The Family

The Terror of the House

kanniduba2 Comments

So, I think Mister Baby Boy is possessed.  My sweet darling boy has, almost instantly, become a holy terror.  The only logical explanation is demonic possession.  The evidence:

1.  He has learned to climb on the couches, and of course, not content to sit on said couches, he feels he must jump on them, flailing himself around laughing maniacally as he does so.  If I don’t reach him quickly enough, this child reaches for the cords from the blinds, which (as everyone knows) is a problem. 

2.  Even though all movable electronic equipment has been moved out of reach, Mister Baby Boy has discovered the ONE button in the living room that still can be pushed (besides Mommy’s that is)…the TV power button.  This child will go back to this button over and over and over and over ad nauseum.  Even the mini time out’s on Mommy’s lap do not discourage this power button pushing.  Let’s not forget the maniacal laugh that accompanies this behavior.

3.  My darling boy will wrap his sweet arms around my neck to hug me, then the demon makes him pinch the soft skin of my neck, digging his little vice like claws into my flesh.  He will sweetly rub my arms, only to grab them suddenly, pinching them and leaving behind scratch marks.  I look like I own a mean cat.  Instead, I own a mean toddler.

4.  My dear sweet demon possessed child uses his teeth to attempt to get what he wants.  He has taken to biting anything and everything in his sight when he does not get what he wants.  He will yell and start gnashing his tiny razor teeth toward the closest flesh available.  If nice, juicy flesh is not available, a nearby piece of furniture or toy will be substituted. 

5.  Mister has begun to fight naps.  Refusal of naps will not be tolerated.

6.  He runs toward the most dangerous spots in the house, the second he is free from his gates.  The stairs, the toilet, the oven, call to the demon within, tempting him into danger.  Once he knows I am in pursuit, he laughs his maniacal laugh and runs all the faster toward his goal.

I am not a new Mom, as you know.  I have done this toddler thing before…twice.  I taught for 13 years, and was known as the behavioral guru within the district.  This child is bringing to my knees!  My KNEES I say!!!

Zan reminded me that he has always been this way…intent on getting to everything he shouldn’t.  Until now he’s been limited by lack of mobility.  NOT anymore!  And so the fun begins…and the exorcisms.

 Addendum:  So, it all comes back to the Evil Teeth.  I had a brainstorm, and looked inside my poor boy’s mouth, only to find gums so swollen they look like blisters.  I gave him Motrin, and 20 minutes later, my no-longer-evil boy climbed onto my lap, rubbed my arms (no digging this time) and started to yawn.  He’s sleeping peacefully as I type.  Who knew?  Exorcisms come in medicine bottles.

Neat Finds Amongst the Rambling

kanniduba6 Comments

So Mother’s Day weekend was made up of everything I love.  Time with family, time with friends, outdoor play time, house project time, homemade pizzas…(I made a pesto one that was to die for!)…ice cream shop visits, roses, Lowe’s, Chinese Food take-in, watching home videos of the kids…I couldn’t have asked for more!  One of my gifts from Zan and the kids was a day off to go and play photographer.  They came up with a list of places that they think I should go photograph on my free day!  Can’t wait…I’ve been saying I need a little “alone” time…I was thinking along the lines of grocery shopping by myself, or running errands alone.  This “alone time” will be 10 times more fun!

We started preparing for the deck!  Siding has been ripped off in preparation for the ledger board, sidewalk has been removed, and Zan started digging the holes for the footings.  Since we live so far up north, the footings have to run four feet deep, so it’s a big job.

Here’s the before shot of my messy backyard entryway.

We have lived here for 10 years, and are finally getting around to improving this part of the house.  Our home is 110 years old.  Since we moved in, things like broken windows, old wiring, plumbing problems, boiler replacement, uncovering the hard wood floors, and more have taken precedence over the outside.  It feels good to finally get around to it!

 Zan made an interesting little discovery when he ripped off a board that was covering a space under the house.

There it was, this little charm just sitting on the ground.  His comment was, “This house likes to remind us now and then that we were meant to own it.”  I have to figure out what to do with it.  Any ideas? 

Oh, and one more…wait, no…two more things.  On Saturday, there was this really neat “rainbow” (for lack of a better term) around the sun.  Maybe it could be called a halo?  Neat, eh?

Our Lost Boy said, “You take pictures of rainbows?”

“Yes…”

“Why?”

“Because they’re beautiful and I want to remember them.”
“Huh.”  He says.  “Weird.” 

And last but not least…my roses.  I had no idea how difficult it was to photograph red roses!  This is pretty, but not what my eye sees.

 

Evil Teeth

kanniduba8 Comments

So, my Sweet Baby Boy is getting teeth.  I should say MORE teeth.  He has 12 already.  Why, oh, why do children (and their parents) face this torture?  He was up four times last night…screaming…so I was up four times last night….wanting to scream.

One wake up, I can take with grace.  Two wake-ups and my blood pressure begins to rise.  More than that, and I have a confession.  I turn into evil Mommy.  I am at my worst at night.  I hate to be woken up.  And when I’m woken up several times, the very worst words are vomited from my mouth.  I spew all my venom at the monitor…saying words one should never say.  Nasty swear words that should not come out of a Mommy’s mouth…and I fling back the covers, and stomp out of my room into the hallway. 

