Um. The Boy has gone totally insane. Like really, totally, and completely insane. Like, I have no idea what to do with this kid anymore. Like, he’s so freaking smart that he may need to go to school now instead of waiting until he’s of age.
Not only is he walking, but he’s responding like a champ. He runs to an open door immediately so he can both open AND close it. Because we need help opening and closing our doors.
Today, we went to the beach, as we do most days when it’s hot. The Boy had so much fun playing in the sand and destroying sand castles, although the ocean water is still a challenge. When he was done playing, he understandably got a little fussy. Noticing that we weren’t doing anything about leaving yet, he escaped and crawled a few feet away to where our shoes and Hubs’ tshirt was. Boy picked up the tshirt, and started walking back to Hubs with the tshirt in the air, as if to say, all right, guys I’m done now. I have your shirt so now we can go.
Um. What???
He plays the piano. It used to be banging with his hands and all the keys and sounded like banging. Now? He’s playing individual notes with individual fingers, and it sounds really nice.
Who IS this kid? And NOW what do I do with him? It’s like he’s two. And he just turned one.
He answers questions with sounds and gestures. Simple things like, do you want mumma to cut up your hot dog so you can eat it? Because that is a simple question that a one year old can answer. And he handed me his hot dog.
I’m just saying.
I may be a little biased because he’s my son. But he is awfully smart.
Been a bit busy lately. And I have quite a few posts that are in need of backdating, because they should have been posted long ago. Including the Boy’s 11 month newsletter. Especially since he’ll be 1 in less than 10 days. Pretty amazing. And I could go on and on about all the fantastic and amazing things he does and gush over him, but I’ll save that for his newsletters.
I’ve been busy doing quite a bit actually. Hubs and I have been going to our local farmer’s market and trying to sell things. What REALLY happened was that we got a lot of email addresses and phone numbers for a nice database. So we’ll see if anything comes from that.
Also, and probably more importantly, I found myself a paid writing position. Well, it’s a contract/freelance type gig, but it pays. So I’m SO game. It’s nice. I can turn over a large number of articles in a short period of time for any given project, and there’s very little editing that is requested of me. It’s pretty awesome. So awesome that I’ll be ordering business cards soon. Yup. I think this could take off. And at the very least, I’ll have something to put in those fishbowls at restaurants to win a free lunch. Optimistic, no?
So, if you are in need of a writer, check out my contact/hire me page that will be coming soon. Because this is my blog and I’m allowed to promote myself, shamelessly or otherwise.
Ugh. I am so behind on the A to Z challenge right now. But we’ve had a few really good days that have been keeping us busy that I haven’t really been around the computer to do anything. I CAN blog from my phone, but honestly, I think it’s much easier to write with the computer in front of me.
Hubs had two days off from work in the middle of the week where we had almost nothing to do. So we drove down to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. We go down a few times a year. Actually, we went down when my parents came to town, but the last time before that was when MIL and SIL were in town after the Boy was born, so we really didn’t get that far because it was June and peak season.
It was nice driving down to Hatteras, and damned if it didn’t take all day to find the lighthouse. We stopped at a plant nursery and bought a birdhouse and some plants for the backyard. We did the front yard at Lowes later. Then we stopped for ice cream, and I’m not kidding when I say I had THE best hot fudge sundae I’ve ever had since I worked at an ice cream place. And then we ended up having a great dinner at a local place called Mulligans who had 1/2 price pizza (so we got 2) and a yummy cup of She-crab soup.
Thursday, we had an afternoon appointment, but we spent the early part of the day outside working in the garden and doing some minor landscaping.
And we finally had Easter Dinner. There was every intention to have Easter dinner ON Easter, but Hubs had to work at 3am the next morning, and we had stuffed ourselves nearly silly with a late lunch of hamburgers and hotdogs. So Thursday we had Easter dinner of turkey ham, mashed potatoes, mac ‘n cheese, and potato skins. And lunch the next day was leftovers.
