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.
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.
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!
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.
Ugh. I can’t begin tell you how much I dislike April Fools Day. Aside from the fact that the day belongs to my BIL, my puppy, and a childhood friend, Hubs LOVES to play funny practical jokes. Except sometimes, they just aren’t funny. Only in a not funny then, funny now sort of way.
Hubs played three successful jokes. And by successful I mean that he was able to take advantage of my inherent gullibility amazing brilliance. First, he told me our cat got out. Grrr. Tiny is an indoor cat who has been known from time to time to take a walk out the door and onto the front porch. So this was very believable. And I’m still shaking my fist at him for this one.
Joke number two was lottery related. Given that we didn’t win the $640 million, Hubs bought a scratch ticket. Typically, when we play scratch tickets, the most we ever win is $1 or $2, so we break even. Hubs told me we won $50. Yeah, I was excited. Until he started giggling. More fist shaking.
And joke number three was just as good and annoying (but don’t tell him about the good part). The Boy has been trying to climb out his seat for awhile now. He used to be successful at throwing himself out and faceplanting on the floor. But then I raised it so he can’t get out. Except he almost did trying to reach something on the floor. So, while I was in the kitchen, Hubs told me that the Boy had climbed out of his seat. Which would not have surprised me if he had. And I went rushing in the room to see, only to find the Boy playing quietly with a toy I’d just given him. Am I still fist shaking? You betcha-by-golly-wow I am.
But in an effort to redeem myself, we called my parents for our big practical joke. I made my dad get out of bed, so both parents could be on the phone to hear our BIG NEWS. Dad was assuming our news was that I’m pregnant again. Which I am not. And would probably not tell them over the phone anyway. We DID tell them that Hubs was part of a pool at work that won the lottery, so we had to split that $640 million 14 ways. Mom was in hysterics with her screaming and yelling. All dad could ask was if we were going to pay off the house.
Yup. April Fools!
Also, one of my Facebook friends posted a funny status that was along the lines of:
What if April Fools doesn’t really exist and it’s the longest running practical joke ever?
Hubs and I have been talking on and off about what to do about school for the Boy. The agreed upon idea is to have him attend elementary school here in Virginia, and then for middle school, send him North to be with his relatives and have the benefit of education in the North, while attending the choir school, provided he can – and he probably will – get in. I’m actually quite happy with this plan for a few reasons. The first is that it is extremely important to Hubs that the Boy at least audition for the choir school. The second is all the time he’ll get to spend with his grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins who all live in the same general area. And thirdly, because there is no question that the schools in Massachusetts are exemplary. I’d say they were number one, on speculation only simply because in my research, I found out that MA was recently ranked #3 out of 50 for education. Vermont ranked first. And Virginia ranked seventh on the same list.
But there are so many different lists out there. In some, MA is ranked first. But what are they basing these rankings on? Is it overall test scores? Percentages of students that can read at an advanced level? How many degrees the state is handing out? Because all are very valid statistics. But they change with the wind, I’m sure.
Don’t get me wrong. I love Virginia and I love the South. But I am worried about how good the education system is. Granted, the Boy will theoretically only be attending until he is middle school aged, so it doesn’t matter. Except it does. And of course, we can do as much home schooling as we need to to supplement what he may not be getting. And all this is speculation of course because I don’t know first hand how the education system is here. Although, having heard the word funner twice in one day really makes me question how well children are being taught. And what’s worse is that I heard it from an adult on the radio, and then a student said it later in an unrelated topic. A word like that makes my ears bleed. And I make up words all the time, but that was just ridiculous.
