Saturday, January 29, 2011

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

35 Months

Bud,

I am terribly late with your letter this month.  I have no good excuse really.  You have been phasing out naps.  You would think that this would open up a whole new world of late night possibilities.  However, it has kind of blown up in my face because you still don't really go to bed early.  If you take a nap, its from 1:45-3:45 and then bedtime ranges from 9-10:30.  You really have thought of something manically brilliant to keep your bedtime inching further and further into mom's play time. Right after we get all cozy, our 4 books finished and have begun talking about the day you suddenly declare that you have to go poo-poos!  So, yes, of course lets go poo-poos.  I can't deny you that, no matter what the time.  So, we truck to the bathroom and then we read more books.  And you MILK IT.  "But mom!?!  I'm taking my time."  Of COURSE YOU ARE!!!  It's only midnight, NO BIGGIE!  If I ask you before we go to bed you conveniently don't have to go.  The clincher is you ALWAYS poop.  You're an opportunistic pooper.  So, then I think, 'HA I will take away nap time and then surely you will pass out around 8!'  Think again, Mom!  You usually hit a really rough patch around 5:30 but then get a second wind and are up until 8:30-9.  So, now I have no free time to do anything.  Ohhh plus I got the flu.  Thats a good excuse, right?  The FLU.  Who gets the flu?  People who are too busy to be inconvenienced by the shot. So, I got the flu and then freaked out that you were going to get the flu and got both of us on tamaflu.  Which, cross my fingers, you don't seem to be sick at all.  I'm still struggling.  I know after writing this everyone is going to tell me to just put you to bed at 6 when you get tired but, you know what, I do not function before 7.  Literally, it WILL NOT go well for anyone if I have to get up that early.  There will be a light at the end of this tunnel, I'm just not sure when...

Christmas was brought to a whole new level this year.  I wasn't prepared for how awesome it would be.  Don't get me wrong, last year was great and it was so exciting for both of us. But this year.... blew last year out. of. the. water.  You were so excited at everything you got, so attentive, and just so wonderful.  Honestly, I was a little worried for a while.  Because you asked for a snowmobile.  And considering you can't ride a tricycle I wasn't sure if Santa could deliver on a WHOLE snowmobile.  It's kind of a lot.  I was a worried that there would be a mini-meltdown.  Fortunately, you were pretty distracted with all the amazing Legos that you got you haven't asked for a snowmobile yet. There's still your birthday.  The Legos are a HUGE distraction.  Whoever invented Legos is a genius.  We play with them everyday and you have enough to wallpaper the house with them.  There are just endless possibilities.  You love creating huge "Lego Cities" and then something catastrophic happens.  Like an explosion or a tornado and then there are Legos all over the den in 5 minutes flat.

On a slight down turn, you had your first ear infection this month which was a bummer.  No matter how many antibiotics I put you on we just couldn't kick it.  For someone who never gets sick, you really stuck it out.  Of course, the second medicine they put you on tasted AWEFUL so you banned all medicine entering your mouth.  And since you are very very clever it was hard to trick you.  I swear I could put two yogurts in front of you and you would shun the medicine concealed yogurt EVERY TIME.  You're just that smart.  Or if I begged and/or bribed you enough you would let me put it in your mouth and then let it slowly dribble down your clean shirt.  That was a fantastic time.  Thankfully, the third medicine tasted better and got you better too.  Just in time for Mom to get the flu!  I think you forgot about the medicine horror already because you have been taking your tamaflu fine or maybe its because it comes with this shooter thing that you think is fabulous.  Either way, I'll take it.

Sometimes when Gammy comes home from work and I spent the majority of the day playing with you, catering to every fire in the house, I like to have some adult time.  I enjoy talking with Gammy when she gets home.  You could care less about my need for adult interaction.  If I am talking and you really want me to be listening to you, you come within an inch of me and grab my face in your two hands.  Look me straight in the eyes and tell me about some truck that dumped its garbage on the street.  Honestly, like it is the most important story of the year.  Determined to capture all of my attention.  If I'm in the other room and you need me you call, "Hey You! Hey you.  MOM!!"  You sing made up songs in the car and ask for just "one more chocolatey kisses."  When you get excited you jump and hop.  If I'm holding you, I can feel you vibrating with energy getting ready to jump as soon as I put you down. You have a million and one of these funny gestures that I am so afraid I am going to forget.  I just have to write them down to immortalize them.

