So it's been a year of autism now

Our son Little D was diagnosed a little over a year ago with being in the autism spectrum. He is now believed to have Asperger's Syndrome. If you would have told me a year ago that he would be the kid he is today, I would have thought you were lying. A year ago I was unsure about LD's future. I didn't know if he would have even a glimpse of a normal life. Now....the sky is the limit for what LD can achieve.

One year ago at this time our son could not communicate any of his needs verbally. He had many behavioral issues. His sensory issues were so bad and we had no idea how to deal with them. We were at a loss.

Now, our son is talking overtime and won't shut up! LOL He still has behavioral issues but we are learning more about them each day. His sensory issues can still be trying but at least we have techniques that help him get through the incidences.

Here is a little tidbit about what our little man has....Asperger's Syndrome:

History

Asperger's Disorder was first described in the 1940s by Viennese pediatrician Hans Asperger who observed autistic-like behaviors and difficulties with social and communication skills in boys who had normal intelligence and language development. Many professionals felt Asperger's Disorder was simply a milder form of autism and used the term "high-functioning autism" to describe these individuals. Professor Uta Frith, with the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience of University College London and author of Autism and Asperger Syndrome, describes individuals with Asperger's Disorder as "having a dash of Autism." Asperger's Disorder was added to the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) in 1994 as a separate disorder from autism. However, there are still many professionals who consider Asperger's Disorder a less severe form of autism.

Characteristics

What distinguishes Asperger's Disorder from Autism Disorder is the severity of the symptoms and the absence of language delays. Children with Asperger's Disorder may be only mildly affected and frequently have good language and cognitive skills. To the untrained observer, a child with Asperger's Disorder may just seem like a normal child behaving differently.

Children with autism are frequently seen as aloof and uninterested in others. This is not the case with Asperger's Disorder. Individuals with Asperger's Disorder usually want to fit in and have interaction with others; they simply don't know how to do it. They may be socially awkward, not understanding of conventional social rules, or show a lack of empathy. They may have limited eye contact, seem to be unengaged in a conversation, and not understand the use of gestures.

Interests in a particular subject may border on the obsessive. Children with Asperger's Disorder frequently like to collect categories of things, such as rocks or bottle caps. They may be proficient in knowing categories of information, such as baseball statistics or Latin names of flowers. While they may have good rote memory skills, they have difficulty with abstract concepts.

One of the major differences between Asperger's Disorder and autism is that, by definition, there is no speech delay in Asperger's. In fact, children with Asperger's Disorder frequently have good language skills; they simply use language in different ways. Speech patterns may be unusual, lack inflection or have a rhythmic nature, or it may be formal, but too loud or high pitched. Children with Asperger's Disorder may not understand the subtleties of language, such as irony and humor, or they may not understand the give-and- take nature of a conversation.

Another distinction between Asperger's Disorder and autism concerns cognitive ability. While some individuals with autism experience mental retardation, by definition a person with Asperger's Disorder cannot possess a "clinically significant" cognitive delay and most possess average to above average intelligence.

While motor difficulties are not a specific criteria for Asperger's, children with Asperger's Disorder frequently have motor skill delays and may appear clumsy or awkward.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis of Asperger's Disorder is on the increase, although it is unclear whether it is more prevalent or whether more professionals are detecting it. The symptoms for Asperger's Disorder are the same as those listed for autism in the DSM-IV; however, children with AS do not have delays in the area of communication and language. In fact, to be diagnosed with Asperger’s, a child must have normal language development as well as normal intelligence. The DSM-IV criteria for AS specifies that the individual must have "severe and sustained impairment in social interaction, and the development of restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests and activities that must cause clinically significant impairment in social, occupational or other important areas of functioning."

The first step to diagnosis is an assessment, including a developmental history and observation. This should be done by medical professionals experienced with autism and other PDDs. If Asperger's Disorder or high-functioning autism is suspected, the diagnosis of autism will generally be ruled out first. Early diagnosis is also important as children with Asperger's Disorder who are diagnosed and treated early in life have an increased chance of being successful in school and eventually living independently. To learn more, see Consulting with Professionals.


This information is from The Autism Society of America. To find out more about autism...please go to: http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer

One child in every 150 is diagnosed with autism. Out of every 5 children, 4 are boys. These children need your compassion and understanding and your support to be heard. Please don't let this month go by without informing yourself a little more about autism.

