life is what you make it
Category: Now With Video!
When I was a kid, we never lived near my cousins. The closest were a few hours drive away and we saw them maybe 3 times a year on holidays or a special summer trip. The others we saw once a year on their annual trip to Missouri. When we did get together, we had a ton of fun playing and laughing and doing things that kids do but I never felt like I really knew my cousins.
In school I would get jealous of my friends who had cousins nearby. I was jealous of that bond that they had. I always wanted to have a cousin who was also my best friend. I loved my cousins dearly, but I didn’t get to see them often enough to form that kind of friendship with them.
When I found out I was pregnant with Zach, my sister was about six or seven months into her pregnancy. I was so excited to know that my son or daughter would have a cousin that was so close in age. I hoped that one day they would become the best of friends and share the love that only cousins can share.
Last weekend I saw that dream coming to life. Saturday night, Ryan came to our house to spend the night. We wanted to give his mom and dad a break so they could celebrate their anniversary and figured the boys would have a great time playing together for the evening.
Even with the six month age difference, Zach and Ryan seem to be hitting a few developmental milestones around the same time. Right now, they are both finally able to actually play together instead of the parallel play that they previously demonstrated. The boys played so well together all night that I rarely had to step in and remind them to share. They were laughing and squealing and having so much fun.
They took turns riding on Zach’s hand made rocking horse, danced to their favorite music, looked at books, played with cars, climbed in and out of Zach’s red wagon, chased bubbles, and ran around the yard. They were happy and carefree, just as toddlers should be.
When it came time for bedtime I set up the pack ‘n’ play right next to Zach’s toddler bed for Ryan to sleep in. The boys went to bed without a fuss and settled in for the night. When I went to check on them a few minutes later, Ryan was asleep and Zach was laying there looking at him. He soon nodded off too.
Sunday morning we got up and headed off to church where we would meet back up with Ryan’s parents. We did our usual Sunday routine of church and dinner afterwards at my Dad’s house and then parted ways.
Zach fell asleep on the drive home and then finished his nap in his bed. When he awoke, I found him crying and asking for “Ry-Ry”. He kept pointing to the pack ‘n’ play and saying, “Ry-Ry, Ry-Ry,” over and over again. He missed his cousin. I explained to him that Ryan was at home with his Mommy and Daddy, but he kept insisting.
Finally, as a last ditch effort to settle him down, I told him we could call Ry-Ry on the phone and talk to him. Never in my life would I have imagined how well an almost 2 year old and a 2 1/2 year old could carry on a phone conversation. Ryan did most of the talking, but Zach stood there with a huge goofy grin on his face interjecting once in a while. He was so happy just to be talking to his cousin on the phone.
Later that night, when I put Zach to bed, he pointed to the pack ‘n’ play once more with a sad look on his face, asking for Ry-Ry. Once again I explained to him that Ryan was at home with his Mommy and that he would see him again soon. He seemed satisfied with that and went on to bed.
Somewhere deep inside I was feeling all warm and fuzzy. As much as I hate to project my own wants and emotions onto my child, it somehow seemed that something missing in my life had suddenly been fulfilled. My son begging for his cousin brought tears of both sadness and joy to my eyes. I love that he loves his cousins so much. I only wish that his other cousins lived a little closer so that he could know them as well as he knows my sister’s kids.
I’m needing a brain dump in a massive way, yet the words don’t seem to be falling just right. I write, then erase, write, then erase again. No matter how meticulously I choose my words, they just don’t come out the way I want them to. It’s a funny thing how words can mean one thing to one person and a totally different thing to another. Choosing the right ones is often a task too daunting for me. Now that people I know in real life are reading, I feel like I have to be a little more careful about how I say things, lest they be taken in the wrong way. Sometimes it seems easier to close the laptop and just keep things to myself, but I suppose that defeats the purpose of this blog. So, instead of purging my dark dreary thoughts today, I’m going to share a few things that are making me extremely happy. Here they are in no particular order:
- My sister and baby Brayden are both home and doing very well. I got to spend a big chunk of the weekend with them and it was wonderful. There is just nothing like holding an itty bitty baby in your arms.
