had left the coupons at home (knew I would hear about that later...).  At the pediatrician, Liam received not 1, but 2 vaccinations. After school, Will procrastinated, whined and cried about having to take a nap-- while Liam screamed in the background for his lunch.  The two slept simultaneously for about 10 minutes, and then Liam fussed for about an hour and a half (probably due to the shots).  As Liam slipped in and out of catnaps, I spent about an hour dragging the bulk purchases into the house, putting them away and doing general laundry, dishes, etc., before Will woke up.  Then, while trying to keep both kids amused, I ran around the house trying to pack up their overnight essentials-- multiple outfits (in case of accidents), pjs, bottles and formula, diapers & wipes, toys & books, blanket & stuffed animal, infant tylenol & thermometer (those damn shots!)...  Liam finally passed out and I went upstairs to attempt to get ready for the big date. Unfortunately, since Will wasn't into watching television, a shower was not to be had.  Instead he followed me upstairs to play piano, turn the lights on and off, experiment with my make up, try on my shoes, flush the toilet, open and close the closet doors... you get the picture.  After trying multiple outfits (Damn this post-baby weight and damn that 2 pounds of Halloween candy!) and multiple hairstyles (painfully growing out layers), we were on our way back downstairs to hear the door slam and to hear Liam start crying....

"Hi Sweetie.  I'm just going to go up and take a quick shower... Wha-What's the matter?"

The car ride to my parents and then to the restaurant was pretty quiet-- initially because I was insanely cranky, then ultimately because I fell asleep. (Sounds like a promising evening...) After a quick stop for a bottle of wine, we were sitting in an Italian restaurant.  Not just any Italian restauarant... one with an autographed photo of "Opie & Anthony" hanging on the wall.  (Just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?)    

No, but seriously, it did get better.  After one glass of wine, the challenges and stress of the day seemed to disappear, along with my irritability.  After the second, I was flushed and completely relaxed.  By the third, I was having dinner with the most handsome, sexy and charming man in the most elegant place in the world.  By the fourth, well, let's just say that one can never underestimate the power of alcohol.

We did have a great night-- and no, it wasn't just the wine.  Bill is a wonderful partner and spending some down-time together was heavenly.  It was so nice to have some quiet, uninterrupted time alone.  We were able to hold hands and gaze at each other across the table.  We were able to have meaningful conversation over a good meal.  We were able to laugh, relax and enjoy each other's company.  (And then we were able to go home and partake in all the shared activities that my husband prefers... just kidding, honey.)  The next morning, we both got to sleep in (did I mention...for the 1st time in TWO years?) and we went out for a great breakfast.  (The photo below was taken outside the restaurant.)  

Now, it's Sunday afternoon.  We've spent a busy weekend with the kids, complete with birthday parties, swimming, soccer, shopping and such.  It took me three nights to write this post because I was unable to stay awake long enough to put a complete thought together.  (Things are back to normal, I suppose.)  Just one more thought... I would just like to send out a big thank you to my husband, my parents and the wine (not necessarily in that order) for a wonderful time.