Thanksgiving

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. The first without my mother. I have been reflecting this week about what makes my life so great and it all comes down to family; JA, WA and IA, as well as my in-laws, my own dad, my amazing brother and sister-in-law and my aunts/cousins. Without them I would have crumbled this past year. I am also very thankful for having the opportunity to grow up with, learn from and love a woman as special as my Mom. I still miss her daily, but am so lucky to have had her in my world for so long. My friends, near and far, have helped me stay true to me, and again I am grateful for that. My life would not be my life without those who feed it....I love and am thankful for each and every one.

The floodgates are open

Today brought move tear numbers 2 and 3.

I picked up the kids at daycare today and was doing fine until I walked in to WA's class. It was a bit of a madhouse, since all parents seemed to converge at the same time because daycare got out early due to the holiday. They children had "movie day" and were just finishing Blue's Clues, so they were all somewhat distracted. WA's teacher took him aside and said some very nice words and gave him a gift. He then gave a hug to his very first girlfriend, MK (that one definitely made my eyes tear) and said bye to some of his male buddies. The children in his class made him a card, and I could not read it there...I knew it would be waterwork city. WA also said goodbye to some of the teachers that have made his experience there great...including Ms. N. We made it out the door, but not before I was getting a bit sniffley.

Once home we got a visit from WA's other favorite teacher, Ms. C. Ms. C hung out for just a little bit before she had to hit the road for T-day. WA was excited that she was at his house and told her that she needed to stay "ALL DAY LONG". They played for a bit and then it was time to say goodbye. WA played coy thinking that if he didn't really say goodbye to Ms. C, that she wouldn't really go. Finally he gave her a hug, as did I. We stepped outside so WA could wave as she went out the driveway and then it was back indoors. That's when I lost it. I am very fond of Ms. C, always have been, but I think what hit me most was saying goodbye to someone who clearly cares for my kids. It was also tough saying goodbye today to people who have enriched my child's life, and Ms. C, Ms. N, MK, LP, LS, JM and AS...they all have and it was tough to see that literally and figuratively walk out the door.

Next is saying goodbye to my brother and sister-in-law. Oh lord, wish me good luck for I teared up just writing that sentence!

The end is near...

Me:
It's all becoming real. This move to Ohio. I have to admit I am SO ready to be a one state family. While I really have treasured most of the moments with my kids over this past month, I'm utterly exhausted. Taking care of two kids on your own is no picnic...there's zero downtime and it's even rougher when everyone is still not sleeping through the night. It's not all warts and rocks though, there has been an upside too. Being the only day-to-day love and support for my children has given me a special present....some excellent and unexpected bonding. Both of my kids have needed extra from me and I have been happy to oblige with hugs, cuddles and kisses. WA has also used me as his confidant becoming more verbal, expressing his thoughts and telling stories. The roller coaster ride is almost over and, for the most part, I'm glad the end is near.

IA:
IA is blissfully unaware of any change (ah, to be young:)) and is doing great. The only issue with her is that she is a packing blocker. Whenever she is in the same room, she wants to play or be held...and she's hard to resist! When my husband calls she mutters "Dada, dada, dada", so she is clearly missing him in her own way, as do we all. She's gonna do great and will likely never really remember living in CT (though we will be visiting often). 

WA:
So tomorrow is WA's last day at his daycare. This experience has brought my first (and definitely not last!) associated move tears. The thought of him leaving his buddies is really tough. There are a few that he just loves and that have been with him for almost his entire life. He's also leaving behind some of his favorite teachers, the lovely Ms. Cherine and his first love, Ms. Natalie. I'm not sure how much of this WA really understands, but hopefully his last day will be a good one. He's had a rough go with all the flux happening recently and I look forward to life getting a bit easier on him.

18 days and we'll all be Buckeyes. Yup, it's real.

WA's first joke

As told to me last night at dinner....

WA: "Mommy, what do you do if a gorrilla is in your seat?"
NA: "I dunno, what?"
WA: "You sit somewhere else."

He, and his oh-so-dry sense of humor, cracked himself up...which in turn cracked up IA, which just added more fuel to his fire. More and more each day he takes after my dad. Lord help me!

School pics

This morning, as I got WA dressed for school, there was extra added pressure. Today is school picture day. I ended up picking out some khaki pants, a white collared shirt and a blue pull over sweater thinking this is as good as it was going to get. After slipping on his pants and shirt he looked me straight in the eye and said "But Mommmmm, what about my tie?" Huh? His tie? About a year ago I got him a clip-on bow tie that he's attempted to wear once, with disasterous results. I put it away, defeated, assuming that it would stay in the drawer from here on out. That is until it came out of left field today! Naturally I didn't fight his request, pulled out the tie and clipped that sucker right on. He looked adorable and I had a good laugh. The tie was still on when I dropped him off this morning, but we'll see what state he ends up in the pictures.

IA's 1 year stats

At 12 months and one day IA remains a contender for the WWE. The following are her stats after this morning's one year check up...

