Thank God for Charlie!

There is nothing like having your first baby.  The pregnancy, the birth, those first few days home; nothing will ever compare. 

And as your first baby grows from infancy into toddlerhood, and then slowly starts to evolve into a kid, your world evolves too. Your child has developed a personality that is unique and special, funny and warm, stubborn and strong, and you as the parent learn (hopefully) how to not only relate to this little person, but also how to nurture and challenge him. Your first child inevitably brings out the best and the worst in you. But oh what a ride!  

And then comes baby number 2. When I was pregnant with Charlie, I thought I knew what to expect. I assumed that my experiences with Noah would prepare me for not only the birth of my second child, but also for the ups and downs that come with caring for and loving a newborn. This proved to be true, for the most part. 

I also assumed (stupidly and ridiculously) that my second child would be much like my first; personality, likes vs. dislikes, milestones, etc. Not only did this prove to be anything but true, but what a shame it would have been if Charlie had resembled anyone other than himself.  The world would be without one of it's shiniest stars!

Charlie approaches life with a smile, a chuckle and an unbridled enthusiasm that never ceases to amaze his parents. He had a hard time in the beginning with awful reflux and chronic breathing issues, both of which caused him to scream and cry for most of his waking hours. The bulk of his health issues resolved on their own, and now we are only left with a slight delay in his gross motor skills that we are working on via physical therapy and swim classes. All in all, nothing that he (and we) can't handle.

The amazing thing about Charlie is that none of this has phased him.  Nothing phases him.  He wakes up every day with a big smile and is usually laughing at something around him with minutes of opening his eyes.  He approaches obstacles either with a stubborn resolve or a shrug of his shoulders as he moves on to something else (not walking yet, but man can he scoot on his butt with the best of them!) Because of Charlie and his approach to life I have learned to be a little sillier, laugh a little louder, and realize that things aren't always as bad as I think they are (or will be).  Not a bad lesson to learn from a 1-year-old.

I've got a bazillion wonderful things to write about both kids, but today I just want to write "Thank God for Charlie!"  He's simply awesome!

It snot all bad

There is nothing more disgusting than other people's snot.  As a mother who stays home with her kids all day, every day I find myself surrounded by it...constantly.  Usually at least one of my kids has a runny nose, but lately, they both have been streaming from the nostrils.  There are tissues everywhere, fresh ones, wadded-up ones, dried and yellow ones.  Have I said enough to make you gag?  No? Well then I'll keep going!

My oldest, Noah, has finally learned to use (and dispose of) a tissue on his own, most of the time. He may not take care of the deed as artfully as his mom would, but I am happy nonetheless to remove myself from that job.  

Charlie on the other hand would rather have the ewwy, gooey stuff running down his face and then wipe it through his hair (that includes eyelashes, eyebrows and the brown mop of curls on his head), than have anyone come near him with a tissue.  Why are babies like that?  What is the big deal with having your nose wiped?  I mean, seriously, yuck.

(Note to readers: I could post a picture here related to the topic at hand, but I will spare you the "juicy" details!)

And then there is the debris that gets dragged along for the ride.  Charlie is on the floor, in the yard, eating his food, and playing with the animals; and it is all completely apparent by the evidence stuck to and dried on his face. A face only a mother can love would be that of a 1 year-0ld with cat fur, grass, and chocolate-chip cookie crumbs stuck to his snot-encrusted upper lip. (Again, I will spare you the pictures, although I do have them for future use.)

So to end, things with the family are good, if not a little sticky. I could be writing about the number of tantrums and timeouts that we had this past week. I could be writing about the untold number of dishes, bottles, diapers and dog-piles I had my hands in this week. But all in all, this was a very good week. See?  It snot all bad :)

The Kite Chronicles

There's nothing like a hot summer day...in April.  Living in the northeast we don't get a lot of 90 degree days, at least not until July and August.  And by then, we're pretty sick and tired of the humidity. So last week when we were all sweetly surprised by the very early arrival of some much-needed warm weather, I decided to pack up the family and head to the beach.

