Mommy's undivided attention

Rion doesn't need naps anymore, but when he is tired he will lay down and take a nap. Yesterday was one of those days. He was tired so he took a nap with daddy. Since he took a nap I let him stay up later when Torii had gone to sleep for the night. Torii has done this a few times, but since it's been a really long time since Rion has napped during the day this was a first for him. He was so excited when I went into his room to tell him he could stay up late. I could hear it in his voice. He thought he was pretty cool too. I figured he would play on the computer, but instead he watched football with Fred and I. And he talked and talked and talked. I have never heard him talk so much in my life. Was this Rion or Torii? For the first time in a really long time Rion had my undivided attention without any distractions. I think he really enjoyed our together last night. I know I did. After the football game I let Rion watch one of his shows, then he went to sleep and I didn't hear another word from him. He is such a good kid. It was really nice to talk with Rion. The poor kid can't get a word in with Torii around.

The day after

Dec. 26th- It looked like a toy store had just exploded inside our house. Toys, toys, toys everywhere. Some were still in the boxes, others scattered everywhere. Some of the boxes had found their way to the trash bag that still stood in the living room. Other boxes were still out. Many of those annoying twist ties from the boxes were spotted everywhere. Thank goodness Cordelia isn't mobile yet. After Christmas I felt like we had just gotten back from vacation. I hadn't done any chores around the house for days and I was extremely tired. It took another two days for me to recover and start on any cleaning. Something to remember for next year: Contractor bags make cleanup a lot easier. They're so big. Our garbage man has his work cut out for him this week.

I had a very good Christmas this year and here's what I'll remember:
I was so excited for the boys this year. I felt like I did when I was young except instead of being excited about opening my own presents I was excited for the boys to open theirs. I couldn't wait to see their faces when they opened their gifts.
I had fun baking and making holiday treats with the boys. They helped cut out the sugar cookies and frost them later. Torii dumped a lot of sprinkles on his cookie. They also enjoyed putting sprinkles on the chocolate covered peppermint sticks.
The boys helped decorate the tree and wrap a couple of presents.
The boys learned to be charitable when they dropped change in the Salvation Army buckets. Even if it was just to get a candy cane from the volunteers.

Get your own

If you ask Torii if you can take Cordelia home with you this will be his reply: "No, you have to go to the hospital and get a baby."

From Santa

I've debated about putting a TV in the kids' room. On the con side: they watch too much TV the way it is. On the pro side: I wouldn't have to watch so many cartoons. I didn't have to make a decision because Santa made it for me and left a TV/DVD combo for the boys. What a nice guy. The boys haven't watched it as much as I thought they would which is good. And tonight it came in so handy. I got to watch all of the football game, Torii fell asleep early while watching a show and Rion was close behind. While I never really wanted to put a TV in their room I guess I'll let this one go since it was a gift from Santa.

Video game junkie

It turns out that Rion really likes his Dora game. It's actually a really cute game and it's easy for him. It's a lot like other games where he has to find hidden gems and complete certain tasks, but it's on an easier level. Fred was wondering if there were any cheats available on the website he checks for video games. We then began to fantasize about the possible codes the creators could have installed in the game. Wouldn't it be great if they installed some codes for parents only. As the game is now there is no possible way for Dora to die. And what parent hasn't wished at some point that Dora would just die already? I would love a Mortal Combat like battle between Dora and Swiper. That might help with some of the day to day stress parents face.

Message received

Although the boys spend the better part of each day doing the exact opposite of what I tell them, there are indications that what I tell them is reaching their brain.

The other day while grocery shopping Torii said something about standing up in the cart. I told him he couldn't because I didn't want him to get hurt. He got mad at me, "No not me," he said, "that girl over there is." Behind us in line was a girl that kept trying to stand up in the cart. Torii was concerned because he knew she shouldn't be doing that and kept asking me why she was standing up.

Today Torii and I were playing and I was suppose to be on his team. We both had these ugly looking Bionicle creatures they picked up at McDonalds the other day and we were suppose beat up the pirate. Torii kept saying that the pirate won. I told him we weren't very good at fighting if we kept losing. He said, "Yes we are. You just have to keep trying." Eventually we did win a fight.

Have yourself a funny little Christmas

Here are some of the funny things the kids said on Christmas. I'm sure there were more, but this is what I can remember.

Rion tried some sparkling apple juice after Grandpa told him it was just apple juice. Rion said,
"This apple juice tastes different."

Rion took one of his big presents from under the tree and said, "We've been good this year."

We were playing cards before dinner and I wasn't doing so good. Then I said "finally" when I started to get some good cards. Torii was concerned about going home and for some reason he thought we were leaving. After I said finally, he peeked around the corner and said, "What? Are we going home now?"

Rion picked up a present that said Fred and was going to put it in his pile. We told him, no that was for his daddy. "But that says Fred," he said, "that's my name." We told him he had to find the ones that said Fred Rion. He was still convinced that present was for him.

Blog hog

I finally got a story about Rion on the blog. I was thinking about it and thought about changing the name of the blog. I thought "Here's the funny/cute thing Torii said or did today" blog would be appropriate.