Thank you from our family and from my beautiful boy who just happens to live life walking to a different beat then the rest of us.

God bless you.

Satan must employ toy packaging developers!

It took everything I had not to use every swear word I have ever heard while trying to take the kid's toys out of their boxes. !(#*$&%&*&#(@(&$&*@((@&$$^^#@*

Don't they know that there is no toddler on the planet that can wait for a parent to remove all those dang twist ties? Do they not have children? Is this for anti-theft? If so....don't they realize that these toys are bigger then any pocket or bag can hold so it's not very likely they will be taken from their packages and stolen?

So, as the smart mommy that I am with two small children, I decide we need to get the toys out of the boxes on Christmas Eve after the kids go to bed so we aren't sitting there in the morning trying to get the 4,000,000,000 (yes that is billion for those keeping track) twist ties that is tethering every single part of every single toy in the box. It doesn't matter that the toy has appendages that could never slip through one of these stinking twist ties...let's put 20 more on it! Hey, let's get creative and put two or three together and twist them around one part of a toy.

Well, the toys are set free thanks to mommy and daddy. No swear words were actually said.....out loud. The scissors are dull from mommy deciding her sanity is worth a pair of scissors to cut through the twist ties instead of untwisting them all.

My one Christmas wish is for the jokers who designed this packaging design to be inundated with 100 toddlers energized with stocking candy all bouncing around them while they release a toy for each and every one of them from these insanely over-secured packages!

Gee.....I feel better now!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a twist tie free night!

WIGGLES WIGGLES WIGGLES

The Wiggles are sleeping....they don't want to be watched right now! LOL

That is what I have had to tell Little D on more then one occasion. He is driving me batty with The Wiggles! If he could live with them I am sure he would pack his bags in 10 seconds flat!

Let's see....LD's viewing schedule is:

Spacedancing Wiggles
Cold Spaghetti Western Wiggles
Wiggle Bay
Big Red Car
Top of the Tots

I stop there only b/c I have never let him watch more then 5 in one day. I don't know which DVD he would put next on his line up and don't want to find out. He sticks with this line up with each new day.

Can I just say I have Wiggles in my sleep? I don't think fruit salad is all that yummy yummy anymore! Cold spaghetti is just that....cold. Rolling down the sand hills would make me dizzy and I really don't feel like dancing the gloomies away or doing the eagle rock.

Ok...just the mere fact that I could recall all of those songs without looking at a DVD or CD is amazing. What is really sick is that I could name at least 20 more without even batting an eye.

Did you know that Greg (Yellow Wiggle) has a neurological condition that is not allowing him to tour anymore? He is married is in his late 30's and has kids. Jeff (Purple Wiggle) is in his 50's but sure doesn't look like it. He is not married and was in a band called The Cockroaches with Anthony at one time. Anthony (Blue Wiggle) is in his late 40's and has a wife and kids. His brother produces the show. Murray (Red Wiggle) is also in his late 40's and is married. Not sure on the kids though. All but Jeff have degrees in early childhood development.

How incredibly sad is that? I know more about the Wiggles then I know about some of my acquaintances! Can someone come and help LD to find something else to get fixated on now?

I gotta go Toot Toot Chugga Chugga in my Big Red Car now. So go to dreamland while you Rock-a-bye Your Bear and sail off with Captain Feathersword.

The most precious gift before bed

Little D had a rough day yesterday. He was using his "almost" three year old mouth all day. He was so sassy and it was a day that I couldn't wait for bedtime.

We put LD to bed and he didn't make too much of a fuss about it. He fell asleep on the floor in his doorway like he does quite often. I don't know why but he just feels a need to fall asleep there.

Before going to bed I usually put him in his bed. Usually I just pick up his limp, sack of potatoes body and put it in bed, cover him up, kiss him on the forehead and leave without him so much as making a whimper.

Last night was different though. The actions and conversation are as follows:

I pick LD up and he slightly wakes up but doesn't say a word. I lay him in bed and go back for his favorite pillow and blanket that are still in the doorway. I lay his pillow in his arms and put the blanket on him.

LD: (with eyes half mast) Thank you for pillow mommy.

ME: You're welcome sweetie.

LD: (still half asleep) Goodnight mommy.

Me: Goodnight sweetie, I love you.

LD: (with a sleepy smile on his face) I love you mommy.

Me: (as I pull the blankets around him closer) Sleep tight and stay warm little man.

