Today you are 6.

Liam

Today you are 6.

Today you are a kindergartner who rode the school bus, which is driven by a complete stranger and has no seatbelts, and you sat with your friends.

Today you remembered that the bus driver said to wear your jersey to school.

Today you received a compliment from your teacher for sliding the chairs under the table in the Music Center even though you didn't play in the music center and weren't asked to do it.

Today you had difficulty behaving at the dinner table.

Today you wrote the names of all 6 members of our family and used lower case letters, even though you didn't want to.

Today you napped.

Today you are obsessed with Star Wars.

Today you were supposed to have flag football practice.

Today you chose water instead of milk for dinner.

Today you told us in great detail about your day at school.

Today you wanted your own birthday sundae instead of wanting to share with the rest of the family.

Today you shared a scoop of your sundae with me without one complaint or whine.

Today you laughed at a street performer's jokes.

Today you danced to Partyrock so you could show Grandma and Grandpa your moves.

Today you told Grandma and Grandpa that you were going to get the Justin Beaver (aka Bieber) CD for your birthday.

Today you had phone conversations with 3 different family members who called to wish you a happy birthday.

Today you were more excited about the $15 Star Wars umbrella you received that the $100 LeapPad electronic device you received.

Today you still don't understand what makes a good Knock Knock joke, yet you continue to make them up...like this one:  You:  Knock Knock, Me: Who's There?, You:  Hair,  Me: Hair, Who?, You: Hair in a girl's face across her eyes.  This was followed by your delightful laughter.

This is you today.  I love you today like I've loved you for the last 2189 todays.

Bedtime Adventures...and the Aftermath

Last night Caden made the big move into Liam and Alanna's room. Since we live in a three bedroom townhouse (for now!! - more on that later), we have a grown-up bedroom, a nursery, and a "big kid" bedroom. In preparation for Baby Boy who is scheduled to arrive in just over 10 weeks, we decided it was time for Caden to move from the nursery to the "big kid" room. We are planners and planned on having a bunch of kids in this house. As a result, we configured the "big kid" room to sleep up to 4 kids. It is only 11x12 and has a set of bunk beds, a trundle bed, and a crib (not to mention other furniture and a few toys) -- it's cozy to say the least!!! I was feeling brave and up for the challenge last night, so we went for it knowing it would be a long...or should I say short...night. Our predictions were right on. We put the kids to bed at 8 and they didn't go to sleep until 11!! I honestly don't think Caden has been up that late since he was an infant.

When I was expecting Caden and would talk to people about how we were going to split up the kids' bedrooms, most people assumed we would put the boys together and give Alanna her own room. I'm not sure why it is so unusual to put male and female siblings in a room together when they are young, but I wouldn't change it for anything. We moved Alanna into Liam's room when they were about 17 months old and almost 3 years old respectively. The conversations we heard over the monitor were priceless. Liam used to teach Alanna Spanish words, talk about tooting, and they used to giggle uncontrollably. By the time Caden came along, they were the best of buds and still are to this day; and I totally attribute that to the special time they have shared alone at night with no adults to interfere in their fun. Despite knowing I was in for a long night, I was actually excited for Caden to experience that same special time with his brother and sister. As to be expected, there were lots and lots of giggles. Topics of conversation included tooting (why are kids fascinated with gross bodily functions!) and Handy Manny - a favorite Disney Playhouse show in our house. We could hear Caden saying, "Abuelito", his favorite Spanish word thanks to Handy Manny! I sat for at least half an hour after putting them to bed, with the baby monitor in my hand, listening and laughing at the silliness. So fun....until today!

I had hoped that because of their late night that they might sleep in a little this morning - maybe until 7:30 (wishful thinking!!). Did I mention that we are also trying to potty train Alanna through the night this week? Yeah, bad combination of events. I was awoken by Alanna, standing at my bedside, telling me she had an accident. It was still dark out, so I was hoping it was still the middle of the night and the boys would either sleep through the incident or return to sleep without much fuss. Then I looked at the clock - 5:30...shit! The worst possible time for a middle of the night disruption to occur because you know there is a good chance no one is going back to sleep. And I was right. So all three of my lovely children had 6 hours of sleep last night. Kids with only 6 hours of sleep whine, cry, throw fits, fight and don't eat well all day. That was my day today.

My answer to a difficult day is to get out of the house...even if we have nowhere to go. So at about 11 this morning, I made up some "necessary" errands, and we headed out. The goal was to hit the car wash, drop off a form for Alanna's gymnastics class, and swing by our lot to see if it was still covered with trees or if they had actually started clearing the lot for construction like they said they were going to do a month ago. I spent about 2o minutes cleaning all the crap out of the car so the wonderful people at the car wash could actually vacuum it out with out sucking up Matchbox cars, sunglasses, hats, balls, stuffed animals or old granola bars. Once we finally made it to the car wash, I paid for my quarterly Titanium special, and pulled into the car wash only to find out that they were having some technical difficulties. No entertaining car wash for the kids today! Errand #1 - not happening.