Computer geek

Probably a year ago, maybe more, I let Rion sit on my lap while I played a game of Soltaire on the computer. I put his hand on the mouse and let him click on cards. Little did I know that I had just created a monster. Rion is addicted to the computer. He has his own folder on our favorites list filled with websites that he can visit and play games on. He knows how to turn on the computer, get to his favorites folder, close windows, and remove the top toolbar for a bigger screen. He does play the computer too much, which I need to control better, but he has also learned from the computer. Some of the websites are educational, some are not. He has learned to read some words such as back, next, and play. And I suppose one could argue that he is sharpening his motor control skills and problem solving skills in some of the games. He is also getting into the Playstation too. It was always too hard for him before to use both of his thumbs on that controller, but lately he is getting the hang of it. I bought him a Dora game for the Playstation for Christmas thinking that might be an easy game for him to learn on. Now in the few weeks since I bought that I'm thinking it might be too easy for him. Rion really likes daddy's new game that takes place in outer space and he kills lots of aliens. Fred let Rion create his own character and the two of them have been playing together. I watched Rion today and he did really good with the controller. The Dora game I bought has aliens too, but I'm not sure Rion will like it. I very much doubt Dora packs heat and shoots aliens. She's such a sissy.

Sweetheart

Today Torii was asking Fred about the ring on his hand. Fred was telling him mommy gave that to him when we got married. Torii said he didn't want to get married. We were talking about it some more and told him some day he might meet a girl that he would want to be with forever and he might want to marry her. Then he came up to me and said he wanted to marry me.

Candid camera

Today I decided to charge up the video camera for the holidays. I always forget about it and don't use it much. After it was charged I started watching the tape that was in it. Apparently the only time we use the video recorder is for Christmas. It started on two Christmases ago. Torii was a year old. He was very cute and very quiet. He was a ham even then and a lot of the video is of him. The house also looked so clean. There weren't many toys littering the floor. But that was two years ago and there has been many holidays and birthdays and just becauses that have filled our house with so much stuff. I haven't finished the video yet, but I do know it ends with last year's Christmas. And of course it will continue with this year's Christmas.

Too loud!

I keep thinking of more things related to the doctor's appointment today.

Cordelia had to have shots today. I felt so bad because she fell asleep while waiting for the nurses to come back in. (I really like the kids' pediatrician, but they are sooooo slow. There's nothing more fun than waiting with small children. Please note sarcasm.) My darling Cordelia was awaken when they poked her with two shots. She started to wail like I've never heard her before. Then I looked over at Torii and he was standing there with his hands over his ears.

Tag along

Today Torii had to come with for Cordelia's doctor appointment. He came along on her first visit too and I couldn't figure out why he wanted to go so bad. I tried to tell him that the doctor's office wasn't going to be any fun, but he insisted on going. When we got to the clinic he went and played with the toys in the waiting room and was so good. Then the nurse called for Cordelia and I thought I would have to drag Torii away from the toys, but he came along without a struggle. As soon as we got into the doctor's office I found out why he wanted to come with. He sat down and asked for cookies. The doctor has a cookie jar in the room filled with the little packs of McDonalds cookies and he always gives the boys some at the end of the visit. So the nurse gave him a pack of cookies for being so good. When the doctor came in Torii asked for more cookies. I told him he already had some, but the doctor said he had a special treat for him. Since it was just before Halloween, Torii got a bag of candy also. If I got chocolate every time I went to the doctor I would look more forward to going too!

Off the charts

Cordelia had her 2 month check up today. She is 23 inches long which is in the 75th percentile. She weighs 13 1/2 pounds, which the nurse officially wrote down as being about the 95th percentile. Why? Because her weight for her age was truly off the charts. I knew she was chubby, but holy cow! And to think when we first brought her home from the hospital I was worried that she wasn't eating enough.

Mama don't let your babies grow up to be....

I will always be proud of my kids no matter what. They could drop out of school to be rodeo clowns and I would still be proud and support their decision. I just hope my kids never ever become Yankees fans.

Sneaky

Today I made some cookies and let the kids lick the beaters. When Torii was done with his he came back into the kitchen asking for more cookie dough. I kept telling him no and he kept asking. Then he said, "Let's play hide and seek. Hide here (showing me the laundry room) and see what happens." I told him I knew what would happen, but he kept telling me to leave and see what happens.

Scary

About midnight last night Torii wanted a drink of milk. I told him he had a glass in the fridge. So he left and got his drink. All of a sudden I heard "Mom! Mom!" and his little feet running the length of the house. He was running over toys and when he made it into my room he tripped on either a toy or his own feet and landed next to the bed. "Mom!" he said, "It was dark. I heard something." I was laughing so hard, but trying to comfort him at the same time. He crawled into bed with me and I rubbed his back and told him not to be scared of anything. Then it got quiet and I started to laugh again. Just picturing him running through the house in the dark made me laugh. The whole thing reminded me of an old slapstick comedy where he can't get away fast enough from whatever it is that is chasing him. I tried really hard not to laugh at him because I was trying to comfort him, but every time it got quiet I couldn't help but laugh.

