Bait and Switch

Tuesday, it was the boy hollering and disrupting nap time for everyone.

Today, it's the little one.

We had a morning of running: to preschool, pharmacy, allergist, home, back to preschool, to my old office, out to lunch with said co-workers and then back home.

Everyone should be tired, right?

Nope. Just Momma.

Nathaniel took quiet time in his room reasonably well, once I told him any disruption would result in no outside time. Leah, not so much.

It's been an hour and a half. She's singing to herself in her room, probably emptying her dresser drawers and plotting world domination. Those pigtails will get her far, I tell ya.

Oh yeah... we're in trouble...

"Say Goodbye" from Crash

So here we are tonight,
you and me together
The storm outside, the fire is bright
And in your eyes I see
what's on my mind
You've got me wild
turned around inside
And then desire, see, is creeping
up heavy inside here
And know you feel the same way
I do now
Now let's make this an evening, 
we'll share some wine, maybe we'll get high.
Lovers for a night, lovers for tonight
Stay here with me, love, tonight
just for an evening
When we make
our passion pictures
You and me twist up
secret creatures
And we'll stay here
Tomorrow go back to being friends

Being sick

Wow I hate being sick. I get that nobody really ENJOYS being sick, but as a mom, it should be against the law for me to get sick.

I remember once upon a time when I had a "real" job and I could go home after deadline to sleep off whatever bug I was coming down with. Yesterday I tried to get both kids to sleep and it backfired so miserably that NO ONE slept. I almost burst into tears.

(Note: I consider being a SAHM the world's hardest job. Others disagree, I'm sure, and they can gladly change places with me. I guarantee they wouldn't last a day.)

If I am sick, my husband will cook and begrudgingly clean up after said meal, but there are so many other things that should be done. When I was curled up on the couch in the fetal position, counting down till 5 p.m., Leah took that opportunity to empty our large toy box (aka a Rubbermaid bin) and climb in. The toys are still covering the living room floor.

I really was going to clean bathrooms and wash our sheets, but now as I say that from my couch, it sounds a little sketchy. No really, I mean it!

OK maybe not the bathroom part.

And when Momma is sick, my children turn into cartoons. We will live on Disney this morning, move to PBS at lunch and perhaps Nick Jr. after quiet time. I get that doesn't make me a horrible mother, especially considering how many words Leah has learned from those shows, but I grew up Catholic - we're spectacular self-guilters. I should be coming up with activities or something for them to do. Ha!

Maybe we'll play clean-up later...

"If I Had It All" from Everyday

If I were king
If I had everything
If I had you then I would give you your dreams
If I were giant-sized, on top of it all
Then tell me what in the world I would sing for
If I had it all

In a blink

Here we are, only a few days into September, but never fails, it will be over before I have time to enjoy it.

This really is my favorite month of the year: the weather is cooling off, fall is in the air and of course, my birthday. (Although this will be the last birthday I count... more on that another day)

But really, before I know it, we'll be buried in snow and I will be longing for warmer weather. I'll be cursing my closet too, wearing the same sweatshirts and fuzzy socks for days on end.

Now that I have preschool and other such activities to worry about, it's only going to go faster. We have school two days a week, plus fitting in the sanity-saving coffee and play dates. Soccer (aka magnet ball) starts next weekend, so that is 6 Saturday mornings gone.

Eek.

I'm already fretting about how to get through this week, with running here there and everywhere, so I guess I need to slow down and take it one day at a time. Worrying isn't going to change anything - things always work out in the end. If my laundry sits unfolded or I have to put makeup on looking into a toothpaste-splattered mirror, who cares?

And if somebody cares, you are more than welcome to come over and fold or clean for me. Really. I'd let you.

I'm actually scouring the house for all my DMB CDs. Right now there are still one or two MIA, but I hope I can track them down this week. Busted Stuff has some of my favorite songs on it, so I threw it in the car tonight on my drive. I had forgotten about this next song. It says everything about how I felt in high school. Makes me a little sad to listen to it, but we all grow up and move on, thank goodness. Those four years felt like forever, but luckily now, it just feels like it was gone in a blink too.