Today was a great day too. And I have to say that this is one of the reasons that I love getting the newspaper. We went to a car show down on the oceanfront that Hubs heard about on the radio. Lots of classic cars, and the weather was beautiful, so why not spend the day outside. Then we took off to the state park where there was going to be a reading of Dr. Seuss‘s the Lorax followed by a craft – which I DID find in the paper this morning. The story was cute, but the Boy wasn’t overly interested because there were so many other things going on. But the craft kept his attention. They handed out blank puzzles for kids to draw their favorite part of the story. Hubs and the Boy took on this project and we have a really cute puzzle as a souvenir.
The state park was beautiful otherwise. We had the puppy with us, and she enjoyed the walk as much as we did. And the Boy was so enthralled with everything around him.
So I finally got a chance to sit down at the computer and get some emails done. And tomorrow Hubs will most likely spend most of the day sleeping because he has the overnight tomorrow night, and I’ll be getting more work done. I hope.
There is an older gentleman at our church that reminds me of Mr. Magoo. And he cracks me up. He wears glasses, which Mr. Magoo clearly doesn’t in most pictures. And he sounds like Mr. Magoo.
And boy, does this guy crack me up. The first time I saw him, I thought he resembled Magoo a little, but then I heard him speak and sing, and I almost died. Magoo is clearly an old school gentleman who is dead set on saying the prayers as they were taught to him a hundred years ago, even though the Catholic Church has changed the wording to most of the prayers and has made a big deal about re-teaching the whole Church the new prayers. But not Magoo. He won’t have any of it. Some of the prayers he’s changed, but for the most part, he says what he wants to. Even the songs he sings aren’t always the correct words that everyone else is singing.
But he is a very nice man. He keeps to himself, and is very polite. There is also a woman that attends Mass with him sometimes. An older woman, perhaps a companion, but I don’t know. It’s cute anyway.
I can’t believe you’re 10 months old. And in nine short weeks, you’ll be 1. Every time I look at the calendar, more time has passed and you just keep changing and growing. And you keep doing new things that make us laugh. You really are my favorite little guy.
Last month we took a very long car trip to visit your Grammie and Papa in Florida, and you were really a trooper. A 12+ hour car ride is hard for adults, but I can imagine it was much harder for you, as displayed every day now when you fuss more about getting in your carset than you used to. But I suspect the more we do it, the easier it will be. We just won’t be doing any super long car rides for awhile.
Your Grammie and Papa absolutely LOVED you. We went to the beach, and you stuck your toes in the Gulf of Mexico at Fort Desoto, but the water was a little overwhelming for you, so you and I played on the beach in the sand. And then you ate the sand. But you still had fun running around and playing with Grammie and Papa.
You also had your first ride in a swing in Florida. We stopped in St. Augustine at a park that had a merry-go-round, which you did not love. And you sat in the swing. And you kicked your feet and laughed. And it was your favorite thing.
And you’ve been doing more mimicking lately. You laugh when we laugh. I’m not sure if it’s a real laugh or a fake copied laugh, but it’s certainly funny. And you seem happy about doing it.
Oh, and you’ve been waving. I can’t tell you how happy I am that you’ve started waving. You don’t wave to everyone. Mostly to that awesome baby in the mirror, and to mom and dad sometimes, and if you’re in the mood, one of the nice ladies at Church. And it’s so cute.
This last week, you’ve been doing something totally new and different and cracks me up every time you do it. And you seem to enjoy it also. You love the big pillows on our bed, so you try to pick one up, and pull it back on top of you as you fall backwards laughing. This is the kind of thing I need a video for because I honestly die laughing every time you do it.
I have to say that out of all the funny, cute or amazing things you do, you are still a little ladies man. In fact, all dressed up in your Easter suit on Easter Sunday, you found yourself a new girlfriend. She’s older than you, but only by four months. She held your hand, gave you a hug, and then kissed you. I thought I’d have a few more years before I’d have to worry about you dating, but this was just plain adorable.