The pacifier

I think I have been spoiled by Cordelia. She is such a good baby, but a little fussiness the other day had me resorting to the pacifier. It was 11pm and there I was boiling water so I could sterlize the pacifier and pop it her mouth. Neither Rion nor Torii ever took a pacifier. Rion was a blankie and thumb man and Torii really never took to anything. He did hang on to a stuffed kitty for a little while, but it never became a permanant lovey. Rion still sucks his thumb, but has been without his blankie for a long time since it got shredded by so much love. He still mourns for his blankie when he sees it in pictures. And it's in a lot of pictures because he was never without it for very long. I didn't want to give Cordelia a pacifier because I don't really like them. It's just another thing that I would have to wean her from later. But I was getting desperate. I put it in her mouth and she immediately popped it back out. She gave me a look like she was trying peas for the first time. "What in the world was that awful tasting thing?" I tried a few more times but she wasn't having it. I was frustrated at my fussy baby, but also relieved that I wouldn't be spending the next couple of years tracking down lost pacifiers. Although, I may have another thumb sucker since she seems to be going for her hand a lot. The thumb's ok, since it's pretty hard to lose when you need it, but it's still going to be a hard habit to break someday.

Memories

With another baby in the house I find myself having little flashbacks of the boys as babies.

While I was feeding Cordelia the other day I suddenly remember the way Torii would grab my hand while I fed him. He did it every time.

I had to rock Rion to sleep a lot and he would hum or "sing" himself to sleep while I swayed with him in my arms.

And remember the way Rion used to sit on the floor? It looked so uncomfortable. He would sit on the floor with his legs out to the side and behind him.

True

I was looking for something when I came across this rub on that I was going to use in a scrapbook. It says, "Boys are God's way of telling you your house is too neat."

Memory

As my memory seems to slip more and more each day, I am continually amazed at the kids' memories. Today I went to Gateway Mall with Torii. I don't think I've been there with him since this summer. We hardly ever go there, yet he remembered that is where we had ice cream even though we were nowhere near the food court. When ever we go someplace it seems that one of the boys will remember something about being there before. When we go to Kirkwood they have to ride the coin operated cars. Target has the cookies. And Scheels has the taffy. I don't spoil them and get them treats each time we go out. That's the trouble. I treat them once someplace and they never forget it. And my bad memory doesn't remember so when I think I've gone to a safe place like Gateway, the boys remember something. Now they have discovered the Salvation Army bell ringers. They hear the bells and like a cat to a can opener they are running over there to get a candy cane.

Caught

The older the boys get the less I am able to get away with. Today I had to have a chocolate fix so I snuck a Snickers bar at Walmart. As we were driving out of the parking lot I opened my candy bar.
Torii in the back seat: "What do have mommy?"
Me: "Nothing."
Torii: "I hear something. What is it?"
Me: "I don't have anything."
Torii: "Let me see your hands."

Pretty soon I won't be able to tell the little fibs that I occassionally tell them. When I don't want to go McDonalds I simply tell them it's not open. And they believe me. When I don't want to watch Dora I tell them it's not on. This won't work much longer. Rion does recognize some words and once he starts reading, it's all over for me.

Bad Habits

Today we had breakfast with Grandpa and Grandma. When we were leaving the boys went with Grandpa and Grandma. Rion looked out the car window and saw daddy. Rion said, "Daddy's smoking. And I suck my thumb."

Quotable Torii

Torii was making me laugh all day today. Sadly, I can only remember two of the funny things he said.

He was helping me make muffins today and at one point he said Yessireeee.

When I was making supper he was playing with his toy kitchen and couldn't find something for it. We looked a little bit and I told him I couldn't find it. He said, "Well it didn't just walk away by itself."

Some privacy please!

When you become a mother, whether you like it or not, you forfeit your privacy. I rarely get to use the bathroom by myself. My kids could be totally focused on something, but as soon as they hear the bathroom door shut they are in there with me. They don't even knock. They just walk right in. I've tried locking the door, but that doesn't hold them back.

So I don't know what I was thinking when I went into the bathroom to try out my new pump. I had a manual one before, but this time I went all out and bought a nice electric one. So it makes some noise. First Rion came in. I think he liked it because it's sort of like a machine. He had to study it to see how it worked. Then Torii came in. He's interested in anything to do with the baby so he asked a ton of questions. On a side note, the other day he told me I gave milk like a cow. Thanks, that makes me feel so good. Anyway, I got rid of the kids and then Fred comes in. He asks if he can help. Enough already!

Hopefully Cordelia will take the bottle so the next time I go out by myself I can take my time and really enjoy myself. And will I ever enjoy myself.

Questions

In college when ever you met someone new one of the first questions that was asked was "what is your major." I always thought this was annoying and considered just introducing myself as "Hi, my name is Stacy, and I'm majoring in communications." But then the next question would be, "what are you going to do with a communications major."

When you have a baby it's the same thing, just different questions. Next time I'm out with Cordelia and I see a woman look over and smile I'll just blurt out, "she's a month old," before she even has time to ask. No actually I won't do that because I want my baby to be noticed. Because after that first question is out of the way, the woman will usually say, "Ohhh, she's so cute." Then I get to say, "I know."

