Wednesday, October 28, 2009

The Big Dot

We are having sleep issues again.

Not me, I could sleep for days right now. Not Matt, for once he seems to be able to make it though the night, although the Nyquil he is taking of his cold could have something to do with that.

So that only leaves one person left. It’s moved beyond occasional and into pattern that she wakes at the stroke of midnight and wants to sleep with one of us.

When we found out I was pregnant we bought a new bedroom set for Gracie so she can have an upgraded big girl room.

This past weekend I bought bedding that she loves. She’s been dragging the comforter all over the first floor and snuggling. She counts the many dots. She exclaims the colors of the rainbow. She demands she is the only one who can touch it, and then quickly retracts her demand with requests to lay on the floor with her.

Given all this, this weekend we start the transition. No, the room isn’t painted to go with the rainbow of dots yet, but yes I think she is ready to move from the crib to a toddler bed.

Wish us luck.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Pumpkin Pickin'

Saturday started off today with a sort-of plan.
We would stop by my OB's office to grab my N1H1 shot at their free flu clinic and then head to the pumpkin patch if it wasn't raining yet.

When the elevator doors opened on the 2nd floor of my OB's building, I never got off the elevator. I couldn't. There were close to 200 sweaty, pissed off, pregnant ladies crowding the halls to the point of chaos. Me and crowds don't mix like that. I will take my chances and use more hand sanitizer.

So off to the pumpkin patch we went. (Pumpkin picking and fresh Christmas tree chopping are two traditions that are firmly ensconced in me, and therefore are demanded to be passed onto to Gracie.)

Gracie picked her own pumpkin.



Then she picked a second one. Whatever, how much can two small pumpkins cost, right?


She frolicked through the fields.

And helped Matt do the heavy lifting.

And just as we finished, the rains started to sprinkle down.

This Friday will be her first foray into actually scooping her own pumpkin. We will see how excited is is about this next year....

Thursday, October 22, 2009

AM Hours

There aren't many things that I love about work lately, and normally working on the top floor of my building is a logistical pain in the butt.

The early morning hours though are sometimes paid forward with beautiful sunrises.


And that makes it worth while.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Perceptions

With a sly grin, Matt announced last night that he was going to be interviewed by a local online sports magazine about triathlons. And he’s been asked to come to the interview wearing athletic wear.

While I still haven’t gotten over my gut reaction of snickering, and I don’t think I actually have, not out loud anyway, I know how much this means to him. For an outsider to recognize his accomplishments.

I know I have said this over and over again in this blog, but he has worked hard for this. He runs when the weather is cold and rainy. He goes to the gym before work or during lunch. I am proud of him.

People who haven’t seen Matt in awhile tend to not recognize him or freak out due to his weight loss over the last two years. I get the people who go on and on because it is an amazing accomplishment, but I am frustrated and angered by the people who somehow see it as a negative.

Let’s look at this handy little chart.


Do you see the fat guy in the red section? That was Matt at the start of all this. Now go down to the green guy. That is Matt today. How is this a problem?

Now that Matt is getting ready to do the Marine Corps Marathon again this weekend, people outside of our everyday are chiming up again. Sure, there are sometimes deaths at marathons and other hard-core sporting events. But they are explainable, they are catastrophic, the same end result would have happened no matter what. Sure, they might have had another few years before having an aneurism or heart attack, but isn’t it better to drop dead running instead of behind the wheel?

And you know what? Matt has had physicals and EKG’s done. He is in good health and the exercise only enhances that. Of course I would be beside myself if something did happen to Matt, but I could also spend my days worrying about car wrecks and government employees too.

So this Sunday Matt runs his third 26.2 mile run. Sure I worry, but not about his ability to do come home.

He has proven he can do this through all his hard work and dedication.

Monday, October 19, 2009

In the Makings

I always felt like I grew up in the kitchen, like so many self proclaimed foodies. My Grandma taught me how to cook. My mom taught me how to cook. I taught myself how to cook. I love it, desperately and controllingly sometimes.

Most chefs will tell you that in their earliest memories they are in the kitchen cooking. They were trusted with sharp knives and hot pots at an early age. While I think 2 years old is still a little early to be handing Gracie sharp instruments to help me dice with, she is becoming firmly ensconced next to me in the kitchen.

It’s like she knows what is going on. She uses all her strength to drag a kitchen chair to the counter and stand next to me. This weekend alone she assisted the seasoning of Irish stew (pouring the garlic powder and pepper), pumpkin pie (measuring and dumping the dry ingredients) and stuffed shells (handing me a new shell after taking a small nibble out of each one).