LD: (still with that sleepy smile) Night mommy.

and off to dream land he went with that sleepy smile on his face. It was so cute that it just melted my heart. After the day I had, God just made a huge smile in my heart with my little man. It was a moment that I so needed that night.

I love my little boy....sigh.....

So once you have what you wanted...then what?

My house is clean. I don't mean it looks clean. I mean it is uncluttered! I mean it has been purged of all of the junk that I accumulated and kept for no apparent reason. It is CLEAN!

I now have kids rooms that can be walked in. How did that happen? There are no toys everywhere falling off of every shelf. We must have gotten rid of at least 3 boxes of toys.

I no longer have to cram the drawers shut. The clothes actually fit into the drawers without overflowing....IN ALL OF OUR ROOMS! That in itself is a miracle. I got rid of at least 6 garbage bags of our clothes and 4 boxes of kids clothes.

I was ruthless. You should have seen me! I was SMOKIN'! TOSS, KEEP, DONATE, EWWW....and whatever came to mind as I was shown things. It felt so gooooooood!!!!

So now what do I do with myself? I have always had this underlying guilt that my house was cluttered and it kind of just ate at me all the time. Now it isn't and it just doesn't feel right! I lived the other way so long that I don't know what to do with myself now!

I guess I should tackle the garage one of these days. PLEASE DON'T MAKE ME DO IT!!!!

BLOW OUT!

We dropped Little D off at grandma's today and brought Princess Grabby Hands in for her 15 month check up and shots. We were almost home and went over some tracks and POW...the tire blew. The other back tire went slowly flat because there was a nail in it. OH JOY!

SO...we were just 2 blocks from the local tire place so we slowly drove there and they are looking at it now. The one with the nail can be fixed but the other one is a complete blow out. There goes about $90. Isn't that grand? Well, wait a minute...I'm glad it wasn't a grand. I guess it could have been worse.

I left hubby there and walked home with PGH in the stroller because I didn't know how long it was going to take and with PGH just getting shots, I didn't want her having to sit in a tire place for a couple of hours and being uncomfy. Thank God for me being very prepared because I had plenty of blankets in the van to cover her with and cover most of the stroller with because it's super windy out and only 50 degrees. It was about a mile from the tire place to home. Not a bad walk but considering poor baby just got shots. Let's just say she wasn't pleased.

Not how I wanted to spend my morning but what can ya do? SIGH....

PGH is only 15 months and already 32 inches tall. She is 25 lbs 8 oz. My little girl is going to be an Amazon woman! Considering she started life on the 20th percentile for height and weight for the first 5 months....she sure made up for it now! She is now in the 88th percentile for height and 83rd percentile for weight. She is just a really tall girl! SOB....I don't want my baby to grow up yet!

Yes it really is our anniversary

And the whole day has went by and I don't think either hubby nor I even thought to say HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to each other. What does that say about us? LOL

We aren't mad at each other. We aren't even frustrated with each other. I just don't think either of us has it in us to think of this day as any other day. It just is what it is.

So anyways....it's been 6 years since we tied the knot. We got married on Sweetest Day in 2001 just 39 days after the Twin Towers were attacked. How's that for starting your marriage off realizing how much you really mean to each other? We knew from that point on how fleeting life was and there are no guarantees that we will be here tomorrow. I guess that has made us respect and love each other that much deeper because we can't know how long we will have each other.

Well, onward and upward with the happier stuff. We enjoyed the morning at the park with the kids. While Little D found it fun to try to leave with other families (I guess we just aren't meeting his standards or something)...Princess Grabby Hands decided to wander the streets...LITERALLY! She kept making a bee line for the parking lot keeping mom and dad (mainly daddy) on their toes. What a little stinker. Apparently the fun park stuff wasn't doing it for her...she wanted to go play out in traffic!

Six years have passed since we said I do. Are we more in love? Maybe. Are we sick of each other yet? I don't think so. Hey...neither of us has ripped the others head clear off his neck. I think that says something right there! LOL

So this year starts the 7 year itch. I doubt it will effect us in any way. I don't either of us has any energy to want to start a new relationship with anyone else. I doubt either of us would find anyone better for each other anyways. We balance each other too well. While hubby is an eternal pessimist, I'm the cheerleader optimist. Even when I am in a funk, hubby turns it around and becomes the cheerleader for me. We just switch roles seamlessly sometimes as the need arises.