Mom moments

On the sister's blog I just wrote about having a mom moment when baking a pie today. I was referring to my mom who is often the butt of jokes when it comes to forgetting things in the microwave. But then I thought about it a little bit and thought a mom moment could refer to all moms. Fred was telling me a story today about a woman at a gas station who was freaking out because she couldn't find her credit card. Long story short she found it in her coffee. I told him she must be a mom. Now some people would call that woman absentminded, but a mom could easily do something like that. We are responsible for so much it's amazing half of all the things we do gets done. As I was thinking about it a mom moment is pretty much like a senior moment. Mom moment sounds better though, so that's what I'll start calling all those little mishaps that happen every day.

My favorite things

My list will be less impressive than Oprah's, but here's what I've discovered this past year that I like, can't live without, or makes my life easier. In no particular order:

1. Intuition razor I know this product has been around awhile, but I don't like change. I only tried it because I got a free sample and I absolutely love it. It's so easy and quick to use that it's perfect for busy moms. Now, unfortunately I don't have an excuse not to shave my legs. This will be the first winter in a long time (before I was married and had to impress) that I will have smooth legs.
2. Steve and Barry's I love this store. It's like Old Navy, but Walmart prices. And anything fashionable that is associated with Sarah Jessica Parker has to be good.
3. Blogging I wish I had more time for this because I'm addicted. I'm constantly writing down notes to myself for when I do have the time to blog.
4. Craftster I am addicted to this website. As soon as I'm done blogging I'll be checking out what's new there.
5. Retractable roof stadiums The game at Miller Park was so much fun. Since it was a cold spring day the roof was closed. I don't understand why Minnesota isn't getting one.
6. 3 in 1 cribs I bought a new crib for Cordelia that converts to a toddler bed and then a day bed for when is older. Another, why didn't I think of that product.
7. Charlie and Lola This is my favorite cartoon to watch with the kids. It's also the best thing to put on when I need to take a shower or have a few minutes alone.
8. America's Most Smartest Model I haven't watched reality TV in a couple of years, but this one is worth watching. Some of the models are really dumb, but surprise there are some really smart ones. The girls keep getting kicked off, which is good. That means the cute guys will be around for at least one more episode.

Sleep

I've been lucky in that Cordelia sleeps really well at night. Still I feel dead tired at night and it takes me awhile to get up when she cries the one or two times at night. I guess after a full day of taking care of her and running after her two brothers is what wears me out. Normally I am a light sleeper. Now I sleep through anything, but Cordelia's cries. She usually wakes up about 3am. As I get up I notice two little bodies in my bed. I didn't even hear them come in, which doesn't help my plan to walk them back to their room everytime they get up so they can fall back asleep in their bed. That plan was working too. I now sleep through my husband's snoring too. This sleeping through everything is kind of scary too. I'm used to the boys coming into bed with me, but not my husband. Since he works overnights I only sleep with him two nights a week. One of his work nights, he came home early and I woke up in the middle of the night and noticed this man in my bed. For a moment I was really scared until I realized who it was. I find it so funny that I can sleep through all of this, but one little cry from my little girl wakes me up. It's a mom thing.

He's always watching

It's a shame that there is only about a two month period every year that we as parents can threaten the kids with the claim that Santa will not visit if they misbehave.

What they don't tell you before you have kids

If you read the books and magazines you'll always see things about how great it is to be pregnant. That pregnancy is this great time where you are one with your baby and it's a time to bond. Oh, and pregnant women have this glow about them. Let me tell you, it's a lot better not being pregnant. I mean I like being pregnant, but it's really nice not to be pregnant. And I'll tell you why. Today I got to lick out the bowl. You know. I made brownies and then licked out the bowl. I never did that while pregnant because of the uncooked eggs in it. Not that I baked much while pregnant because for most of the pregnancy I either couldn't stand the smell of food or was too tired to cook anything. So that's my point. Much better not to be pregnant. Although I don't know if I should have eaten that because I'm nursing, but I couldn't wait. Which is another thing. Life's better when nursing is done. I was watching a show last night and there were people drinking and that glass of beer looked so good. I almost detached Cordelia and ran to Walmart for formula. Of course it was three in the morning so that might have had something to do with it. I hardly drink, even though I have every reason to drink a lot. No I'm joking. Kind of. But these are the things we do so we can bring beautiful babies into the world. We are sick and/or tired for nine months, followed by months and months of sleepless nights and sore nipples. So magazines and books can dress it up however they want, but let me tell you, being pregnant and nursing is never as glorious as they make it sound. Although it is pretty great.

Cartoon episodes I'd like to see

"Dora's new family"- Dora's parents are charged with child neglect after Social Services discover that Dora often wanders far from home in the jungle and other exotic locales. Dora is sent to live with foster parents and begins seeing a therapist. The therapist tells Dora that there is no such thing as talking monkeys and encourages her to make friends with other children.

"The food chain"- In an all new Go Diego Go kids learn an important lesson about reality when the puma finally gets the tapir.

"Bob's secret"- After reading the bestselling book, Wendy finally realizes Bob the Builder just isn't into her. When the two have a heart to heart she discovers he's more interested in Mr. Ellis.