Prior to leaving the house, I offered the kids the choice of going to the bathroom at the house before we left or at the car wash while we waited for them to clean the interior. Of course they chose the car wash. So there we were with no need to get out of the car and go into the waiting room, two kids who haven't peed in hours, and two more errands to run. I proceeded to ask THE question, "Does anyone need to go potty? Tell me now while we are at the car wash because we are going to be in the car for awhile and we won't be able to go." After being confidently assured that no one was having "the feeling", we headed out to our next destination. As I proceeded onto the main road, I heard a little voice from the back seat proclaim....you guessed it..."I have to go potty." Seriously, Alanna! You couldn't have told me that 30 seconds ago! Ugghh! I managed to circle the block twice before making the right turn to get back into the shopping center parking lot and make our way over to a somewhat convenient gas station. As we approached the gas station, I informed the non-potty-requesting child that he too will be going potty while we make this stop. Same rule I always apply - one person goes, we all go, otherwise we spend the whole outing running to potties - and of course I got the same tantrum I always get when I apply the rule. Fun!

As I'm unloading the kids - a workout that I try to limit as much as possible when I'm 6 1/2 months pregnant and it is hot and humid outside - Liam decided to go sit by a tree in the grass next to the car. The next thing I know, he is freaking out, shaking his arm, not knowing how to handle the sticky substance that has managed to attach itself to his hand. I tell him to come over, realize it is a little gum, and remove it easily from his hand. No biggie. As we all proceeded across the parking lot, holding hands like the little train of humans that we are, Liam starts really freaking out again, this time shaking his foot. I look down to see a huge gob of warm, sticky gum stuck between his heel and his flip-flop. In an attempt to calm him down and get all three children safely onto the sidewalk away from the dude in the big, old, green car who is driving too close to us and doesn't appear to be particularly patient, I decide it would be smart to step on the back of his flip-flop in hopes that I can pull it away from his skin. Soooo, now I have gum all over my shoe. After getting Alanna and Caden to obediently sit on the sidewalk, I break out my trusty -dusty wipes and start the process of removing the trauma-causing gum. The kids learned a valuable lesson today about where you throw your gum when you are done chewing it --- in a TRASH CAN!! (Funny side note: While cleaning the gum, Liam informed me that it was mint flavored because it smelled minty. He is my little smeller, just like his Daddy.) Fifteen minutes later we finally made it into the gas station restroom, my foot sticking to the ground with every step and Liam's flip-flop containing a wipe to separate the now ruined shoes from his skin, where everyone proceeded to go potty without complaint, except for Liam's third minor freak-out of the day due to the small cricket in the corner next to the potty. The kid hates bugs!

As we loaded back into the car after our prolonged potty break, I noticed yet another big gob of gum on the back of Liam's shorts. Fortunately I caught it before he sat in his car seat. I told him just to take off his shorts and ride in his underwear. We also decided that after two full summers of use, the $10 flip-flops were not worth salvaging and would be going in the trash once we got home. Thankfully, he was okay with that. (He is not very attached to stuff, another personality trait he gets from his Daddy.) Off to errand #2, to possibly drop a form off at Alanna's gymnastics school. I actually did not expect them to be open when we got there, but sure enough they were. Too bad I couldn't go in because Liam didn't have any shorts on! Oh well, Errand #2 - not happening.

The third destination was to visit the lot for the new house we purchased this summer --- one with 3 bedrooms just for the kids so we don't have to cram so many kids into one room!! When we signed the purchase agreement in July, we were told that the lot would be cleared and prepped for construction during the month of August, so that construction could begin in September. Today is September 1st and as of a few days ago, no construction vehicle has begun to touch the trees or prep the lot. Despite that, we excitedly drive by several times a week (yes, we are stalking our new house) to see if any progress has been made. I've gotten so that I don't even look at our lot any more. I just look to see the progress they have made on other people's houses that are currently under construction. I find that to be more satisfying. When I mentioned to the kids today that we could drive by our new house (which they are as obsessed about as we are), Liam responded, "So we can see the trees." Well said, my son.

The excitement of heading down to see the "progress" was dampened, however, when I received a call from the builder informing me that they still have not received the permits from the County, thus delaying construction to October (I could have figured that one out) and pushing the estimated delivery from January to February (also not a big shocker). The biggest let down of the call was knowing that there was no real reason to go look at the lot since we knew no progress had been made. Oh well, I was still going to go because it was a good way to entertain three overly tired and cranky kids for half an hour. But my plan was foiled when Caden fell asleep in the car. I knew I would miss my window to transition him into his crib at home and get him to take a nice long nap if I drove around for another half an hour. At the same time, Alanna had started crying in the backseat requesting to go to bed first because she was (dramatically) "sooo, sooo, tired." So home we went. Errand #3 - not happening.