So here is to another 6 years and beyond. I just pray that we will both be on this earth to grow old together and see our grandchildren and great grandchildren. We have to be able to spoil with abandon someday don't we? Can't do it to our own kids or else pandemonium would ensue....have to wait for grandchildren!

Even licensed professionals shouldn't color their hair on their own...

Well, I started out with drab medium brown hair. I have no clue if that is my real hair color. I haven't had just my own hair color since I was 15 years old. That is another story though...it was the 80's...I had to be a bleach blond! LOL

Anywho...I decided I wanted blond highlights. Well, more like streaks. I wanted them to stand out a bit but not be totally bright. I guess I'm no longer making sense here, but I digress. I was too lazy to go to the beauty supply store and do it professionally with the right supplies so I decided to do a box of highlighting stuff from the store. How the heck does the normal person do the streaks right when a licensed professional can't do it the way the box tells you to? This is ridiculous.

I have my hubby help me. He is going off of what I was telling him to do and apparently not getting it. My hair came out striped and very uneven. Let me tell you....I was not going out of the house like that. The blond was TOOOOOO blond and it was in funky chunks (not funky in a good way).

Strike two...An hour after the first mess up, I get hubby to go buy another box of color. I tell him to pick up a dark red to cover up the streaks and hope that I end up with dark red hair with strawberry highlights. The only way to describe the color that resulted from that application is "OH MY GOSH IS THIS RED!" I think if I went outside someone would think my head was on fire and douse me with a bucket of water. This cannot stay either. We won't even go into the fact that the blond now looks rather orange and still splotchy.

So now on to try number three. The next morning we couldn't go to church because the kids were sick. I guess part of me was relieved because I didn't want to go their with hair that looked as if Satan had a hand in picking the color (totally not hubby's fault...the color looked great on the box). I slap a hat on my head and run to the store myself.

I find a nice neutral light brown and figure that it would blend the blond (er..orange blotches) and tone down the red. I shove this third color in less then 24 hours on my head and wait the 25 minutes. I wash it out and this is what I now have:



Not that it's bad, it's just not what I had planned on. I wanted my medium to light brown hair with blond highlights. I got dark reddish auburn hair instead. Oh well. At least I am presentable and am getting compliments on it. Maybe next time I won't take the *ahem* easy way out and do it right the first time. >INSERT HUGE EYE ROLL HERE!<

Onto the next order of business...

Two words...

CRACK KILLS!!!!



Yes...that is Little D and Princess Grabby Hands watching TV. I have no clue why her diaper was so baggy but I just had to get a picture of her little baby butt crack hanging out. It was too cute to pass up.

Now back your regularly scheduled web surfing....

I'm going to glue his butt to the bed

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I think we have a record tonight. I lost count but I do know that little D was up a minimum of 15 times tonight. It's so hard to stay mad at a little boy yelling "I NEED A KISS" from the other room.

Let's see...the list of excuses tonight:

"I need a kiss." 4 times
"Look at my cars." twice
"Car on the lines." (on his street rug in his room)
"Need trains on my bed." (I don't think so young man. Trains can stay on the train table.)
Threw a foam chair over the gate in his doorway and then crawled over and landed on it.
"Shmuzzy bear need shoe." (Bear's shoe fell off...or rather was taken off to give LD a reason to get out of bed.)
"Need more cars."
Comes out with fireman hat.
Comes out with foam chair to watch TV.

The list is probably longer but my frazzled brain may have forgotten some of the excuses.

I would never do it but there are nights that duct tape and bungee cords pop into my mind! LOL

The adventures of Calamity Jane

Yes, I'm talking about Princess Grabby Hands. No, we haven't officially changed her name but I am contemplating it after this past week!

I feel like that commercial "It will be a miracle if she makes it to 2." She came into this world and within 3 weeks Little D dropped a board book on her head. I think that should have been an prophesy of things to come.

Within this week the child has fallen off of 4 chairs (thankfully they are children's chairs and not regular ones), got a minor shiner from tripping over the end of a wooden slide in a toddler area, had a bruise on her shin (no clue where it came from), bumped her head multiple times on various items and got shoved off of a mini-trampoline that is for LD's therapy. I wonder who could have shoved her....hmm......can you even dare to guess! LOL

It will truly be a miracle if she makes it to 18 months much less 2 years old. The child is definitely Calamity Jane. I will be shocked if she makes it to her second birthday without stitches. Then again, I said the same thing about LD and he hasn't had stitches yet so I'm amazed at him as well.