New baby must haves

1.Lots of onesies and sleepers
2.Desitin
3.DVR
4.Three hands, sometimes four
5. Pizza delivery on speed dial
6. Camera always within reach
7. Extra film and batteries
8. Grandparents nearby

Slept like a baby

The other day I watched "The Greatest Game Ever Played." It was a pretty good movie, I recommend it. Anyway, in one scene a golfer asks another golfer how he slept. He replies, "I slept like a baby... Every two hours I woke up and cried."

Mere musings

An advantage to breast feeding: Mother-in-law was in town visiting and I had the perfect escape. "Has it been two hours already? How time flies. Well, guess I have to feed the baby." So I got to leave for a little bit to feed Cordelia. And don't think for a second that I came back out right when she was done. Of course I took a few more minutes for myself.

More love for the DVR. There are a few shows that it automatically records each week. I've also looked at the guide for upcoming movies that I'd like to see and set it to record them too. When I have to get up in the wee hours of the morning I have something to watch now. Sure, it takes a couple of days to get through one movie, but that's ok. I haven't watched this many movies since... well, before I had kids.

Another advantage of breastfeeding: My breasts. I would never get plastic surgery, but it would sure be nice if they always looked like this. Fred agrees. Of course he does.

I find it funny that my ob-gyn doctor knocks before entering the room on doctor visits. I mean she's seen more of me than I really care for any other human being to see. Is it really a big deal if she would walk in on me while I was undressing?

Quotable Torii

I look at Cordelia as she looks around this new world she has entered and I think "I would love to know what she is thinking". Then I look at Torii and think, "Can you be quiet for just five minutes? Pleeeeease." Actually Torii has been making us laugh a lot lately. He does a lot more listening than I give him credit for.

After we got home with Cordelia, I think it was GG that asked him if she could take Cordelia home with her. Torii said yes, but she had to be gentle with baby. A couple days later Pawpaw Hank asked the same thing. This time he said no, she was our baby.

After being at home for a few days with Cordelia, Torii was no longer thrilled about having a baby at home. When she started crying after a nap Torii begged me not to go get her. "Don't get baby, don't get baby," he pleaded with me.

Torii has been really interested in the baby and since he is in the "why?" phase I have fielded a lot of questions from him. He was really interested in how I fed baby. Later he told Auntie Vicki that he didn't have milk in his breasts.

Babies

I do love babies, but before Cordelia arrived I wasn't that excited about all the extra work I was going to have with a baby in the house. I knew it would be some time before all of us could go out and do whatever we felt like doing. Now we are back to quick runs to the grocery store before we have to be back home so the baby can eat. While I was looking at all the negatives, I forgot how great babies are. Last night I had the World Series on and was feeding Cordelia before laying her down for the night. I have found that she burps easiest if I lay down and put her on my chest and pat her back. So that's what we did. Some time later I woke up, it was the bottom of the 8th, and she was sleeping soundly on my chest. She felt so good. I could feel her little breaths on my neck. Cordelia is also spoiling me in that she is a much better baby than I had expected. She sleeps a lot and I often have to wake her up to eat. She is really laid back so she hasn't been as much trouble as I thought. Which is nice so I can still have time to do things around the house and more importantly have some time with the boys too. Fred went back to work last night so it probably won't be as easy as it has been. We'll see. I haven't been out in public with all three kids yet so we'll see how all that goes too. Really, everything has been going great.

Goodbye maternity clothes

Towards the end of my pregnancy I was getting really tired of my maternity wardrobe and couldn't wait to wear normal clothes again. So yesterday I went through my closet. It was kind of like Christmas. I love clearance shopping and had picked up a few things last spring as the seasons were changing. I forgot I had bought those things. I tried on pair of pants I bought and they fit perfectly! Then I tried on a shirt I had gotten at Target the other day to go with those pants and I actually thought I looked good. It's nice to have somewhat of a figure again. Now once I get the courage to actually go out in public with the kids, I can actually wear nice clothes. And I can shop for clothes again! I can't wait.

What's so funny?

Tonight we went out for supper and on the way home the boys starting making goofy sounds and giggling. "I farted," they would say after making these noises. They thought it was so funny. I kind of groaned and Fred said, "Not even any training." It's true. They just naturally think this is funny. No one taught them to laugh at bodily noises or even to imitate them for a laugh. They just do it. I thought I was doing a good job by teaching them to say excuse me anytime they burped or passed gas, and a lot of the time they do say that. Other times they laugh uncontrollably.

Rion also likes to play on the computer and he was on one of his preschool websites he likes playing a game. In this game there was a picture of a house with different rooms and at the bottom were different objects that he could place in the house. So he put the vase of flowers on a table, books on a shelf and so on. After awhile, Torii came over to look at what he was doing and they started laughing real hard. After listening in on their conversation I found out that they were still placing objects in the house, but now they were having fun putting the kitty in the toilet. Why are boys' brains wired like this?