Last summer we had some success with kite-flying.  It was my older son Noah's first attempt to fly a kite and he really enjoyed it.  But he was only 2 and it was our first time so I bought some cheap crappy kite that lasted about 1 week.  

This time I wanted a kite that would last more than a couple of days. So to begin our "Summer in the middle of April" we planned for our first stop to be a toy store. Now that never usually goes well when the kids are in tow. They want to play with everything and get upset at the toy you actually buy them, and by the time you are exiting the store, usually one of the kids (or parents) is crying.  

On this particular day, and in this particular toy store, we hit gold!  This place was awesome! Not only did it have some pretty awesome kites (we bought a pirate and crossbones kite), but it had every toy the kids could imagine, plus the ones that I remember from my childhood. I think my husband and I had more fun than the kids (maybe a slight exaggeration, but we were digging this place).

While the boys were playing with trains (of course), I wandered over to the "pink" part of the store. Oh my god, the dolls, the dollhouses, the dress-up costumes, the Hello Kitty purses and lipsticks...I was drooling.  I spent a good 10 minutes looking at the little toy mouses in the 3-story colonial doll-house.  All the mouse-sized furniture, place settings, clothes, and accessories.  I could have played, I mean stayed there all day.  I think hubby was getting worried.  All the girl toys were definitely wreaking havoc with my ovaries. I started thinking about how great it would be to have one more baby, and to have that baby be a girl.  If only my powers for planning and organizing could guarantee that outcome.  Hmmm...something to think about. 

But I digress. So we picked out our kite and went on our way.  We stopped to have lunch at this great restaurant with outdoor seating.  The best part was that we were on the edge of the patio so Noah could play out on the grass while we waited for lunch to be served.  My younger son, Charlie, played frisbee with the plates and shattered one on the brick patio.  Oops, sorry nice restaurant, but that's bound to happen when you let kids in.

After lunch (awesome salads!) we headed to the beach.  For some reason I thought I would be the only person with the brilliant idea to go to the beach.  Wrong.  There were about 1000 people there.  Most were actually in their bathing suits doing their best to get their first sun-burns of the season.  And for the crazy fools who jumped in the water...Idiots!  People, the water temperature in the Northern Atlantic in April is 48 degrees.  That's feaking cold!  

Charlie and I settled onto our blanket in the sand. Alan and Noah took their shirts off and went to work getting the kite in the air.  Or I should say that Alan went to work.  Noah went running.  It's what he does; he runs.  And runs. And runs. And runs.  He is our own Forrest Gump!

I got a kick out of watching Alan try to get that kite in the air. It just wasn't working. I assumed I could do it better, but I couldn't (I know, even I was shocked!)  I have to give him credit though, despite the fact that his man-hood was being tested (nothing like trying, and failing, to get a little kid's pirate kite in the sky), Alan would not give up.  He was determined to get this kite in the air for Noah. And after a long while (maybe 20 minutes or so) he finally got it.  Off it flew.  Noah was pretty pumped; so was Alan.  It was a cute moment. A dad and his son flying a kite.

This is what summer is all about.  Even if it is only April.

Better than yesterday...

So far, today is much better than yesterday.  I'm pretty thankful to be able to say that, because for far too many people in the world, each day can bring a new kind of hell and misery.  Today (and most days actually), I am not in that category. Today the sun is shining, the kids are no longer sick and miserable, and the husband did some dishes.  Overall, life is pretty good today.

Now yesterday, well that was a different story.  Not to worry, nothing awful happened, and no injuries were sustained. But I was in such a funk yesterday and just kept wondering, "when is it going to get easier?" and, "when will my family run like a well-oiled machine?"  I know, I know...the answers to those questions are forever going to be "NEVER!" And that is OK, most of the time.  But yesterday, I just needed things to go a little smoother.  Yesterday I needed less whining, less crying, less arguing over housework, less disagreement over how to parent our kids, less laundry, and less of the same-old, same-old.  Yesterday what I needed was someone to say "what can I/we do for you?"  Yesterday I needed to hear the words, "You matter."  That's all; not too much to ask for, right?