I always get a little sentimental around this time of year.  I blame it on all the down time after the crazy holiday rush. I have decided that this year is going to be the year of before.  Let me explain.  Right before I found out about you, I spent a year in South Carolina.  Pretty much, by myself, meeting a ton of new people.  However, if I had known it was my last year of my ridiculous parting, or whimsically accepting party invitations, or causally sipping on tea by the water, and being completely untethered to anything (home, career, relationships, etc) I probably would have done more.  If I had known that my life was about to change as drastically as it did, I would have enjoyed it all more.  Relished in my laziness.  Checked off some of my long standing organization tasks.  Maybe have gone out a little more by myself rather then sit and watch TV.  Taken some of my homeowners out to dinner.  Just lived my life a little fuller knowing that everything might be changing soon.  So, I have decided to start living my life, our life, as if this time might be fleeting.  Maybe in the next year I'll get a new job and I won't get to spend as much time with you.  Or a new love that will make us a threesome.  Or a new home that will make life a little more stressful.  This is going to be the year of no regrets.  I am going to plan day trips into Brooklyn, sign up for your swim lessons, take that trip to LA, just live better, a little fuller.  Live our life like maybe some big change is right around the corner, because maybe it is.  And maybe I will look back on this time as the time before and wish I had a little more of it.

I love you every minute of every day,
Mom

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Snow Day

Most of our 8-15" snow day was spent outside playing.  Wyatt was bundled so much he could hardly move and I had to change his freezing wet gloves twice.  We tried to make a pretty awesome Igloo with one of the neighbors but didn't get so far.  And Wyatt basically just wanted to dig with his digger which is not very helping when you have to dig out an entire Igloo.  
Lizzy eventually abandoned the Igloo and decided to build a snow sphinx.  Surely, the first in snow day history.
My snow bunny.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Things I Learned in 2010

I learned that I can be happy everyday.  Being happy is a choice.
Netflix is amazing - minus that 28 day rule.
I somehow forgot that training a puppy is endlessly annoying.
Wyatt remembers everything except no throwing things in the house.
I learned to endorse co-sleeping. My son sleeps with me.  This will not always be the case. Deal with it.
Lizzy will always get what she wants. (see: iPad for xmas, extra 5G's off tuition for No apparent reason, the bigger bedroom, Dr's notes to get out of finals, a boyfriend, a job she goes to when she feels like it, a handicap parking space, etc, etc.)

I am still learning to taking a deep breath and do things that aren't the popular choice but the right choice for me.
The older Wyatt gets the more assured I become that his name is absolutely perfect for him.
Smart phones are a blessing and a curse, I now understand the term crackberry.
Cute dogs can still be stupid.
I spend more time worrying then events actually warrant.
Wyatt is perfectly adaptable in every situation.

I learned that living with a toddler is ENDLESSLY amusing.
I really enjoy camping and would like to start a yearly tradition.
Potty training was wicked easy. (Yes, I am rubbing it in.)
I have perfected the art of completely blocking/ignoring people.
I love my adventure dates with Wyatt, we are the perfect explorers.
I cannot squirt shaving cream one-handed. I will shoot myself in the face.

First days of school are nerve-wracking, no matter who is going.
I learned that 10 years is a long time to harbor silly insecurities.  Let. It. Go. Already.
The Magic Kingdom castle is magical at any age.
Having a best friend that works in the medical field is AMAZING.  I can never feel stupid about calling Jen at 2am to talk about Wyatt's runny nose.
I can get totally lost and engrossed in a book.
Wyatt will entertain, astound, and enlighten me everyday of my life.

The best moment of my day is picking up Wyatt and having him run into my arms.
I learned how to recognize what I want and to believe that I am worth it.
I am a sucker for new technology.
Traveling by yourself is kind of lonely and kind of liberating.
I learned that Lizzy's idea of babysitting is watching Wyatt and the Jersey Shore at the same time.
Some of my best nights are spent with my girls.

After years of spending New Years Eve in Times Square, I would never imagine myself so content to spend it in bed at 9pm with a super cuddly 2 year old.  The perfect way to bring in the new year!
I have learned more life lessons from Wyatt then I ever thought possible.
I am a social person and when I don't interact with people I just get weird.
Lock up your Damn underwear already!
I am a really good mom and am really proud of that.
I have so much more to learn.