Not so scary

As a mother of toddlers I am seeing Halloween in a new way this year. When I first saw some of the decorations I thought I would be spending the next month protecting them from what some of those scenes are portraying. There are some really awful and scary stuff for sell for Halloween. My boys, however, love it all. The uglier, scarier, more gruesome, the more my boys like it. Actually the only thing that Torii has been scared of is a big furry spider that is about as big as he is. Yesterday we were at Target and of course they had to look at the Halloween section. They love to try on the masks and the scarier they are the better. Then they push all the buttons on the motion decorations. I cringe at some because I think I will be up late with boys having nightmares, but they laugh and repeatedly push the buttons. Rion loves anything with blood on it and is really into tombstones. He bought one that we put in the front yard and he wants a motion one at the party store, but I think it's awful. It's a tombstone and at the bottom is a man's arms. When you push the button he starts clawing at the tombstone and there are bloody marks on the tombstone. Weeks later Rion is still talking about it and repeats what the man says, "let me out, it's dark in here." And he thinks it's hilarious. I love Halloween and I'm glad my boys seem to love as well. As long as they don't start having nightmares, they can have as much fun with Halloween as they want.

Haiku for parents

Earlier this year, must have been in the spring, I was stuck at work and doing a task that involves a lot of downtime. For some reason I started thinking about haiku and wrote a few about kids. Here are the best ones.

My new game is this
Throw toy on floor, mommy get
I throw toy again

In the tub tonight
Like to hear the sound I make
Hands hitting water

Mom wasn't looking
I took a bunch of cookies
Now my tummy hurts

I think I will write some more and I'll post any good ones I come up with.

Technology 1, Husband 0

Last night after the kids finally settled down, I turned on the TV to relax a little. I was bummed out to find there was only 10 minutes left of a brand new The Office. I then realized I had also missed the new My Name is Earl. Then the tides turned and I discovered that my wonderful DVR was still set to record all new episodes of both shows and they were just sitting there waiting for me to watch them. Oh, DVR, you know exactly what I want. I love you.

My husband on the other hand, has no idea what I want. Last weekend was my 30th birthday and I didn't get a gift. Apparently when I asked him to take me out to dinner for my birthday, he translated this as being released from any obligation to buy me a gift. When he told me he thought dinner was what I wanted as a gift I was furious. I only asked him this two days before my birthday, a point at which he should have already purchased my gift. Did I mention this was my 30th birthday? That automatically means great gift plus dinner. How I wish I could program my husband like the DVR.

Yah, right

Tonight after dinner we had apple pie with Cool Whip on top. I gave the boys their slice and went back in the kitchen for Fred's and mine. When I got back to the table Rion's Cool Whip was smeared all over the table around his plate and his hands were white. Right away he said, "Torii did it." Nice try Rion.

The Name Game

Let me take this opportunity to apologize to my mom. "Mom, I'm sorry for all the times I made fun and/or got mad when you called me by one of my sisters' names." I now know this is a disability that effects a large majority of moms. I don't know why, but the moment you give birth, your brain is never the same.

I understand why it's so easy to get your child's name wrong in a bout of anger. Your blood is boiling and like the swear words that would come out easily if there weren't children present, you just start screaming out names. And like a piece of toast always landing butter side down, you most inevitably will scream out the wrong name first. If it's not bad enough to get your child's name wrong, it worse when you call him by the dog's name. I've done it. More than once.
Even under calm situations I can't seem to get my children's names right. I wanted Torii for something. I looked straight at him, had all the time in the world to think about what I was going to say and still called him Rion. Once again, this has happened more than once. Probably in the double digits.

My memory has also seemed to slide since having kids. This is another thing I once made fun of my mom for and once again I apologize. There is a long running joke concerning my mom and dinner. There has been many times that she has forgotten something in the microwave, only to find it there while cleaning up after dinner. Last Thanksgiving my dad asked her what she forgot in the microwave. She said there was nothing and yes she looked. After dinner, she found a salad in the fridge that she forgot to put out. I have also forgotten vegetables meant for dinner in the microwave. I have also left a full gallon of milk out on the counter overnight. Apparently, the part of the brain that holds our kids' names is also responsible for seemingly easy tasks.

So if my kids ever make fun of me for these things, which I'm sure they will, I'll tell them no, I'm not getting old, I'm just a mom.

Brain, Child

About a year ago I discovered the magazine Brain, Child while surfing the web. It's probably one of the best things I have ever found on the Internet. I subscribed for a year and just recently signed up for two more years. Brain, Child dubs itself "the magazine for thinking mothers." I love this magazine. It is filled with essays from moms, feature stories and book reviews. The articles you would find in this magazine aren't ones you'll find in mainstream magazines. (The current issue has an article titled "Two lesbians and a eunuch", try finding that in a mainstream magazine. The writers in this magazine are refreshingly truthful and come from a wide range of backgrounds. Check it out at http://www.brainchildmag.com Just a little warning. This magazine is not for anyone who is easily offended or doesn't approve of objectionable language. And that's why I like it. Plus it seriously is for thinking mothers.

