Are you up yet?!

7:15 am – One email: “Are you up?”
7:35 am - One off-line IM message: “Are they on their way?”
… and two missed phone calls on my cell phone, all of them from my Mother.

What was so urgent that warranted the blitzkrieg of messages? My mom, my son’s Grandmother, was getting to have my son over for the day and for a sleep over. I am so very happy that my Mother loves her Grandson so darn much. I am doubly lucky that she’s pretty much a Peter Pan and just one over-grown kid!

While all these messages are being left I’m upstairs with my son who has just woken up. Usually I have to sit in his room for about 15 minutes trying to coax him into a diaper change and clothing change. Not this morning! All I had to say was let’s get dressed to go to Grandma’s!! He runs over and lays on the bed and waits for me to change him! Wow, I wish I could use that ploy every morning! It seems my Son’s feelings are mutual for his Grandmother! He just LOVES her! As I’m changing his clothes he says the names of my Mother’s three cats: Bubba (short for Bacchus), PeeWee (short for Calliope), and Bella. He likes to shoot my Mother’s Nerf gun at the cats. :) He is a boy after all!

I am just as excited as they are…it means I get a nice, quiet, peaceful day with no children’s TV in the background, no children’s music playing, no screaming and crying because it’s nap time – which, by the way, my Mom never has had to deal with! I guess she has some magic dust she sprinkles over Peter to make him sleep! She claims he just passes out on the couch around nap time! I’m soooo jealous of that! But I’m glad someone can make this happen!

I couldn’t LOVE my Mother more!!!!

Happy Valentines Day!

I love Valentines Day! or...Valentime's Day as my husband says (I never correct him, I think the mispronunciation is cute). I just love this time of year. The Holidays are over, everyone is reluctantly settling back into the ho-hum routine of work and life. Which makes sending out unexpected gifts all that much more fun!

I love sending cards and gifts out to people who otherwise weren't expecting something. It's not your average send-a-card-to-everyone type holiday like Christmas. Usually it's a holiday reserved for loved ones. Believe me, the loved ones get extra attention.

I have extra fun now that I have a child. Last year, even though my son was barely a year old, I had fun sending out valentine cards and candy to all the babies of my friends and relatives who had been born close to the same time frame as him. I still haven't decided if that's something I'm going to do this year or not. I've kicked around the idea of having Peter paint or color a huge sheet of paper in pinks, reds and black and then cutting out hearts to make our greeting card. In fact it sounds like such a fun indoor activity for him during this cold season that I think I will do it...we'll start next week!

*The picture above is Peter last year during the Valentine's season. It was a pantless phase...we just couldn't get or keep pants on him! :)

Tag - I'm it again - 7 random things about me.

In all fairness my friend Christy, who maintains the wonderful blog about her daughter Fiona (Fiona Foo) tagged me back in December long before my cousin tagged me for the picture post. With the holiday season travel I never got around to responding to the tag.

So here goes. I'm to post 7 random things about me and then tag 7 people...once again, I don't have 7 people to tag so you poor trusted few friends get tagged again. I'd love to see your posts...but alas, if two tags inside of 3 days is too much...I understand! :)

1) I once flew all the way to California to meet a guy (don't get crazy, an artist friend) I had only known on the Internet. It turns out he wasn't a serial killer or anything so it's all good! ;) But, kids, don't try this at home.

2) Despite having taken 2 years of French in high school I can not communicate in the language one little bit as my husband's family & friends in Montreal can attest.

3) I am often so moved or riveted or disturbed by articles I read or news events I see on TV that I often find myself in tears and up all night thinking of the news I've heard...which is why I so rarely read the news and so often seem out of touch.

4) I am almost debilitatingly shy. Always have been.

5) I am horrified that I will fall down stairs.

6) I am completely and utterly in love with my husband (cheesy, but can't be left out, I feel it every day).

7) I am all-consumed by every miraculous thing my son does.

Picture Post...tag I'm it...

Thanks dear, sweet, lovable cousin of mine for tagging me! :) I ignore the "you must forward this email or else" things too. I will admit to having an insane love for the ones that ask like 20 questions about yourself...mostly because I love seeing what others say...my nosey nature.