- It appears that I have yet another baby blanket to start on because I should have another little niece or nephew arriving at the beginning of January. My brother and his wife just found out they are expecting this weekend. That means three new nephews/nieces in less than a year. I am going to be SO broke! Now I’m just praying for healthy pregnancies for both of my sister-in-laws.
- Even though we are not full-on potty training yet, Zach actually peed in the potty this morning. He likes to sit on the potty, but this is only the second time that he has actually done anything on there so it was pretty exciting. We had to call daddy at work to tell him the exciting news.
- Zach is growing up a little more every day and he never ceases to amaze and delight me. While the tantrums and fits frustrate me, I am really enjoying watching him learn and explore his world. He has a great sense of humor and can always make me laugh, even when I don’t feel like it.
- And then, on top of all that other good stuff, there is this:
Nothing can cheer me up better than getting to listen to a new song from Eddie Vedder.
Technorati Tags: baby, pregnancy, potty training, parenting, eddie vedder, music, youtube
Comments closedI took some Benadryl last night before I went to bed. My allergies have been pretty bad lately, but I could have taken Claritin. Instead, I chose the Benadryl because I knew it would guarantee a good night’s sleep. I can’t remember the last time I woke up actually feeling rested. I suppose it comes with the territory of parenting but I desperately needed to find that special place where you sleep so deeply that you wake up not feeling tired. I usually have a really hard time getting there. Fortunately, that little pink pill helps me when I really need it.
Around 7:30 a.m. I heard the first peeps on the baby monitor. I knew Zach was awake, but I also knew that he would wait for me to come get him up. Even though he can crawl out of his recently converted toddler bed, he waits. He knows when I open the door that it is time to get up.
I stayed in bed with my eyes closed in that foggy just waking up kind of haze. I dozed off and on, listening to Zach talk to himself in his bed. I can’t help but smile when I hear his chatter. I knew that I would have to go get him up soon as it had been almost an hour since he first woke.
Hubby got up and opened the bedroom doors. We waited to see if Zach would get up and come in our bedroom, but instead he shouted from his bed, “Mom! Mom!” I seems I have him well trained. Once he heard my voice assuring him it was ok to get up, he came running out of his room and headed straight for the living room. With some vocal coaxing we finally got him to come to the bedroom, where he promptly walked to my side of the bed, grabbed my hand, and started pulling. Time to get up!
I was a little grumpy at first, still needing some time to fully awaken before I was ready to begin the day but Zach was fine with snuggling on the couch for a bit. Eventually he got tired of sitting still so we got some toys out and played. I love watching how differently he plays with some of his toys now.
He picked up the remote control that was laying on the floor and started pushing buttons. He somehow managed to turn on the dvd player and select his Laurie Berkner dvd out of the five loaded into the disc changer. The look on his face when he heard the music start rushing through the speakers was priceless. We immediately started up an impromptu dance party in the middle of the living room.
(he pauses for a little bit in the middle but gets going again)
There is just something special about Saturday mornings. It is the one day of the week where we don’t have to get up and go somewhere. We lounge around in our jammies and play all morning. We dance, sing, play, and do whatever we feel like doing. Zach may not remember our Saturday mornings when he gets older, but I will always remember.
Comments closedHubby sent me an IM yesterday to tell me that he was going to have to attend a meeting that evening and wouldn’t be home. Since I was feeling lazy, I decided that instead of going home and trying to cook dinner with Zach hanging on my legs I would take him out to eat. We headed straight to the restaurant after I picked him up from day care. Traffic was a little backed up so it took longer than usual to get to our destination but neither one of us really minded because we were jamming out to some KT Tunstall in the car and having a blast. Zach loves “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” and kept asking for it on repeat. Every time the song would end he would say, “Again, again!” until I complied and played his song. He was dancing and singing along in his car seat the whole way. When I finally stopped and could get my camera out to catch some of it on video he had pretty much stopped what he was doing but you can get a little bit of an idea. I can so see him trying out for American Idol some day. He’s at least more entertaining than this season’s contestants.