The Pizza Caper

I wake each morning to an alarm clock or to my children. On this morning, however, I woke to complete silence. When these rare occurrences happen I usually roll over and fall back to sleep, but today I was getting up. There was leftover pizza in the fridge and I was going to get it before anyone else. Is there a breakfast better than cold pizza? I think not. I tiptoed past the boys' room, careful not to wake them. Not only was I going to have pizza for breakfast, but I was going to enjoy it in front of the TV, watching what I wanted. No cartoons. No hunting shows. I made it to the fridge, opened the pizza box and gasped. Nothing but crumbs. I didn't even hear my husband get up last night. He was going to get it when he got up. He was always doing this. I lost count how many times I've been in the mood for a bowl of ice cream only to find the container empty in the freezer. I sat down in front of the TV fuming, thinking about all the things I was going to say to my husband once he got up. Then I heard Rion stirring in his room so I went to see him and tell him good morning. There was my little angel in bed, stretching and yawning, next to two slices of half eaten pizza.

This happened when Rion was about 2 1/2. Luckily, my husband never got to hear the verbal beating I had planned. I think I still apologized to him for automatically blaming him, but also warned him he better not leave empty packages of food around anymore. I laughed as soon as I saw the pizza next to Rion. I couldn't believe how big he was already getting. He was already feeding himself! I didn't think it would be long before he didn't need his mom at all, but thankfully he still needs me for lots of things.

Goodbye mommy guilt

It is my last week at work. I am taking a self-imposed leave of absence. The baby will be here soon and work is too much for me to deal with right now. I don't have a physically demanding job, but it's still enough that I ache at night and I'm too tired to do anything. This is just one of the many reasons for leaving work now.

I still have a lot to do before baby arrives so I need to free up my schedule so I can get everything done. We don't even have the crib up yet! Plus when I'm at work I'm thinking about all the things I still need to do rather than thinking about work, which is effecting my work performance and at times stressing me out.

The main reason for taking this leave has to do with my two wonderful boys at home. I suffer from mommy guilt and constantly worry that I don't spend enough time with them because I am at work. There's always something I would like to do with them, but work gets in the way. It might be something as big as being able to take them to swimming lessons or something as small as being around to make their lunch each day. I constantly worry that I'm not a good mom because I can't do these things for them. Even on the weekends when I'm at home I have to go grocery shopping or run errands because there is no time for that during the week. So I even feel guilty on the weekends.

Starting next Monday, that all changes. The next two weeks will be mostly about them. I will still have to fit in some time to get some last minute baby things done, but for the most part it is all about the boys. Two wonderful mommy-guilt-free weeks where I won't be working or consumed with a new baby. It's the Must Do List I've always wanted:
1. Go out for ice cream.
2. Spend an afternoon at Snoopers.
3. Go to the Pumpkin Patch.
4. Decorate for Halloween.
5. Spend lots of time at the playground.
6. Go out for ice cream again.
7. Go to the zoo.
8. Go to Auntie Vicki's donut store.
9. Buy our Halloween costumes.
10. Get more ice cream.
This is the list that must get done in the next two weeks. Notice that nowhere does it say get groceries, do laundry, do dishes, or clean house. This is the boys' time. They may have more to add to the list and I'll be more than happy to add it.

Being straightforward

Long before I even had children, I knew that when I did, I wanted to have an open and honest relationship with them. I've always wanted to have children who felt they could talk to me about anything. As part of this, maybe overly optimistic, attitude I wanted to have open conversations with them about anything including (gasp!) sex. There hasn't been any talk about sex directly, but there have been questions about body parts and having babies.

One day Rion walked in on me while I was gettng dressed. "What are those mommy?" Ok, I can do this I thought. "Those are breasts," I said. "Oh," he said, "I like breasts." I laughed at his response and was relieved I could give him that answer. Still it was a little hard for me to say breast in front of him, thinking it would be his new word to tell every living soul.

Coming from a family that doesn't talk about such things, it has been hard to talk to my toddlers in this open way. It wasn't until recently that I got the courage to answer Torii's question truthfully and told him that was his penis. He has been calling it his "naked" for awhile now. Even in front of my three year old I'm sure my face was flush red and I stuttered as I said it. Torii thought nothing of it. He repeated it once and I haven't heard it since.

Now that we are expecting a baby I've had to field a few inquiries about the process in which the baby comes out. No questions about how the baby got there in the first place, just how it was going to come out. I'm pretty sure I failed miserably with this explanations. There were no technical terms, just hand movements as I said, "I push the baby out down here." Some weeks later when my husband and kids accompanied me to the doctor for the ultrasound, Rion proclaimed loudly that the baby was going to come out of mommy's butt. So I could have done a better job explaining that, although I would have been mortified had the word vagina come out of his mouth. Now I just tell the boys that I have to go to the hospital to get the baby out and that seems to satisfy them.

I'm expecting more questions about child birth soon as the baby is due in about a month. There will probably also be questions about breastfeeding and why their baby sister has different parts than them. I guess I will just take a deep breath and explain it to them best I can. I will feel embarrassed, but I'm sure they won't.

MOPS

Yesterday we started another year of MOPS (Mothers of PreSchoolers). I recommend MOPS to any mom who has young children. We get together to listen to speakers, do craft projects, and socialize. The best thing about MOPS is that there is food and someone watches our children for two hours. It's a really great place to meet other moms. Of course we often talk about our children and it's so nice to hear someone say "I know exactly how you feel". Really it's just a good time to get together with other moms and have two children free hours.

