Mommy Musings #1

If my child goes swimming in the late afternoon, can I count it as his bath, if I promise to rinse off the chlorine and sunscreen?

Where is the sleep?

I have heard the sleeping got easier as they got older.........I'm waiting!!!

Erik is calm and sweet, funny and good natured all day long, but as soon as the sun goes down his head spins around, he gnashes his teeth (all 4 and a half) and his eyes begin to roll into his head. It's like he can feel "night night" coming on and he is not having it!

If I hold him he wants Da Da Da Da!! If Mike holds him he says Nana Nana or Ma ma ma ma...If Nana holds him he yells for Papa!! It's crazy. We are like the three stooges running around, a bottle? diaper? Juice? Toy? ACK!!!

It usually ends up in a crying fit because I won't allow him to pull my hair (which is the one thing he LOVES doing - seriously......if anyone finds a stuffed animal completely made of hair I'll pay you back!), and he cries himself to sleep.

I remember being little (not as little as him) and hating to go to bed because I thought my parents were having a party, or doing something fun with out me. I'm sure they were just falling asleep in front of the TV as we do each night. If I can stay up past 10:00 it's a miracle, usually I end up like this at 4:30pm in the pool. Luckily Mike or Mom takes Erik in and allows me a little snooze.

Oh, can I say this "kiddie" pool, which is actually big enough for the grown ups too is AWESOME!!! Especially on days like today when it's flip flop melting hot.

Father's Day

It's almost Father's Day! I am so grateful to have a wonderful husband and to celebrate his first Father's Day!!

He deserves an award since the last few months have not been easy, the last weeks of my school were a nightmare (not to mention the whole poopy graduation), he's started a new job and life is constantly changing.

We had a large *disagreement* a few days back about responsibilities and what I thought he should be doing, and what he thought I should be doing and of course neither of us was aware of the other's perspective and we sat down and had a LONG talk about how we want our marriage to work and how to communicate in a more positive (read: Non-nagging for me, and listening for him) way so that jobs around the house could get done in what feels like an equal manner to both of us.

I am proud of him for initiating this conversation and we've really worked hard the past couple of weeks to show how much we love each other and we are trying very hard not to take each other for granted.

In honor of Father's Day Erik has made him a special surprise and I got him a coffee maker (I totally gave it to him already so no spoilers here) that is his dream, he loves it so much he drinks coffee at night too......the only way it could be better is if it was an IV drip directly into his blood.

To my husband - Happy first Father's Day Love!

To my Dad - I love you Dad!! Thanks for making me laugh, and being a great Papa!

To my Father in Law - Thank you for being such a good Dad to your son, he learned how to be one from you!!

10 months old......and the long awaited poop story

Erik is 10 months old today! It amazes me that 10 months has gone by so much faster than 9 months of pregnancy did! He still isn't crawling, but is considering it. He rolls and rolls all day long and his butt is getting higher in the air making his knees go underneath him, but that's about as closer to crawling as he gets. Doesn't he look so big in this picture? He's losing his sweet infant look and growing into a toddler with quite a distinct personality.

I've offered him choices (food,clothes) since he was born, and have been doing sign language with him since he was 3 months old and he is now totally getting it! Although he is funny because I'll ask him things in sign language like "eat" or "bottle" and instead of doing the sign back he just nods yes or no. I hold out two baby food jars and ask him to choose what he'd like and really studies them for a few seconds before touching the he one he wants. It's so funny.
He has a silly giggly personality that we see more and more of each day. He really likes to tease you and pretend he's being shy when really he wants to play games. He giggles at everything and he tries to tickle us when we are changing him.

He's so damn cute that I understand why parents find it impossible to discipline their own adorable children (who are not so adorable to us when they are throwing things in Target) maybe we should volunteer to discipline each other's children? That would be a nightmare......but sometimes I'd like to!!


Here he is with his new cousin Somer's hair bow on....he thought this was hilarious!

He won't wear his own sunglasses, but Mom's hot pink ones are good!!

He still looks exactly like his Daddy, even when choosing his head gear!

OK...I know you have all been waiting for the scoop on the poop at graduation, so here it is...complete with documenting photos. It started as a lovely evening of celebration of the 5 years I have been spending my weekends and evenings writing papers and reading boring journal articles. I had to arrive early of course for practice and Mike, Mom and Erik would come later.

I guess things started bad at home with the clothes for Erik being too small, then there was getting lost on the way to school, as well as trying to figure out the handicapped parking in the parking garage which was crazy. After listening to my mother complain and nag him for two hours (and she doesn't read this so it's OK if I write it) Mike did not arrive super happy - and Mom was already in a complaining mood. Add a very chilly wind and a packed auditorium and you have irritated people. Please look through the photos for vivid detail on what happens after the graduation.

Bundled up (in May!) and waiting to go in and see Mommy graduate.

Graduation is over and I find Mike and take the obligatory picture. But notice that Mom is no where to be found. I had seen her leave during the ceremony with the baby and assumed he needed a diaper change. My friend Diana (who was taking these pictures) went back in to find her and did.........and the chaos began.

So here's the whole group. We took a quick picture (can't you see how thrilled Mom is in it?) and then I asked her if everything was OK because...well...obviously she isn't happy. Her response "Erik's had 4 really poopy diapers and there are no more diapers and he has another poopy diaper that needs to be changed and blah blah blah..........she goes on and on about the poopy diapers (keep in mind it's really windy and cold, there are hundreds of people milling around, Erik's crying and I'm listening to a lecture on how many diapers I should bring with me everywhere) and how I need to have at least 5 (funny how that's the EXACT number she needed...I wanted to say...but what if I have 7?) While she's going on and on about how bad his last diapers were I found another diaper in the diaper bag and think, "I'll just change him really quick here in the stroller and we can get on with the happiness"......which there hasn't been much of yet!!

So....I begin to change him, being very careful not to get my flowing sleeves, sash or cords near the poop. And for some reason Diana continues to snap pictures....thank goodness. I lean in to change him and take off his diaper and as I turn to get the other diaper I here a little fart and think, ok he's done now. Nope that fart was the unplugging of a stopper that was holding in the shit volcano that followed.

When I turned back around with the clean diaper shit was flying out of this boys ass at the speed of projectile vomit, it was EVERYWHERE. It came out so fast that all of us just stepped back. I think I heard Mike say "Whoa" . I know I heard one man behind me say "well she got the right degree".

There was nothing else to do but let it fly out of his butt (only to make a large poop puddle on the ground). Oh, did I mention Mom had also used all the wipes for the other diapers? Diana went running to the bathroom for paper towels and we did our best to clean things up. I wiped what I could with the blanket he was laying on (and that promptly went into the trash).
I told you Diana took pictures of EVERYTHING. See that blanket under him? It's folded over on itself because it's covered in poop, his clothes, covered, the stroller base covered. And all I can think is...I have to wear this again tomorrow.....don't get poop on the gown, don't get poop on the gown!"

Mom clean up the stroller footstool and there is that one precious diaper that's left

This was immediately after the poop....he's still screaming, and look, Mike now looks like Mom did in the other picture.

Mike has moved closer (I think he was scared of a repeat), when we got home he said it felt like a scene out of Willy Wonka, thankfully no little German boys wandered by to fall into the chocolate river.


The only extra clothes was a shorts outfit, thank god we had another blanket!!!! Look how pale he is...he pooped all his color out.

Walking back to the car this is how I felt!!

I will never forget the Poopy Graduation. Nothing like being a parent.