It's funny how the universe works.  Some days we receive big-ol', in-your-face signs from the universe that are so relevant to our present situations, we are left with no choice but to accept that things have a way of working out, with or without our involvement or control.  Other days, the messages are subtle, so subtle that you just might miss them if you are moving too fast or listening too intently to the background noise of your world.  Some days the universe practically whispers to you (often through the voices of our kids) that today everything will be ok, and the world will make sense, if only for today.

I get a little smile on my face every time one of my kids does something that is good and kind.  I am a person who believes that we are all born inherently good and kind.  But goodness and kindness are also qualities that need to be crafted and carved into your soul.  You need to practice it on a daily basis, and if you have kids you need to teach them how to practice it as well.  So when one of my kids is good and kind, I smile because I know that my work is paying off.  What I am trying to drill into their heads each and every day is working; they are learning that to be good and kind is to be human.  It's something we all share, and something we must continue to share with each other.

My oldest boy, Noah, (who was up at 5:55 am this morning--WTH?) was playing with his toys today and stopped in the middle of  an enjoyable sequence of train-bashing, looked around and laid eyes on his baby brother, Charlie, sitting in the next room playing with his own toys.  Noah got down to Charlie's level, and asked him most sincerely, if he would like to come and play with him.  Mind you, Charlie is much younger than Noah, and isn't capable of "playing" the same way as Noah.  Charlie's form of play usually involves throwing and scattering toys all over the room and then screeching for someone to pick them up for him.  This kind of play drives Noah insane!  But today, Noah looked past what was inevitably going to happen, saw that his baby brother was playing all alone, and decided that the good and kind thing to do was to invite his brother to play with him.  How sweet!  And for a few moments they really had fun together. Until Charlie got hold of the trains and threw them across the room.  Moment over. 

But the message of the moment was not lost on me, even before my morning coffee.  The work I do, raising my kids and trying to teach them about goodness and kindness, matters!  They are learning.  They are born sweet and good and kind and innocent.  But it is easy to lose that in the monotony of our lives and in the stress of the world around us.  Given all that, and given the silliness of these two brothers of most days, they are individually and uniquely remembering to be kind to each other.  And hopefully, as they grow in the world, they will continue to be kind to others.  

I'm a happy camper today.  Something I have done matters, and while I may not be hearing the singing praises of my actions from those around me, I was still enough and quiet enough to get the message.  Thanks universe!  

Yep, today is definitely better than yesterday.  Looking forward to tomorrow!

Let's try this again...

Ok, so I've become inspired to start my own blog.  I've been following a few blogs for some time now and have really enjoyed getting to know about these individuals and their lives.  I've often wished I had a larger network of peeps who could provide ears to listen to my raves, shoulders to cry on, outpourings of advice when my brain/heart/soul fails to guide me while on my way. Unfortunately, the reality is that it is hard getting to meet new people, especially as an adult who is trapped in my house most of the day with 2 kids.  

While it isn't easy to chat it up with total strangers at the park while my 3-year-old whines to push him higher, HIGHER on the swings, I suppose I could spend a few moments a day to chat it up with strangers online.  Seems like it works for a lot of other people (ok, I'm actually a little envious of the friendships people are striking up via their blogs).  Soooooo...here I am and I am all yours!  

Sure, I have a lot of things to share (like my 3-year-olds perceptions of the differences between penises and baginas), but I'm also eager to hear about you too.  I'll bet that we have a lot of the same experiences to share.  No doubt most moms and dads out there have run the gammet of wonderful, embarrassing, awful, icky situations with their kids.  At least we have that in common! And for those of you without kids, I remember those days (sometimes fondly) and need to be reminded that there is a world out there that doesn't involve crayons, diapers, snot, baby food, bedtime stories and bad attitudes (the 3-year-old version)!

Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.  Yesterday I wrote a much more inspired and heartfelt post, which was to be my introduction into the world of blogging.  But of course, I didn't save it and it was lost somewhere in cyberspace.  Figures...

So, my time is up.  Kid #1 is up from his nap and my "me-time" is over.  More tomorrow perhaps...