"Grey Street" from Busted Stuff

Oh how she wishes it were different
She prays to God most every night
And though she swears He doesn't listen
There's still hope in her He might
She says I pray
But they fall on deaf ears
Am I supposed to take it on myself
To get out of this place
There's a loneliness inside her
And she'd do anything to fill it in
And though it's red blood bleeding from her now
It feels like cold blue ice in her heart
When all the colors mix together
It's grey and it breaks her heart

Sugar overload

Once again, I am grateful my children usually save the really, really good tantrums for me.

Nathaniel is asleep, I hope. He's finally quiet, an hour after bedtime. In an ideal world, he is in his "Daddy is my Hero" PJs, nicely tucked under his covers, his giraffe under one arm.

There is a very good chance he is on his floor and only wearing a pull-up.

No nap + no dinner + bounce house + birthday cake = very, very tired, very very cranky 3-year-old.

But he was very well behaved at the party and didn't pitch a fit when it was time to leave. He actually spoke to other adults (sorta) and shared reasonably well.

So like I said, I'm glad he saves the best for me.

Now it's time for a dose of college football before I collapse in a heap on my nice, comfy bed.

"You Might Die Trying" from Stand Up

To change the world start with one small step
However small the first step is the hardest of all

Preschool

This little boy just finished his first week of preschool. 

There is no way that it has been almost 4 years since we took this picture. That was his first Christmas bear from my aunt and it was bigger than he was.

My little peanut came into this world at 6 lbs 14 oz and 18 inches long and just 3 hours past his due date. For the first two weeks, he wore preemie clothes that my aunt and grandmother hurriedly bought at the Walmart across from their hotel when they came to meet him. 

He quickly made up for his small size at birth and was one giant chub. Still short though. He was roly poly but started slimming down once he learned to move. He took his first steps for my birthday and was walking at 10 months. Talking took awhile. The word explosion everyone promised at 18 months, then 2 yrs didn't appear until last summer. 

So now just a year removed from really being able to communicate, he is off to school. 

What?! How did that happen?!

He wanted me to walk him in his first full morning. He was very concerned about how long I would be gone and said "But I will miss you so much Mommy." Then he heard one of the teachers mention chalk.

He was fine. 

The same boy who wouldn't look his teacher in the eye two days earlier got a glowing report at pick up yesterday. 

"Uh, yeah. Not shy!" she said with a laugh as she walked him to my car. 

"Oh yeah? He's over it?" I asked.

"Oh we're good. " She said.

Mommy's not so good though. He doesn't want to talk about school. There is an entire two-hour chunk of his day where I have no idea what happened. I heard there was play-doh involved. Perhaps bikes. That's all I know. 

Little sister will have a rough time next week when it's just the two of us too. Hubby said she walked around the house Tuesday morning calling for both of us. 

Maybe we'll both just wander around calling for him. 

"American Baby" from Stand Up

Stay beautiful baby

I hope you stay 

American baby...

I hold onto you, you lift me up

And always will

I see you in life

Hope I don't get left behind.

Apparently I stink

I forgot to add lyrics Sunday. I was going to add them later, but since I've been called out, I'll remedy the situation now.

So here we go!

"Grey Street" from Busted Stuff

Oh, just sitting while she listens
She says I don't need this place
It seems a million years she's stuck here
But says nothing of what she thinks

She thinks "Hey,
How did I come to this?
I dreamt like anybody else one night
I would be a beautiful princess."

"One Sweet World" from Live at Luther College

Nine planets round the sun

Only one does the sun embrace

Upon this watered one

So much we take for granted

So let us sleep outside tonight

Lay down in our mother's arms

For here we can rest safely.

I was kidnapped

I haven't blogged this week. In addition to getting used to our preschool schedule, I was kidnapped by this baby.

Her name is Elizabeth. She may look cute and innocent, but don't be fooled. She's wily.

One of my best friends from college came to visit with her two girls, so we had four kids under the age of 4 in my house. Needless to say, the zoo was a bit zoo-ey-er.

So while I dig out from the mountain of toys, laundry and dishes, I'll leave you with this.

I don't know what happened to my baby boy, but I found this big kid in my house Tuesday. I'm still wrapping my head around it.