But then, all my evil-ness spewed, I quietly approach my child’s room, gently open the door, and coo to my darling Boy, “Mama’s here…it’s okay.  What’s the matter?”  and snuggle him in tight.  One smell of my child’s head and the touch of his tiny fingers turns me back into the pure, sweet Mommy I’m supposed to be. 

I know it isn’t right, but I suppose I would rather have the monitor and my husband hear my frustration, and not my child.  I used to fight it, and would find myself still ticking when I’d pick up my darling babies.  Now, I just let it all out in the safety of my room, and can cuddle my children with a calm heart through the wee hours. 

I envy those mothers who are never rattled.  You know the ones…heck, maybe you ARE one!  Always calm, always patient, always nurturing, kind, and beautiful.  I aspire to be that, but fall short, especially in the darkness of the enveloping night.  I will never claim to be calm…but my children know they are loved every minute of the day…and night.  They will never know that I spoke obscenities at their monitors, but they will know that I hugged them, and rocked them, and kissed them, and fed them and changed them, and loved them…and it is when I am most frustrated that I find myself thanking God the most, because I know there will come a day, not too far from now, when I would give anything to be woken up at night by a crying baby. 

This wasn’t meant to be a Mother’s Day post, but I guess it lends itself quite naturally to being one.  So to all you Mothers out there…the calm, the frazzled, and all those in between, I wish you a Happy Mother’s Day.  May all your days (and nights!) be blessed.

Since we’ve been talking about helmets….

kanniduba6 Comments

Nervous Nelly Mommy that I am, I was watching my son attempting to play basketball in the driveway the other day, and my heart leapt into my throat every time he teetered this way, or tottered that way.  I wondered out loud to Zan, “Do you think they make helmets for babies as little as Mister Baby Boy?”  He gave me the look that lets me know that I’m about to cross the overprotective line into Crazy Land.  I stopped wondering….until I took him to the Dr. for a checkup yesterday, and lo and behold, what were they selling?!  Helmets for toddlers!!!!  Did I buy one?  HELL YES!!!!

*Ahem*  But of course I’ll only make him wear it when we go on bike rides.  *Ahem*  (Or if he’s climbing the slide…or running on the blacktop…or playing basketball…or sitting in the grass…or taking a bath…or reading a book…or sleeping.)

Okay…so I’m not really THAT crazy…honest. 

But I’m reminded of this Saturday Night Live skit.  So for your viewing pleasure, I present “Philip the Hyper Hypo!”

It’s a sickness, really.

kanniduba3 Comments

So, I have a little problem.  I know I’m not the only one.  Tolle would say that it’s my ego talking, not me.  Little comfort to my dear husband!

My little problem is that I am never content.  I always have to have something to look forward to.  I should say that I am extremely content with the “big stuff” in my life as it is–I don’t “need” anything to make me happy (for example, another baby, a new house, a new job.)  I am truly happy in the moment. 

But my mind always seems to need the preoccupation of looking forward to something.  Now that the anticipation of Disney is over and I’ve had a week to come down off the trip, my mind is already busy conjuring up “the next thing.”  If the next thing isn’t a trip, it invariably becomes a new house project. 

Poor poor poor poor Zan.  Now that I’m not working, I have more time than ever to think…and dream.

“Hey Honey, I’ve been thinking…”

*sigh*  “Oh, no.”

Yep…that’s usually how the story starts.  And before you know it we’re heading off to Lowe’s.  A friend of mine used to say, “It all starts with a throw pillow.” 

So let me tell you about the “next thing.”  Mister Baby Boy has discovered the Big Outdoors.  However, Mister Baby Boy gives Mommy heart attacks because he wants to be running around very unsteadily on the blacktopped driveway, trying to make baskets in the way-too-tall-for-him basketball hoop.  He is not satisfied to play with the toddler-sized basketball hoop in the yard.  Oh, no…he must be Danger Boy (he has his own theme song, by the way—but that’s a story for another day) and nearly cracks his handsome little skull on the concrete as he looks up to the basket which is so high that he loses his balance and falls backwards. 

So, I say to myself, “Now, if we had a big deck off the back of the house, I could gate off the stairs, and sit outside and let Mister play on the deck with a bunch of toys, and watch the girls without having to chase him around all summer long.”  Some chasing, good.  All chasing, bad.

Ergo, “Honey, I’ve been thinking.”

“Oh, no.”

So we’ve spent the last two days looking, measuring, researching.  An easy do-it-yourself weekend project!  *tee*hee*hee* 

Relatively inexpensive!  *tee*hee*hee*

And somehow, a very simple, square, 20×20 deck has become this elaborate extension with a tree coming up through the middle of it.  And who wants plain old deck flooring?  Wouldn’t a herringbone pattern look nice?  And what about those wood balusters?  Ew!  Boring!  I’m thinking THESE would be nice.

And who wants plain old post covers?  Wouldn’t copper be great?  Or, ooooo, what about these????

And a brand new deck definitely needs a brand new grill!  And did somebody say screening?  Screening would be nice.  And…..*sigh*

See?  I told you, I have a problem. 

But I think Zan has an even bigger one.

🙂