Height: 97%
Weight: 97%
Head: 25%

(Which one is not like the others!)

IA's hospital adventure

This morning I woke up at 5am to head to the hospital. Just one year ago, I woke up at 5am to go to the hospital, but for an entirely different reason. I went to actually deliver IA herself. The whole process of waking up this morning, getting dressed (with a sense of anxiety mixed with anticipation), packing the bag...it was all there. We got to the hospital, checked in and met with various nurses, then in walks the anesthesiologist.  I looked up and wham! deja vu again. Turns out this guy was the same doctor who gave me an epidural 12 months ago. He's a super nice doctor and I was comforted that IA had him, because at least I had experience with his professionalism and trusted him for what I consider the worst part...going under. I have to say that in her short life, leaving IA in that OR is by far the worst feeling I've had. I hope to never do that again. I kept it together (somewhat) and was able to relax for just a few minutes before she came out. Once out of the OR, she was in recovery for a few minutes without me and then I was allowed in. She was crying hysterically (as most kids do when they come out of the fog), but did really well and was comforted by a bottle and some cheerios. The rest was fairly routine and we were home in just a few hours. All in all it was pretty easy and I'm very happy that she can now put restless nights, discomfort and poor hearing behind her. Not the b-day present I expected to give her, but one I think she'll appreciate even if she can yet say so.

Happy Birthday IA!

My baby is one year old today. HOLY COW! I really can not believe it. She has grown so, so much and is turning into a joyful kid. Not only have her looks changed, but she is more outgoing and less serious. Granted, she can still throw a redhead tantrum with the best of them and can still stare you down until you flinch, but she is turning in to her own person and laughing and loving each step. I am so thankful to have had her at my side this past year and I really look forward to watching her grow and to being her mom....at least until she hits 13:).

Happy Birthday IA, I love you.  

Does it make me a bad mom if...

I have my daughter put under anesthesia for the first time in her life AND buy her a pre-made birthday cake all in the same day? IA is definitely getting the shaft!

That old familiar feeling

Ah "adulthood" how I've missed you so...

I'm not talking about the kind of adulthood you qualify for by holding down a job or paying your own bills or having kids and pets; but the kind for which you qualify when you go out and have dinner and pleasant conversation with people your own age and really, really enjoy it. Last night I went out with four fantastic ladies. We spent four hours, yes FOUR hours, chatting, dining and gossiping (come on, how can you not?!?). It was heaven. No husbands, no kids, just us ladies. I haven't done something like that in FAR too long. Most of my social life now centers around my kids (kid b-day parties, kid friendly bbqs, playdates, etc) so it was extremely refreshing to hang with some girlfriends. My only regret is that I am moving and I will definitely miss my new friends and these dinners. All I can say is DS, DM, AB and MH, thanks for one fun night! Hopefully it won't be the last.

Oh yeah, word to the wise...make sure you tell your husband (who may or may not be out of town) that you have plans or else you'll have 7 voice mails and an extremely freaked out spouse. Lesson learned:).

No more excuses

Dum, dum, dum. The boxes arrived today. Now I have no more excuses. Packing must begin. Crap.

Tell like it is brother!

This is hysterical and just so pure and true to the way kids see the world. It's a re-post of a Facebook comment from a friend of mine...

"NM Mom* was talking with kid #1* about our dreams. Kid #2* said "what are dreams?" We told him they are little stories that go on in your head while you're sleeping. He says "OH...nap movies! I have those."


*names have been changed

O to the H to the I to the O

Ohio here we come! Our move is now official and there is so much to do before then I think my head might actually explode. My husband is already in Ohio and has started work, so I am in CT attempting to hold down my full time job, take care of two kids, get all move/mortgage/daycare logistics figured out, pack and nurse my daughter through ear surgery. Oh, yeah and let's not forget Thanksgiving. Aye gavolt. Am I excited? Not at the moment. But I will be once we are there and settled. Until then, I'm just trying to hold it all together.

(so please forgive the sporadic posts, this blog many lean toward the "Random" in Spiffy and Random through the holidays or at least until things even out a bit)

The gift that keeps on giving

So say it's your first birthday....what would you like? A colorful book? A musical toy with lots of buttons? A trip to the park? Some cake? Well, if you're IA, you're getting a fantastic trip to the hospital for ear tube surgery. Awesome! Granted, it's actually a pretty amazing gift, in so much as she is going to be able to hear without feeling like she's underwater and will be incredibly more comfortable than she is now. But it's not actually the way I envisioned spending my baby's first b-day. I must say the guilt I had when scheduling it for THAT day, man, pretty darn big. Unfortunately it was the only day available before we move and this can not wait. She is miserable, I am miserable, we all need her to feel well. I WANT her to feel well. So for now she's got her appointment and the only thing that is really freaking me out is the anesthesia. I'm going to try not to think too much about it (but it really does scares the crap out of me!) and focus on the positive. And one thing I can promise...once the surgery is over, a big fat cake will be waiting for her at home!