I think I have a lot of worry ahead for years to come. Oh fun!

Gotta love selective hearing

Why is it that a child who cannot hear his name when it is being shouted from three feet away 20 times can hear the ear splitting crash of two marshmallows colliding in mid air?

I can literally be just a few feet from Little D shouting his name numerous times and he won't even flinch. I feel sorry for his future wife! He has the "male" selective hearing times 10! AND...yes, we've had his hearing checked as well as looked for fluid in the ears. He just doesn't hear what he doesn't want to hear.

This same child can hear me pulling one little jellybean out of a bowl from the opposite end of the house and come running out with his hand open. Where is this super sensitive hearing when I am calling him to pick up toys?

I know when LD is back in his room with Princess Grabby Hands that he is trying to pull her into his ways! She sometimes can be the same way! Bring out some food of any sort and PGH comes toddling through so fast there is smoke coming from her tootsies!

Maybe that is the key...I need to stop calling for them and just start rustling wrappers and bags out in the living room. Maybe they'll catch on too fast but I might fool them for at least a week or so!

Oh Pumpkin, Where Art Thou

Today was PUMPKIN PATCH DAY at the Little D and Princess Grabby Hands household. Grandma treated us and Auntie came along for the ride! What a great day!

From singing chickens:









To train rides with mom and dad:









Fun was had by all! LD got to root for pig number one (Sqealy Ray Cirus) and his little porker took first place. Here he is cheering his piggy on with Grandma (his most favorite person in the world).



PGH helped cheer on the piggies with Daddy.







Here he is going up to accept his sticker for being a #1 PIG ROOTER and his first place ribbon. He wouldn't let me take a picture with the ribbon.




PGH sits among the giant orange things, of which she has no idea what they are, while LD searches for just the right pumpkin.





LD gets to pick a pumpkin. Of course he NEEDS the 31 lb pumpkin. What kid doesn't? I guess when you are as cute as he is and the apple of Grandma's eye, you can get her to pay $9 for a pumpkin! LOL


PGH is tuckered out. It's been a long day for her majesty! Why can't I have a ride when I am tired at the end of a fun day? No fair!





I still want my stinking Alpaca farm so I can make my own yarn and sell it on eBay! What a cute, hungry Alpaca. This one ate almost my entire little cup of carrots! We couldn't resist her (at least I think it was a her) beautiful, huge eyes!


What a great day. It was 84 degrees and sunny with a slight breeze. It was almost empty in there because it was just after the school kids left from the field trips and just before parents got off work to bring in more kids. There must have only been about 50 people in the whole place (not including workers). What a perfect time to get there (1:30 pm).

Oh...Just to bring a smile to your face...here is a little video of LD dancing with the Can Can Chickens. He loves them. AND NO...It's not my foot tapping him on the butt. That is Auntie's foot! LOL

You've heard of Dancing With the Stars! Now watch Dancing With the Chickens!

Let's play the "NOT STAY IN BED" game

I don't know who is worse lately...Little D or Princess Grabby Hands! Who knew that two children under 3 years old could play this game so well? Is there a private school that I don't know about that they are attending during nap time or something?

Here is the scenario:

I put them both in bed. PGH cries like I just put her down to be eaten by wolves or something. LD smiles and says NIGHT MOM and grabs his pillow. I know LD is just humoring me. PGH calms down and I think all is well.

Within 30 minutes LD will hop out of bed and bound into the living room. Usually it is "I got hiccups" or "Tie my bear's shoe (which is already tied, by the way)" or "I need kisses" or about 20 other phrases he has decided are great excuses for getting out of bed. Anyone have some duct tape for this kid? UGH! Bungee cords??? ANYTHING??? I'm desperate!

With LD, I follow the GET BACK IN BED now method and lead him in there. Works sometimes but not others. If only I had the patience of Supernanny! Yeah right! Does she even have kids? Patience is not for those that have them. Patience is for those that can give them back to their parents after a few hours!

So then LD gets...well...not quiet but at least he gets it that he has to stay in bed. Within an hour, PGH (who has been asleep this whole time) will wake up screaming bloody murder. I wait a few minutes thinking that maybe she just woke up startled and will go back to sleep. No...I am not ignoring her...well, maybe yes I am but this is a nightly pattern so I doubt anything is really wrong with her.

