i turned 32 today. for some reason, this one is bothering me. i look old to myself in pictures. could be the stress of a new job, or my extra few lbs i seem to be lugging around lately, or my new super short (accidental) mom haircut, or, the strain on my liver of all the wine i drank this weekend....but something. but i just feel kind of meh.
and, i guess for a long time i've surrounded myself by friends who are a few years older than me. but in my new job, all the residents are a cute bubbly 26 and they dress cute and make pop culture references i have to pretend laugh at because i don't understand them and....sigh.
but it wasn't without much celebration! i had a beautiful weekend with my aunts and cousins and grandma, sister, and mom where we went wine tasting and ate ourselves sick, played games, and just generally enjoyed each other. it was wonderful.
and henry went with robb to visit his uncle and great aunt and they had a marvelous time. they swam at a club (no one pooped in the pool) and went to a halloween party where henry tried out his costume for the first time.
this is the first time i've been away from h monkey for 2 consecutive nights and....we both did fine. he is so much less dependent on me lately, it seems the umbilical cord has finally fallen off.
and, of course, i have mixed feelings on this. :) but mostly i'm just really glad he's well-adjusted enough that he can be with daddy and family and relax and enjoy w/o needing me all the time. it's great for him and some freedom for me.
but, thankfully, he snuggled in with me when i came home and let me put him to bed. and i'm off work tomorrow, so, pending weather, we're going to either go to the zoo or a museum or mall or something fun.
he's such a little joy. and i am so stuffed full of cake and blessings. :)
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Monday, October 15, 2012
I is Me but Him is Henry
at the advent of henry's english language learnin', i'm finding a few things difficult to teach.
like pronouns.
child knows who henry is (the middle of his chest/forehead) and he knows "mine" and "me" but i don't think he gets that that is all the same person('s). and the concept of "i" is totally lost.
like who am i? (the person typing)...i am mommy. and but i can't both be "i" and "mommy", can i? and if i'm "i" how can henry also be "i?" or am i "she?" or "her?" and what if i'm referring to the female dog when i say "her?" and what about "him?" is daddy him? or henry?
but henry is "me!?"
it's enough to make my head hurt. or more simply put, "mommy's head hurts. enough of a lesson today, henry. mommy and henry will resume tomorrow. now go fetch mommy her mommy juice."
you can see why kids are still referring to themselves in the 3rd person at ages 4 and 5.
tomorrow....
and we haven't even started tackling the concept of time yet! oy vey.
like pronouns.
child knows who henry is (the middle of his chest/forehead) and he knows "mine" and "me" but i don't think he gets that that is all the same person('s). and the concept of "i" is totally lost.
like who am i? (the person typing)...i am mommy. and but i can't both be "i" and "mommy", can i? and if i'm "i" how can henry also be "i?" or am i "she?" or "her?" and what if i'm referring to the female dog when i say "her?" and what about "him?" is daddy him? or henry?
but henry is "me!?"
it's enough to make my head hurt. or more simply put, "mommy's head hurts. enough of a lesson today, henry. mommy and henry will resume tomorrow. now go fetch mommy her mommy juice."
you can see why kids are still referring to themselves in the 3rd person at ages 4 and 5.
tomorrow....
and we haven't even started tackling the concept of time yet! oy vey.
Monday, October 8, 2012
Sixteen-Love
hj-monkey-clap-yo-hands turned 16 months today.
at this point in his life, he is funny. so funny. he laughs all the time and gives lots of kisses and hugs. he loves to read books and you have to pay attention or he'll be backing onto your lap with a book before you know it. he runs around like a goof and can entertain himself, by himself quite well. he plays with blocks and animals and makes all the animal sounds (the owl, snail, and monster are probably the biggest crowd pleasers- i'll try to catch him on video soon, but you know, he's very wily). he talks quite well. he repeats everything (nothing bad...YET), and recently added "people" and "paper" to his repertoire. he still loves watching the original "the muppet show" from 1978. we've practically worn out the first season, so i'm hoping he'll get the subsequent seasons for Christmas. (amazon wishlist, hint, hint). he also watches 'sesame street' and 'fraggle rock,' but not yet with the same rapt attention that he pays kermit & co. (especially loves the joel grey episode, that's my boy!).
he is mostly really good-natured and chatty and smiley, but he is still, as he was in his tiny infancy, very passionate. tonight he swam during his swimming lesson like he was going for the gold. almost manic in his enthusiasm and vigor. and then crashed hard in the car into a pile of angry drool. he can go from zero to total meltdown in no time. he's taken to beating his head against things when he's really mad and he goes 'boneless' and drops to the floor to make a point. he still doesn't much like being confined- the high chair and car seat is still for chumps. he tends to be clingy on "MOOOOOMMMMMMYYYYY" when he's upset, but that seems to be getting a little bit better.
he can be very melodramatic. we're sort of onto him, though. often with all the histrionics, there are no actual tears and with the right distraction, he can bounce back from meltdown to zero awfully quickly. suspiciously quickly. :)
my parents just keep laughing and shaking their heads, muttering things about how they wonder where he gets his dramatic tendencies and how they don't know anyone else who ever overreacted like that....:)
i have no idea what they're talking about. but it sounds like a bunch of lies.