So here's the deal with this Tag... I'm to open the "My Pictures" folder, go to the 6Th Folder, and then post the 6Th picture in that folder, and then explain it. Oh and then tag 6 other people... So here's my picture:


This is from my folder Cherry Trees 2006. It's the Cherry Trees in the DC Tidal Basin in full bloom...usually around the end of March/beginning of April. These are the best ones I've seen since moving here. We tend to get really heavy rains and wind that blow all the delicate flowers off the trees before I can get down there and photograph them. This shot, obviously, is looking up from the bottom of a tree. One of my favorites actually.

I'm tagging: Sandy N., Christy C. and that's it because my cousin has the same family friends I have on blogger and I just don't have that many :D.

My Review of Add-A-Size Garment Extender 10-Pack

Originally submitted at One Step Ahead

S-t-r-e-t-c-h the lifespan of more of baby's one-piece outfits! Unlike others, our garment extender set not only works with Carter's® and Onesies®, but GAP®, Old Navy®, and many other popular brands. You get more, too: includes two each of five different snap styles. ...

Add-A-Size Garment Extender 10-Pack

You HAVE to have these!

By JennRGolden from Washington, DC on 1/22/2009

 

5out of 5

Gift: Yes

Pros: VERY PRACTICLE

Best Uses: Activewear, Everyday Wear

Describe Yourself: First Time Parent

I received a pkg of these as a gift with some other small items in a basket of "essentials". I have to agree these have turned out to be one the utmost essentials! we have used them ever since my son was born 2 years ago and STILL use them! My son is long and lean, which means he never really fills out his clothes before he outgrows them in length. With these things he can actually look "normal" in his onesies as he appears to fill them out in girth and the extenders make it long enough for him. I love it!

For "normal" babies, you can get twice the wear out the clothes with these. Have to have them in your child's wardrobe!

(legalese)

The cat knows everything!!!

Roll your eyes if you will… but it is 100% true. My cat is psychic. Ok, maybe it’s not so much psychic as it is very heightened senses. When I was pregnant with my first baby, my cat was all over me! Crawling into my lap, laying on my belly and constantly by my side. This was very much out of the norm for her. Two months after noticing her changed behavior I started noticing changes in me! I was pregnant.

Now that I’m pregnant with number two and just days after the blessed occasion that knocked me up again…my cat was all over me again. Just three days after and she already knew? Was I? Could I be? I was. Just like last time, her affections kept up for roughly the first 3 months and subsided. Now that I am just starting my 8th month of pregnancy she’s all over me again…she did not do this last time. So now, being the hormonal, what-if, woman that I am right now…I’m jumping to all kinds of conclusions… Does my cat know I’m going to go into labor soon? Does she know somehow that the baby is in some kind of distress? Am I going to lose the baby?

All very alarmist except when you see to the level she’s on me! She attempts to crawl up on the very top of my now very large belly. She whines at the foot of the stairs at night when we go to bed…even now she's curled up next to me with one paw on my leg. worry….worry…worry…

So tomorrow I have my check up with the OB/GYN…hmmm…how to delicately bring this up without looking or sounding like some kind of lunatic! I think I’ll skip saying anything like: “My cat indicates I might be having issues with the pregnancy …can we do a full check…maybe get an ultrasound and blood test?” I could lie and just say I’ve felt pains…I’m a terrible liar… as soon as he asks questions like where were the pains, how often, do you still have them… I’ll freak out that I’m leading my doc, me and the baby down a very bad path.

I guess I’ll just leave this one alone and wait and see. But you will all know, that if I go into labor within the next week…MRS. TIGGS TRIED TO TELL ME!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~UPDATE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ok ... this is insane... My cat is currently sitting next to me and just staring at me and purring. she leans in every now and then and gives me one of those affectionate nibbles on the hande...oh and I as I type this she's decided staring, purring and nibbling are not enough she crawled up on the top most part of my belly and it pawing it to make it comfy and stopping to rub her head against my chin. Luckily I think the baby has turned upside down already so the cat must be sitting on his butt! :D This is very cute and and all but this is NOT my cat!