After about 3 to 5 minutes of the crying to get more pitiful, I finally check on her. She sits there with fear in her eyes and wants to come out of bed NOW! I pick her up to calm her. PGH is fine the second she is in my arms. I try to put her back down. No go. She wants to stay up now! SIGH....

I bring her to the living room and rock her for a little bit. She starts dozing off and I think "HEY...LET'S TRY THE BED THING AGAIN!!!!" As soon as I stand up her eyes pop wide open. ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!! I get her in her room and she cries her face off in the crib. I tell her goodnight and let her cry. It's usually over within about 5 minutes when she realizes that mom won't let her stay up all night.

Now it's even worse when Daddy is home. When PGH gets up, she flirts so horribly with Daddy that he will hold her for an hour! No wonder she is doing this nightly pattern. She knows Daddy will give in because she is just that darn cute! He is in huge trouble with that one. He can't resist my puppy dog eyes and she has them, too! We are so lucky that I control the check book or else this child would probably get him to buy her a toy store!

As I type, I have PGH finally calmed down and back to slumber land. LD is in his room counting loudly (as he does so often while trying to get to sleep) but it's getting quieter and slower so he must be calming down as well. Maybe, just maybe I'll get peace and quiet by 9:00 pm! I can wish can't I? As my grandpa used to say..."Sit on one hand and wish on the other, then see which gets filled first." Grandpas are so full of wisdom, aren't they? ;) I can't wait to get old and cantankerous so I can fill my grandkids with such wisdom! LOL

Lost Little D for 10 minutes today

I was so scared that I thought I would throw up.

Hubby was in the prayer room praying about this decision of leaving us for school. I got the kids from the nursery and went to wait outside of the room for him. A lady that runs the grief counseling group that I know was talking to me about what was going on and wanting my phone number to get some information to me. I let go of the kids (we were by a wall and it was pretty open ~ not too many people right next to us) and wrote it down. Princess Grabby Hands started toddling away and Little D ran after her to grab her with me following close behind. I grabbed PGH and next thing I knew, LD was nowhere to be found.

LD, being not even 3 years old yet and with autism, is completely fearless. I was petrified that he ran outside or any other worse situation that goes through a mom's mind when their kid is missing. I started dodging between people. There were so many there b/c it was right after the 9:30 service ended and people were coming in for the 11:00 service. I am shouting for LD at this point with everyone looking around to see who I was yelling for.

A woman from my retreat yesterday saw me and knowing my LD is autistic started searching frantically with me. She saw one of the security people (my hubby is on security too so we know them) and they went outside and alerted the greeters to look for him.

10 minutes seemed like 10 hours at this point. I must have made the rounds around the church at least 15 times. I had PGH in my arms and left the diaper bag by the prayer room door. I pass by the prayer room door on another pass and guess who is there trying to lift the diaper bag.....YES MY SON!!!! PRAISE THE LORD!

I just grabbed him and hugged him so tightly. I shoved both of the kids in the prayer room with daddy at this point (don't know why I didn't get him when this first happened but my brain was mush) and went to find those who were looking to tell them he had been found. By this time, my friend from the retreat was in tears herself and security was getting someone in a golf cart to drive around the parking lot. THANK YOU LORD FOR THOSE THAT CARE SO MUCH.

Needless to say, my eyes are red from crying now. We got to the van and buckled the kids in....I just lost it. I bawled for 5 minutes.

Yes, LD got "the lecture" about staying near mommy and never running off. And people wonder why I usually have him on a harness backpack thingy.

CALGON TAKE ME AWAY!

We go Grandma's house

I know if Little D could dig a tunnel the whole 16 miles to Grandma's house, he would in a heartbeat. Every single time we get in the van, the first thing he says is "WE GO GRANDMA'S HOUSE!" 90% of the time he is wrong and lets us know how upset he is that we aren't going the direction he thinks we should.

LD is always trying to "tell" us which way to go by saying "THAT WAY" and pointing in a direction. Incredibly, he always points in the direction that Grandma lives no matter which way we are going. How does a two year old do that? It's almost freaky!

One day we are going to follow his pointing and see if he leads us there. I will probably fall over laughing if he did. The child cannot remember that we just told him to pick up his toys but he can remember which direction Grandma's house is no matter how long it's been since we've gone there last.