What was also interesting was yesterday, Hubs and I had some free time, so we went to our local Harley store where they had a petition we’d wanted to sign about tolls they want to put in on our tunnels. We’re against those tolls, in case you were wondering. Anyway, after signing the petition, we spoke to a salesman about buying a bike, and he had some great information, which is a whole other story. The interesting part about our salesman was that he was a retired Math teacher from Brockton, MA who moved to Virginia in 2005. He has two young children who are not yet in school, and he and his wife are struggling with the same issue of what to do about education that we are. His opinion was that, coming from MA and being a retired teacher, MA has the best school system in the country. Of course, I’m sure he’s biased having taught in Brockton, but it is clearly a consensus that MA may have a better school system than Virginia.
We still have time to decide, with Boy still being so young. But we’re also thinking that he will probably attend a Catholic school down here instead of the public schools. And again, this is a long way off. Or maybe it’s not.
Also, I think the South gets a bad rap and is constantly, from what I see, being referred to as uneducated. But do I really want to test that theory?
A question for you, gentle readers: what are your thoughts on the school systems in your area? Would you move to be in a better district or state that allegedly has the highest rates or scores? What about education, benefits and programs for children with special needs – would you relocate for a better program, or would you not want to move because the programs are the most beneficial?
We got back from our nice little vacation Wednesday. We drove down to Florida to visit Hubs’ parents, as we have done and will do every year. So since we drove down, so much time in the car meant a lot of stops to stretch and rest and let the Boy stretch and walk around with us.
One of my favorite stops on the drive down was beautiful Savannah, Georgia. Hubs has a friend who visited Savannah recently and said it was the best part of his trip. So Savannah came strongly recommended. It was definitely our best stop on the way down.
There is so much history and beauty in Savannah. I was constantly snapping pictures, trying to capture as much as I could in the short time we were there.
Our first stop out of the car was a gorgeous water fountain – because we love water fountains – and the Boy loved watching it. In fact, he could barely take his eyes off it. This is one of my favorite pictures of Hubs and the Boy. It’s almost like being there, looking at this picture.
The Capital building (?) was the first thing to catch my eye when we drove into town.
The flowers were just magnificent. In fact, I saw other people with their cameras just taking pictures of the different flowers and the gigantic trees with beautiful Spanish moss draping down.
And then there were the bridges. And the cobblestone streets. And the riverfront. There was nothing about Savannah that didn’t awe me.
Oh and the statues. There is so much history in Savannah. One interesting tidbit that we read about was John Wesley, who co-founded the Methodist movement with his brother Charles Wesley. And they are both known for writing many Christian hymns.
On our way out of Savannah, we drove along the riverfront so we could drive on the cobblestone street. At one shop, there was a line around the corner. It was either an ice cream shop or a place to take tours of historic Savannah. There were also street performers at almost every quasi-intersection. Hubs wanted to stop and pull out his guitar and start jamming with them, but he settled for slowing down and giving them encouraging nods, and perhaps trying to sing with them while driving by.
Being there reminded me of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, except not. It was a movie from the 90’s staring John Cusack, and while it took place in Savannah, I don’t remember anything in the movie looking like anything we saw while we were there. I did, however, think in a heavy Southern accent. I may have spoken with it as well, but I was too busy taking pictures to maintain it.
All in all, this may be a permanent stop on our drive down from now on. It’s funny, considering we’ve been down to Florida three times in the past three years, and this was our first time stopping in Savannah. Our first year we stopped in St. Augustine, Florida, which we did on the way back this year. And we love it. And the Boy is still very young, but I hope that he’ll remember our trips as he gets older and we do them every year.
I went to visit my Aunt L (AL) yesterday. It was a favor to my dad of sorts. And probably the right thing to do. AL is a recovering drug addict. As in, I knew her all my life and she never did drugs around the family, and things never got to the point of an intervention, and I don’t think I knew about any of it until I got much MUCH older. She has a daughter T, who now has a son OC who is severely disabled.
But no one comes to St. Pete to visit them. Hubs and I have been down here three times, and this was the first time we visited. Mostly because I didn’t have much interest before, given the history. AL had stolen from me once or twice, and from the family of course. And she is the reason my dad is blind nearly blind in one eye. But when my parents needed her, she was there. So I went to visit.