You’ve been so great and so adaptable, even when it’s been hard and we’ve been so busy. Your dad and I had a real estate seminar, and we were able to work it out so we could go in shifts and someone could stay with you. Only one day it didn’t work, and we needed a babysitter. For the second time in 10 months. And you were great. It’s understandable that you were a little sad and wasn’t really sure what was going on, even though I talked to you about it beforehand. You’re still just a little guy, and you’re still learning, and it was hard. But your babysitter, A, loved you anyway. And we made sure to thank her the next chance we got. And you got her a cute little stuffed bunny to thank her, too.
So, your first Easter was a success, new girlfriend and all. Oh! And we played bubbles for the first time! Meemaw sent you a box of great things, including a tshirt, some toys, and bubbles. So, of course, we had to play with them. At first you weren’t sure what to think, but once you realized that those crazy bubbles were getting away, they were so funny. I’m not sure who was more excited playing bubbles, you or me. I know I can’t wait to play bubbles again and I can’t wait until I can teach you how to blow bubbles. I’m sure you’ll love it.
You’ve also been so great at the baseball games we’ve gone to. Two in the last week. The second was a hard game because it didn’t start until 7pm, which was awfully close to bedtime. But we got there a little after 5, and kept you entertained the whole time. You loved watching the Tides Band
And then bonding with Gramma sitting next to us when she gave you a french fry. And then another. You are quite the little charmer, and everyone you meet comments on how happy you are. And I agree. You never get sad or fussy unless there’s a really good reason. Or you’re tired.
I know we keep you busy, and you do so well just going with the flow. Logan Mateo, you are such a great kid. And you’re so happy. And I can’t wait to watch you continue to grow and learn. It’s been so amazing so far, and you keep the surprises coming.
‘Tis the season for… BASEBALL! And I expect there to be lots and lots of it this season.
Today, we went to the Tides Opening Day. The Tides are our local AAA Team. The other day we saw the Tides play the Baltimore Orioles in an exhibition game, wherein the Tides won. Just a note, the Tides are the farm team for the Orioles, meaning the Orioles pull players up from the Tides to play in the majors. Also, it is my opinion that if you are playing against your farm team, you ought to be winning.
Anyway…
This was the Boy’s first opening day. We went a little early and got to see some batting practice, but the highlight for the Boy, I’m sure, was the Tides band, which consisted of a tuba, trombone, trumpet, and a drum. The Boy was truly enthralled – they took breaks, and he would look around to see what else was going on, but as soon as they started playing again, he looked at them the entire time.
Other than the band, he did really well. We sat next to a Gramma and Grampa who were just hysterical. The Boy bonded with Gramma when she gave him a french fry, and then another. Happiest kid ever. Hubs said the Gramma just kept going with the jokes. “There are so many Os on the scoreboard we could make Spaghetti-O’s.”
The Tides lost their Home Opener 1-0. But it was a great game, with a great atmosphere. And free tacos. At the end of the game, Taco Bell was giving out samples of their new Doritos Taco, which was sooo yummy!
Hubs and I went to a real estate seminar this week. We talked a lot about various dos and don’ts of buying and selling real estate, and what types of things add value to homes when buying or selling. And I plan to dedicate more of a post to this later on.
But we eventually got into talking about added value things that come from creating a “green” property. Things like toilets that use less water when the flush to using carpets that are made from recycled materials, or even using bamboo instead of local trees for hardwood flooring.
Although, thinking about it now I’m not surprised, but it was amazing to think of all the things people look for in homes, and that being green is important to a lot of people.
And although we just moved in, and are still trying to do the decorating and all the things that make our house OUR hose, I want to start thinking about things that we can do to make our home more green, and then eventually do them.