Grandma just promised him the pumpkin farm next week. I know he is going to love it. We will go to Grandma's house and LD will not care that we are going to see pumpkins (although he talks about them constantly all the time). He will only care that Grandma is getting in the van with us to go there, too.

My hubby has a daddy's girl with Princess Grabby Hands. I have a momma's boy with LD but the second Grandma is in the picture....mommy becomes chopped liver! Oh the humanity! LOL

Aparently I stink

Well, I can tell you all because it will just stay between you and me right? I know you won't tell anyone!

I was going to the bathroom the other day. You know....not number one but number two. I had the door open, as usual when you have two toddlers and you have no other adult in the house to watch that they don't destroy the entire place in the few minutes you are in there.

So anyways, I was going to the bathroom and my sweet and charming Little D (almost 3 for those of you new to my blog) left the hallway to go to the living room. I thought he was just going to go play or something. A minute later he comes back with the wipes. Now, you have to know that he brings me the wipes whenever Princess Grabby Hands (our 14 month old baby girl) is stinky. It's just his way of telling me she needs a diaper change.

Back to my story, he brings me the wipes. I ask him if PGH is stinky. He replies no. I ask him if HE is stinky. He replies no. I said who are the wipes for. He says, "MOMMY IS TINKY!!" GEE THANKS KIDDO! I laughed so hard I almost fell off the toilet.

After composing myself, I told him, "Well yours doesn't smell like roses either son and at least you don't have to clean MINE up!" The things this kid comes up with!

So, now you all know my embarrassing story about LD, the bathroom and mommy. I know you will totally keep this to yourself and not tell a soul, right? I have your word don't I? I thought so! THANKS!

Does it count as exercise?

I just spent the evening dancing with my kids. I sure hope I burned at least a few calories! I am ready to toss out this CD now. The songs have well annoyed me after the third round of playing them.

First we did the Chicken Dance. You know the one. The dance that everyone looks like a fool doing at every wedding in full dressed up attire. "I don't wanna be a chicken, I don't wanna be a duck, so I'll shake my butt! QUACK QUACK QUACK QUACK!" Yes, I did the hand motions, the butt shaking and everything. I think Little D was more baffled (one of his new words) then anything at seeing mommy flap like a chicken! LOL

So then we move onto the Hokey Pokey. Did I spell that right? I have no clue. Get this...my hubby had no clue what the motions to the part that says "Do the Hokey Pokey and you turn yourself around" and I had to show him. Yes, he was trying to do it with us. The funniest part? We were in the living room with the blinds wide open to the big picture window! I can just imagine someone passing by and seeing our two big butts doing the Hokey Pokey! LOL The kids are too short to see them unless you are right next to the house so that had to look hilarious!

Well, we also did Ring Around the Rosie. LD loves ALL FALL DOWN! He thinks it's hilarious. Mommy thinks it's time to get a new body so I can get up before the next turn of ALL FALL DOWN! This body FALLS DOWN just fine but it's the getting back up part that it doesn't like.

I've also discovered that just because I'm Happy and I Know It that I don't always want to clap my hands after I've heard the song at least three times. There was a weird part in that song that had someone crying. How peculiar. I found it a little disturbing but hey, if they want to cry in a song, then that is their option I guess. LD heard this and got hysterical (in a sad way) that someone was crying. I've never seen him have such empathy for someone else before. WOW!

Princess Grabby Hands was dancing with daddy through most of this. She is just in love with her daddy. I guess most baby girls are! They looked so cute together. PGH was cracking up with everyone dancing.

I am hoping LD goes to sleep faster. He out danced everyone here. He was running around and around in circles for about 30 minutes after we were pooped! I was waiting for him to fall down from being completely dizzy. Never happened.

That reminds me...don't roll down a hill as an adult. You don't recover very quickly to go running back up it. Last time I did that, the kids that were with us ran back up and rolled back down three more times before I could even stand up because I was so dizzy. There are three things you should never do after 30. First, don't roll down hills. Second, don't do anything that puts your butt over your head (cartwheels, flips, etc.) unless you are well trained and thirdly, don't try to keep up your energy level with a 2 year old boy. It just won't happen unless you are an aerobics instructor. I think mommy needs a nap now.

So why can't I get automatic clothes rotation?