Sure, the recipes turned out a little off, but not enough to really matter. And if she can get 1.5 cups of sugar measured and into a bowl (more or less) at 2, what will she be able to create at 3? Plus, the sense of ownership and pride in helping is immeasurable, specifically because she ate like a champ this weekend.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Divine Plans

When Matt and I were preparing for our wedding, we met with the pastor who wed us for an informal pre-marital session.

I was beyond nervous, but the pastor was beyond nice. Before arriving that day he had asked Matt and I to fill out a survey, keeping our answers confidential from each other. In the spirit of the exercise we did. Even the portion titled ‘Sexual Relations’. Trust me, it was excruciating.

I honestly can’t remember much of the three hour discussion outside of one blip. When we got to the sex portion of our survey, it was the one segment where our answers were 100% identical. It was full of questions like:

“Does your partner fulfill your needs emotionally?”
“Does your partner fulfill your needs sexually?”
“Do you feel pressured to perform sexual acts?”
“Do you see yourself with children in the future?”
“How many children would you like to have?”

Our answers?
YES
YES
NO
NO
ZERO

Matt and I had no intention of having children. I didn’t want children because of my diabetes and all the ‘what ifs?’ that surrounded pregnancy, for me and a child. Matt didn’t want kids because he said he was absolutely happy with our lives as it is.

A few years after we were married I changed my mind. I did want a child. Technology had changed to the point where I could keep my blood sugar almost perfect, and my AC1 in the non-diabetic range. Plus, new research was showing that the genetic predisposition for type I diabetes was dominant on the fathers side, not the mothers.

When I told Matt I wanted to have a baby, he looked at me with shining eyes and laughed. Defensive, I questioned the laughter. He responded that he thought this would happen some day and that this is how he KNOWS there is a God. God had flipped on my baby making switch and he was on board. While he loved our life together as it is, he would also love any baby we made together with the same passion.

Gracie was born two years ago yesterday, October 12, 2007.

And in 7 more months, she will no longer be an only child.

The switch has been flipped again.

Don’t get too excited though. We are super gluing it in the OFF position after this baby comes.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Two

Two years have passed.

It's funny how time with little children seems infinitely slow and lightening fast at the same time.

Two years of hugs and kisses. Two years of tears and tantrums. Two years of walking and talking and playing and loving. Two years of us, of a family.

Without this blog so many memories would have been lost in the lightening fast.

I wish you a lifetime of joys and discovery like you've had this year my love. A lifetime of seeing the world through the eyes of a vibrant, inquisitive child. A lifetime of unabashed love and impulse.

Happy 2nd Birthday Gracie - not that you need my suggestion to be happy.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

At Least There Was No Poo To Fling

My mom goes hot and cold with buying clothes for Gracie. When she is cold we don't see anything for months. When she is hot we get a box with a $20 shipping sticker on it. Maybe she is just warm to it year round and hoards....

The last box we received had a Halloween costume, necklaces, bracelets, toys and lots and lots of pajamas. This pair was the source of Matt's misery last night and my misery this morning.

For Matt, it is the fact that for whatever reason, the 2T version of Carters footies pajamas don't have the little tab that hides the zipper pull. So instead of Gracie quickly and quietly falling asleep, she played with that zipper for 30 minutes.

For me, it was the print. The monkey print. She didn't want to take the damn thing off. On a weekend, not a problem. On a school day, problem.

Me: Honey, you can't wear your monkey jammas to school, they'll be hot and you can't put on your shoes.
G: My monkeeee! My monkeeee! I wear monkeeee! My monkeeee!
Me: Sorry sweetie, but they have to come off. You can wear them again tonight. (shhh, don't tell Matt I said that). Then I forcibly removed them from her body.
G: Noooooooooo! MY MONKEEEEE! I WEAR! I WEAR!!!
(Please note: this conversation is greatly condensed.)

With Matt's help to quell the demonic kicking, I got her dressed. And then bribed her with milk. And pears. And chocolate chips.

Yes, chocolate chips. This game is about survival. A process that normally takes 5 minutes spun into 20 this morning, all because of some damn monkey pajamas.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

The Iron Years

We count our years together in segments. Five years together before we were married and now six years in matrimony. I tend to think today as our 11th anniversary, not our sixth.

11 years has passed. Can you believe that? 11 years of shared history, of being involved with every aspect of each others lives. 11 years in the same house, in the same bed. 11 years of seeing each others face every morning.

And I can't imagine my life any other way.

Happy Anniversary Matt. Forever is a long time, but I know it will go by in the blink of an eye when I'm with you.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Ties That Bond (Shoelaces That Is)

Two weeks ago, NES emailed me this story. I almost stole it and posted it up here right then and there. But then I started to get a little pang of guilt with the idea of blatant thievery - and you know - a little lazy too.

Today she has done the work for me! Sweet. Being lazy does pay off.

I present: A day in the lives of two-year-old best friends.

It makes you wonder how much we don't see, huh?