So, I was 0 for 3 today. Despite the lack of productivity, however, the venture out was still somewhat of a success because it got us out of the house for an hour and a half and I guess you could say "entertained" the kids for that time. Another bright note was that the two little kids were so tired when we got home, that I put them straight to bed out without lunch, so that was two less lunches I had to make - SCORE!

Naptime went well, but we definitely still had tired kids this evening. My patience and Carlo's patience was quickly fading so we decided an early bedtime was necessary...for all of us. (And we decided Alanna was not yet ready to sleep in underwear overnight!) Despite strict rules about no talking, playing or giggling once in bed and several reprimands by Mommy for not following the strict rules, Daddy had to go in and set things straight. Not a peep was heard from anyone for the rest of the evening.

I'm looking forward to my lovely day tomorrow filled with happy, well-rested children.

Go, Mommy, Go!

We love reading Dr. Seuss and P.D. Eastman books around our house. So much so, that my 4 year old and 2 year old can recite some of them verbatim. (Which by the way, I find to be one of the cutest things ever; especially when they read with the same rhythm and emphasis on words that my husband and I use when we read to them.) One such book that has been a particular favorite in our house since Liam was little is Go, Dog, Go by P.D. Eastman.

Tonight, as we were sitting around the dinner table and I was waiting for the big kids to finish eating, I rested my face in my hand and closed my eyes. Liam felt the need to immediately recite his version of a page from that great book, which seemed perfectly appropriate to him at that very instant. He yelled, “Wake up! It is time to get going! Go, Dogs, Go!” As I slowly lifted my head, opened my eyes and smiled, I realized that the page from which he recited his quote captures exactly how I feel each morning, when the alarm goes off sometime during the insanely early 5 o’clock hour, and I prepare to face a new day of mothering.

“Get up!”

It is day.

Time to get going.

Go, Mommy, Go!

The New Year

I love new beginnings … fresh starts. I love the clean slate that the birth of a new baby represents. I love the unlimited potential that marks the first day of a school year. I love the change of pace that comes with the first day of summer. Therefore, I obviously love the endless possibilities that exist for each New Year. But I have a problem with New Year’s Day – its date! Why does New Year’s Day have to fall on January 1^st ? A mere 7 days after Christmas and the insanity that leads up to that wonderful, but very tiring holiday season!!!

As the mother of three children under the age of 5, I typically find the demands placed on me in my everyday life to be exhausting. Don’t misunderstand; I am in no way complaining about the state of my existence, which I knowingly chose for myself (along with the help of my husband, of course). I’m just stating the truth. Especially since the birth of my third child, I have found that anything “extra” in my life has the potential to totally wipe me out. The Christmas season is definitely one of those “extras”; something that places demands on me that are significantly above and beyond those of everyday life.

Motherhood is without a doubt a 24x7 job. And with three young children, it REALLY is a 24x7 job. So, despite my valiant attempts to modify my schedule or adjust the way I do things to eeek out some extra time for the “extras” in life, the result is always the same; I end up functioning on less sleep because there is no extra time to be eeeked. I’m left feeling tired ….really tired …and often times, burned-out.

So when the New Year rolls around just one week after the most exhausting “extra” of the year, I am unable to capitalize on the promise it brings with it. I’m too tired to invest a lot of time reflecting on the previous year and planning for opportunities and goals I would like to achieve in the coming year. Instead, I want to enjoy the last few days of the holidays lounging around the house with my kids and hubby, traveling to visit family, or tinkering with my new Christmas gifts. I want to keep life simple and use the least amount of brain power necessary to function as a responsible parent. I want to vegetate. I’m not up for grand thoughts and lofty aspirations. I want to sleep.

And then there is the post-holiday shock to our systems – the return to the daily grind. My husband returns to work, leaving one less able-bodied adult to care for the unable-bodied monkeys. The schedule returns to a fast pace of trips to preschool, activities, playdates, grocery shopping, doctors appointments, etc. No more sleeping in. No more vegging in our jammies. And the things I dread most, a permanent home must be found for all the new gifts and the decorations must come down. As a result of all this, I have decided that it takes me a full month to really recover and take on the New Year with an undecorated house, rested body, and clear mind. Only then can I aspire to live the New Year to its fullest and take the baby steps necessary to accomplish all of the goals I have set for myself.

Today is February 1, 2010. My house is undecorated. I am rested. My mind is clear. Happy New Year!!