:)
oh, and next time i write, don't let me forget to tell you about henry's first coed naked bath time and how he got trampled and pooped on (or near) in swift order. it makes for good funnies.
at this point in his life, he is funny. so funny. he laughs all the time and gives lots of kisses and hugs. he loves to read books and you have to pay attention or he'll be backing onto your lap with a book before you know it. he runs around like a goof and can entertain himself, by himself quite well. he plays with blocks and animals and makes all the animal sounds (the owl, snail, and monster are probably the biggest crowd pleasers- i'll try to catch him on video soon, but you know, he's very wily). he talks quite well. he repeats everything (nothing bad...YET), and recently added "people" and "paper" to his repertoire. he still loves watching the original "the muppet show" from 1978. we've practically worn out the first season, so i'm hoping he'll get the subsequent seasons for Christmas. (amazon wishlist, hint, hint). he also watches 'sesame street' and 'fraggle rock,' but not yet with the same rapt attention that he pays kermit & co. (especially loves the joel grey episode, that's my boy!).
he is mostly really good-natured and chatty and smiley, but he is still, as he was in his tiny infancy, very passionate. tonight he swam during his swimming lesson like he was going for the gold. almost manic in his enthusiasm and vigor. and then crashed hard in the car into a pile of angry drool. he can go from zero to total meltdown in no time. he's taken to beating his head against things when he's really mad and he goes 'boneless' and drops to the floor to make a point. he still doesn't much like being confined- the high chair and car seat is still for chumps. he tends to be clingy on "MOOOOOMMMMMMYYYYY" when he's upset, but that seems to be getting a little bit better.
he can be very melodramatic. we're sort of onto him, though. often with all the histrionics, there are no actual tears and with the right distraction, he can bounce back from meltdown to zero awfully quickly. suspiciously quickly. :)
my parents just keep laughing and shaking their heads, muttering things about how they wonder where he gets his dramatic tendencies and how they don't know anyone else who ever overreacted like that....:)
i have no idea what they're talking about. but it sounds like a bunch of lies.
:)
 |
| angry tiny french man. please note the dozens of bottles in front of him meant to bribe him out of his hysteria. apparently smoothies and water just won't cut it when all you want is a good cognac. |
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Happy Anniversary to My robb.
we have great memories of that time. we had a beautiful wedding, some great showers (a tea party and a luau, how cool is that?) and a super fun honeymoon to toronto and stratford, on.
i've decided that weddings should happen a few years into a marriage. after 5-10 years or so, you need all the nice stuff that you didn't register for when you were young and dumb and instead registered for movies and fly swatters at target (ok, we would still do all that today)...so you should get updated showers for things like the vitamix. (holla). also, this far into marriage, after i've learned some stuff, my vows are more specific. see below.
our original vows: "i take you, robb, to be my husband, and these things i promise you: i will be faithful to you and honest with you; i will respect, trust, help and care for you; i will share my life with you; i will forgive you as we have been forgiven and i will try, with you, to better understand ourselves, the world, and God, through the best and worst of what is to come as long as we live."
those are still nice and still true, but i would now add the following:
-i vow to (try to) not drive on the neighbor's lawn (as much) anymore when backing down the driveway.
-when we're fighting, i vow to try to reach out to you and to always be kind and respectful (even if planning your death in my head)
-if you criticize how i do the laundry, i promise i won't boycott it altogether and leave you with nothing but pajamas and neckties to wear to work (again)
-i have loved you for a long time. and i will always love you.
-i will always laugh next to you.
-i will always love talking to you
-i will always beat up the people who pick on you- even if it's you (but not if it's me)
-i will always love your smell (except when i'm pregnant)
-i will always be grateful for the following:
-that you're willing to deal with baby and dog poop when i'm dry heaving because one of them just
crapped on the carpet/in the bathtub
-that you are really good at maps and math and other stupid things that i hate
-that you (almost) always laugh at my jokes
-that you can, somehow, track my moods and ride along with me as they change *enthusiastically*
-that you like the same movies i like (because "it's not what you're like, it's what you like")
-that you like the same weird food i like (see above)
-that you're whimsical, fun, positive, and full of life
-and, mostly, that's not annoying
-that you encourage me, strengthen me, and help me be my best me
-that you make good popcorn
-that you hang pictures really straight
-that you don't seem to mind when i make fun of your ocd tendancies (and regularly call you
'rainman')
-that you give the world's greatest hugs. for reals. greatest. ever. (i've even checked in australia)
we've been through a lot in the last 10 years. what we've done since we got married; the bullet items:
-we moved across the country and back
-we've bought and sold at least 6 cars, and bought 1 house
-we've been pregnant 3 times, resulting in 2 hard losses and 1 very special henry
-i finished 2 degrees
-robb lost and kept off 80 lbs (woooo!) and got everything all tucked
-we've, together, competed in 5 half marathons, a full marathon, a couple of 25k's and a few triathlons (robb > sarah, naturally)
-we were in several cover bands together, performing for, literally, dozens of people, and also did some live theater. robb has been in a few original bands and has albums out in the world
-we've adopted a gerbil (barry jive) and a greyhound dog (mrs. mia wallace) and have fostered several other greyhounds
-we were baptized(!) as adults, and we've been both elders and slacker members of several great churches
-we've met and kept some amazing friends from across the world, thanks to our travels and the intertubes
-we've traveled to paris, mexico, amsterdam (robb), and all over the US
-we've been blessed to celebrate many weddings, graduations, anniversaries and births with our families
-we've raised almost $10,000 toward leukemia and lymphoma research through 'team in training'
a decade seems like forever and like no time at all. the first one has been amazing and we're up for loads more to come.
love. so much love.
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