It’s been all over the news. It started locally, but wasted no time spreading like wildfire to DC, Baltimore, New Jersey, the Boston, and beyond I’m sure. But the news was scary, nonetheless. A Military Jet (F/18) crashed into a local apartment complex in Virginia Beach just after noon today. The very same apartment complex Hubs and I would drive by going to the beach for the last two summers. The very same type of jets that flew over our apartment a few miles away where we lived for two years. Yeah, it’s scary.
And the miracle here is that everyone survived. There were several people injured, but no one died. And with a direct hit like that, I’m surprised but happy that no one died. Today was Good Friday, and I can imagine there were many people that took the day off or left work early, not to mention all the kids that weren’t in school because of April break or Good Friday. This had the potential to be a much bigger disaster.
Hubs and I talked to lots of different people who were basically saying the same thing: nothing like this has EVER happened before. EVER. And the amusing part to everyone is that in December, they were running maneuvers that used this very scenario, one that would help them navigate through the situation where a jet would land anywhere but the Naval Base.
And no. No one has ever crashed into an apartment complex like this before, in this area. However, that is not the first crash the Oceana Naval Air Station has seen 25 crashes over the past four decades, the most recent being in 2007 during a practice run for an airshow. The jet crashed beyond the runway in the woods and the pilot died. You can read about a few other incidents in our local paper here.
Whether there have been dozens of crashes or none, it’s still scary to think about those jets flying over our apartment, over the beach, day after day, practicing maneuvers, making noise.
I’m not gonna lie. I don’t miss those jets. I didn’t mind them when we lived in their air path. But I certainly didn’t miss them. And I miss them much less now.
I’m really enjoying this A to Z challenge. It’s forcing me to both write every day (or as much as possible) and write about anything and everything. Giving each day its own letter is forcing me to just write about anything, not just the random and infrequent post about what is going on in my life.
I should be sleeping. Or cleaning. But I’m wide awake. I have some annoying life insurance physical exam at 10:30 this morning, and I have very little interest in it. But I’ll do it and get it over with.
Otherwise, I’m taking a short pause from the A to Z Challenge. Just a post about babies. Which I could have done two days ago, under the letter B, but I didn’t really think of these things until yesterday.
I have a son. He’s almost 10 months old. And he is the best thing ever. And Hubs and I tried for nearly two years to conceive before the Boy blessed us. And now I’m wondering if we should be doing it again.
A friend of mine back home, who was pregnant the same time I was, just announced that they are expecting baby #2. I couldn’t be happier for them. I wish them all the best. But it got me thinking about whether I want to do it again. I guess deep down, I would love to have another child. And if God wants to bless us with another child, so be it. I won’t be upset. But the question is: are we supposed to have another child? Maybe not now, but someday? I don’t want to put any silly limits on myself with age or time between kids and whatnot. And if it happens, that’s the way it was supposed to be. But is it supposed to be? I know we won’t know until we know. And we haven’t been trying. And we’ve talked about waiting a little bit for the Boy to get a little older.
But the thing is, I hate the questions. I hated the questions when I was single about when I was getting married. And the ones when I was married about when we’re having kids. And now that we have a kid, the questions that ask if we’re having more. I think it’s a terribly personal question, but people love to ask anyway. And I don’t really have a polite, classy, diplomatic response. I usually answer, “we don’t know yet,” or something of the like.
I guess what I’m saying is that I would love to have another baby, but if it’s not meant to be I won’t be upset because that is the way it is supposed to be. But if we end up being blessed again, I know I’ll be over the moon.
I just don’t like the questions that put you on the spot.
Also, I think I’m feeling a little pressure because both my parents mentioned it the other day. In a very direct, very obvious way. I told my mother that I didn’t want any more, and that one was enough, and she was sad. But my default mode when dealing with my mother is to not give her any hope, because she WILL take it too far. And then it’s sad if I have to let her down.
I don’t know. Just a few things I’m thinking about.
Kerri, with a K 