Illinois Marathon - belated

Bug and T-Dad participated in the Illinois Marathon Youth Run on April 11, 2009. I missed it. We were home celebrating my birthday with my aunt, her aunt in law, her fiance and my folks...and Mealyworm and Early Bird. :) The pictures are worth a thousand words though...(I'm a few months behind...but these were so cute.)

Stretching is very important before a big run.

They ran into Memorial Stadium.

T-Dad got to run with Bug the whole way.

Bug was really proud of his accomplishment...and so was T-Dad. :)

All the kids who participated got a really nice medal, t-shirt and shoulder sack.

Coolest Cat

We don't deserve the coolest cat in the world. Matthew is harrassing her all the time. Hopefully she will continue to be cool and not get warped into some grouchy, recluse cat.

Perceptive Little Punk

So Mealyworm picks up my body language and I'm not happy about it. I can't be bitchy anymore. I can't be pissed off about nothing or irritated by typical toddler behavior. I can't roll my eyes at my own stupidity, curse my husband (under my breath) or groan with annoyance at the idiocy of drivers. She's all over me like a fly on poop. She says.."Are you happy, Mommy?" and I pause and wonder...do I tell the truth or do I lie. And then if her behavior in anyway has caused my "unhappiness" she asks "Do you want to be my friend, Mommy?" and depending on the severity of her infraction of the rules OR my own annoyance level...I find myself, again, wondering, do I tell the truth or do I lie?

I'm always tempted to be selfish and shout - "No, I am not happy. I am far from happy. There is nothing right now that is remotely happy. Thanks for asking, Mealyworm."
And as for "Do I want to be your friend?" - "No, I don't want to be friends with a little brat who won't leave her pacifier in her bed like I asked a million times, who eats her big brothers candy that he has hidden in his "secret" spot, who gets into my purse and chews 5 pieces of gum at one time, who hits the cat and pokes her baby sister in the eye. Really, that's not my idea of a "friend." But thanks for asking."

But (usually) I respond - "Yes, Mealyworm, I'm happy. Mommy is just frustrated right now because blah, blah, blah. But I'm happy."
And as for do I want to be your friend? "Yes, Mealyworm, I want to be your friend. I'm happy to be your mommy and I will always be your #1 fan. I am your friend in the truest sense...I'm your mom and will always love you."

I guess sometimes when I think I'm lying, its really the truth deep down.

Knitting

My mom is an awesome knitter. She learned to knit a long time ago, even knitted my dad a sweater in college ( that I wore all the time when I was in high school). But she was out of the knitting phase when I was growing (and totally into sewing...all our clothes). So I actuaaly learned how to knit when I was in Germany. My German exchange friend, Silke, taught me how to do it. And shortly there after, my mom picked up her needles again and has been knitting ever since. on her most recent visit she finished knitting a blanket for Mealyworm's baby dolls. Very cute. Here's Mealyworm giving it a whirl...

Early Bird

A little ditty I wrote when Early Bird was born...

10 fingers, 10 toes. A beating heart and a button nose. So small, and sleepy and honestly frail. But not a detail was missed, not even a fingernail.

Crying baby and a smile

What's been going on with Early Bird...

Colic. She cries all the time in the evening. She screams bloody murder and tightens every little muscle in her small body, fighting the pain in her tummy. She looks at me with this pissed off scowl and screams in high-pitched newborn caterwauling, with every ounce she's got -

What the &@%$ is going on! I'm in pain, something hurts. Why? WTF, mama?

On a good note...she naps alot during the day. AND...

The other day, she smiled at me. Such a precious reward.

My baby boy is 5

Yep, he's 5. He is totally ready. Five is what he is. He doesn't act like a 4 year old. In fact, I'd say he hasn't acting four for months now. He's officially a five-year-old now. He was born at 10:11 pm. Congratulations, Bug.

Week 4 - Calgon take me away.

Okay...it should be easier. We should be in a "routine" of some kind. My house should be cleaner than ever with my being off work for like 2 months. But uh...no. None of the above. Aaargh!
Its terrible when you really try to force your 2 year old to sit and watch TV. I find myself wishing she would get fixated on the television, like her older brother...so that I could accomplish something...anything! But who am I kidding...if she and her older brother were both sitting transfixed to the TV...the newborn would be wailing or the cat would be puking or the washing maching overflowing, etc. I need to be better about just getting stuff done despite the circumstances...hmpf.