Saturday mornings

Saturday mornings used to be so special. I remember waking up early, even though it was the only day during the school year that I could sleep in, just to watch cartoons. The Smurfs were one of my favorites and one of the first ones to run on Saturday morning. If I slept in and missed The Smurfs I had to wait another week for a chance to watch it. My kids will never know what that is like. They can watch cartoons whenever they want. There's entire channels devoted to playing cartoons. And if they missed the last episode of Spongebob, don't worry, wait a couple of hours and it will be on again. Can't wait that long? There's video on demand. We'll watch it right now.

These days I still wake up early on Saturday morning, although it isn't by choice. I grab a pillow and a blanket, turn on the kids' cartoons and snuggle with them until I feel like getting up. So Saturday mornings are still special, just in a completely different way.

Now for a commercial break

When Rion was younger, he would stop dead in his tracks when certain commercials came on the TV. He really liked the grape juice commercial, was it Welches? The one with the little blonde girl talking about how much she liked the juice.

Another commercial he really liked was from a cell phone company. He would run around saying, "Hello Johnny boy," but no one could figure out exactly what he was saying. Finally, after hearing this for weeks, my mom finally saw the commercial. Something about a guy talking to his father-in-law and the guy was saying all these nicknames for the father-in-law. I'm not sure exactly, I think I only saw the commercial once myself.

Now of course, he's already into the "I want" stage. He wants everything advertised on TV. He really wants Floam, which is advertised on every commercial break during the day. There is no way he will be getting any Floam. Floam is too close to coloring. He will not sit and play with his Floam, dutifully making all kinds of creations from his Floam. The Floam would end up being like Easter grass. I would find it in all corners of the house for months after he got it. Plus I'm not sure how well it comes out of carpet (they don't say on the commericals), so no he's not getting any Floam.

Toddler catchphrases

TV and movies are always putting new catchphrases into our language. The Simpsons gave us d'oh!, Seinfield gave us yada, yada, yada, and tons more, and Austin Powers gave us yeah, baby!. Everybody knows these, but unless you have toddlers you probably don't know about the whole toddler subculture. The other day the phone rang and I broke into song courtesy of the Wonder Pets. "The phone. The phone is ringing. The phone. We'll be right there." We've also sang the mail song from Blues Clues when we've seen the mailman coming. "Here's the mail it never fails. It makes me want to wag my tail. When it comes I want to wail MAIL!"

We also watch Finding Nemo a lot. One day my demanding Torii wanted something and I told him, "Ok Mr. Bossy." Which I regret saying because the boys have said it to me in return.

Shortly after Cars came out on DVD the boys were riding their bikes outside. Rion wanted to "change" the tires on Torii's trike, but Torii took off before he could. Rion yelled at him "You need tires you idiot!" Really not a good phrase to pull from a movie, but he did. Rion quotes Cars a lot saying things like, "I am Speed" and "Fast as a Cadillac. Sting like a Beemer."

I know there are a lot more, but these are the ones that come to mind now. I'll post more the next time I break out into song from some Nick Jr. cartoon.

Sleeping with the fishes

I am currently 33 weeks pregnant and since about mid-way through the pregnancy I started having trouble sleeping at night. I would toss and turn and my hips hurt. My nurse suggested I get a body pillow that I could tuck between my legs and position it under my belly and wrap my arms around it. When she told me this I suddenly remembered the pillow I had used in my previous pregnancies. This pillow must be 4ft long and it's a big ugly catfish. When I got home I found the catfish that has been living downstairs for the past few years. So every night when I crawl into bed I stradle this big catfish and throw my arms around it. Sure I felt a little silly at first, but I was sleeping better at night so I didn't care. Now I just feel bad for my husband. This catfish has probably, no I know it has, seen more action than he has the last few months.

The Cereal Incident

On July 6th I arrived home from work only to discover the mess that we now know as the cereal incident. On my husband's "watch" the boys had opened three boxes of cereal and then proceeded to dump them all over the kitchen floor. From information gathered at the scene, it was determined that Torii did most of the dumping. However, big brother Rion did not stop him and laughed and encouraged the act. From there the two continued on to the bathroom where Froot Loops were dumped into the toilet. After witnesses were questioned and the crime scene cleaned, it was concluded that all male members of the household be charged for their involvement. The boys served time for their direct involvement. The husband was charged as an accessory for his failure to peel himself off the couch when it was obvious the kids were up to something.

Welcome

I am starting this blog just to write and possibly at times vent about being a mother of two toddler boys. I love my children to death and would do anything for them, but sometimes it is so hard. My mom, who raised three daughters, has said many times that boys are definitely different from girls. She was talking to another mother, who had boys, about this. This mother said, yes, boys don't color. I thought that was the perfect way to describe it.

I read the parenting magazines that offer advice about crafts and activities you can do with your child. It all sounds great, but my kids just won't do it. I bought them stickers to play with while I did some scrap booking. They stuck the stickers on the paper and then put the paper through my paper cutter over and over. I was stuck cleaning up a mess of shredded paper on the floor. Coloring is a good quiet activity. My kids had more fun breaking the crayons in half then putting crayon to paper. That's about as far as our creative endeavors have gone. My boys are more interested in running, screaming and destroying. I love them. I just wish they would sit and color sometimes.