I just spent about 2 hours sorting through clothes. First, the hand me down clothes given to me by friends (THANKS GALS) that are for both Little D and Princess Grabby Hands. I had looked through them when I first got them but never actually did anything with them aside from leaving them in their boxes on my couch until now because the items were a little too big.

Today I decided that PGH's belly button hanging out of everything and ankles showing when she wears pants is over. If LD wore some of his jammies much longer, the ability of him creating grandchildren would be in question because they were getting a bit snug in *AHEM* certain places. I washed, folded and sorted everything by drawer (or hanging up) to get used which took about an hour to do (besides the actual washing/drying). Can I just say these kids are set?

I spent the next 30 minutes going through their drawers (the ones in their dressers, not the ones on their butts....they still have diapers, not undies). Found almost two boxes of outgrown clothes between the two of them. I think that both LD and PGH would have been wearing Daisy Duke shorts soon if I kept some of them in their clothes line up. Anybody need some clothes? I think there are about 20 boxes in the garage now. Ok, let me rephrase that....anybody want to help me get ready for a garage sale? I didn't think so....

Well, then I spent about another 30 minutes putting all the new clothes in their homes. I know there are probably things I missed but I'll find them when I go to put them on their little fannies and they are showing baby booty cracks when they bend over! LOL It already happened to PGH with a pair of pants daddy put on her yesterday. They were a tad small and we had to change her before going grocery shopping so people wouldn't take pitty on the poor ragamuffin child!

I don't know how people switch their whole wardrobe between the seasons. I just can't be that organized. I'm lucky if all my clothes in MY closet fit me at the same time much less if it's the right season. Considering I wear shorts around the house in the winter because I keep the place nice and toasty, no point in storing them away.

So my idea...I want an automatic clothes rotation system. One that scans the kids, gets their measurements and determines which clothes in their rooms will not fit anymore and weeds them out into a box. Would be nice, eh? While I'm dreaming.......

I JUST WANT TO SLEEP IN JUST ONCE!!!!

Why is that so hard for two toddlers to understand? WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!

Well, I guess I shouldn't complain too bad since they are now sleeping until 8:00 am instead of the 6:00 am that used to be their wake up call. I had to convince them that the sun would still rise even if they weren't awake to greet it. I am the type of gal who loved to sleep in until the crack of noon. I NEED 10 hours of sleep to feel normal. Why is that so hard for a child to understand? Don't they know that mommy would be much more pleasant to deal with if they slept until at least 10:00 am? Geesh!

Another thing, those children do not know the most wonderfulness of sleeping in on an overcast cool day! These are not my children! I have no idea where they came from but it couldn't have been from this body. This body would only produce children that can sleep with the best of them. So now my fate is sealed. I am doomed to get up early until they are teenagers and want to sleep in. You know what will happen then, don't you? That is when mommy will wake them up nice and early (on a Saturday no less) and tell them, "If I'm up then you have to be up!" I'm so mean! LOL

Can I just have a weekend in a hotel room just to sleep until I can't sleep anymore? I would love to just wake up naturally because I am well rested instead of waking up because someone is talking loudly in their room to make sure I can hear them so they can get up. I am blessed to have them but is one weekend a year too much to ask for a complete sleep in weekend? YAWN!!!!

Little D is going down under!

With all of the children's shows that Little D watches being based out of Australia, I am positive he will be sounding like an Aussie before long. He already sounds like he's from Jersey half the time b/c he leaves the R's off of things!

LD's favorite show is The Upside Down Show. They only made 13 episodes but the child cannot get enough of these to "brilliant" Aussies! >>>>In case you didn't know, they use the word brilliant as an adjective in place of things like wonderful or great.<<<<>

Then, you have The Wiggles. Anyone who doesn't know who these guys are has to be living under a rock. Greg, Murray, Jeff and Anthony sing, dance and amuse their way into millions of living rooms daily. This is not LD's favorite but he loves the music. Even if I am just playing the CD, he wants to try to sing.

Now, we have the Koala Brothers. These little guys help solve problems in the outback with their plane and band of buddies. I think hubby and I get more of a kick from betting which two friends they will help each episode then the kids do watching them. We usually bet a dollar for each one and it doesn't really matter who wins because the money goes into the kid's piggy banks anyways. It's all in fun.

I listen to LD speak. He gets this slight accent going. I'm beginning to think that he is going to live in Australia when he grows up! He says things with the same flare as these characters. Well, if he wants to live there, he better take all of us with him. I'd love to visit Australia!