And it was sad. The house she’s living in now was left to her from her mother who passed away five years ago. She had three houses, and two of them were sold to divide the money between her children. I don’t think my dad saw a penny.
The house looks very different than I remember it. The outside looks awful and unkempt, but the inside was just as clean as it had ever been.
And I say it was sad because I hadn’t been here in over five years and I wasn’t surprised by any of it. I went with a mixture of excitement and anxiety. I don’t have many relatives, much less ones that I care to have anything to do with, and the fact was, AL was a constant for awhile. And I miss having family. I remember times when she would do my hair, and would want to take me places and would always acknowledge me.
I’ve had her on my mind since we decided to visit St. Pete this year. Nothing big or spectacular, just a thought. And I’d been weighing the pros and cons of going to visit and what precautions I’d have to take and how I would have to prepare myself emotionally. But yesterday morning, I called my parents to ask their opinion. I wanted to know that what I wanted to do was the right thing to do and was what they wanted me to do.
And it was, of course.
So we visited. And it was hard. And sad. But also good because she is still family, and I was happy to hear she was doing so well. T on the other hand, is doing exactly what AL had done at the same age. Running the streets and doing drugs and probably selling herself for cash. And perhaps this is all speculation. And I won’t be the judgy one, even though I’m probably judging them six ways from Sunday because it is not what I would do.
But then again, what WOULD I do in those circumstances?
Anyway, it made me so grateful for the things I have and the life I have, and the family and friends that I have in my life. It truly made me see that things are going to go the way they are supposed to go, and you just have to be patient.
But the point is, I did it. And it was the right thing to do.
Today, you are nine months old. Funny as it is, you have been here in the world on the outside just as long as you were on the inside. It’s funny to think about how fast time has gone by. And you’ve done nothing but amaze me in your short time with us.
Yesterday you finally decided that you liked your sippy cup, and now you won’t let it go. A week ago, you wore your first real pair of shoes and sandals. You don’t LOVE them. Frankly, I think you give me dirty looks every time I put them on your feet.
But you’ve been moving leaps and bounds. You eat anything we give you, and I hope that continues as you get older because I want you to be a foodie, not a picky eater like your mom. Onions? Yuck! Sadly, though, you are allergic to strawberries, although I hope that will pass because they are just so yummy.
I can’t believe how much you’ve changed since you were born.
You are turning into such a handsome little boy.
And you have such a big personality. But it’s no surprise given who your parents are.
You love food, standing, trying to walk on your own, playing in your room, reading, and playing at the beach. The next time we have a beautiful day, we’re going to get you some beach toys so you can REALLY play.
You also have finally taken a liking to the rocking horse you got for Christmas. You used to be afraid to ride it, and now you try to climb it on your own. You’re a little risk taker.
And you still love playing the piano. You play every chance you get. And you can’t get enough. And there’s that cute way you turn and smile looking for approval for the awesome song you just played.
Every day is a new day with you, kiddo. There’s always something new that you do or try. And holy potatoes are you talking up a storm. You’ve got a very clear “Mum-mum-mum” and “Da-da-da.” It cracks me up because it seems you know what you’re saying when you say it. But that could be coincidence. Who are we kidding? You’re brilliant! You know who you want to talk to. When you’re cranky or sad or want Mumma, you know how to call her. And it’s so great.
What about those crocodile tears? You’ve mastered the art of being a big, fat, faker and it is hysterical. Because while you’re a pro at pretending to be sad because you didn’t get your way or someone told you ‘no,’ I’ve become quite adept at determining which cries are your real cries, and which ones have nothing but fake tears. And you know I know, but you try anyway.
And then there’s that adorable way you smile at everything. You are such a happy kid, it’s amazing.
It’s hard to picture my life without you in it. And every day with you is so much fun. And I honestly can’t wait to see what you come up with next.
Kerri, with a K 