Countdown to Toddler Club

April 1 is next Tuesday and my Mary will officially be a Toddler. Again I am sad she will most likely be the last one for us but realistically our family cannot handle two Mary's! It takes all three of us sometimes to take care of she and Hopey.

Yesterday and today she is transitioning in Toddler club. Yesterday she was in there for a couple of hours and today she will be there from 9:00 to 2:30 sitting at a little table eating her little lunch I think even with silver wear.

I need to become educated fast on tights - for instance what color shoes do you wear with red tights and and a navy and plaid uniform? Do you wear white tights with white shoes or is that only for nurses. Courtney only wore tights a handful of times and that was SO long ago I just don't know the rules.

Books for the strong willed child?

Anyone know of any? On the way to work/school she cried about half the way because she wanted to hold my hand. She is also too smart for her own good she swiped my keys at baby school and woudn't give them back so I couldn't leave. I guess I should be flattered she likes me that much - no one else really does but still its hard to deal with sometimes.

Easter

I forgot how fun it is to have little people around for holidays! Mary kicked butt hunting Easter eggs now I know she had no competition but even if she did she would smoke them. Am I the only parent (besides Jim of course) that is astounded by how smart their baby seems. Now I know she doesn't say much but she really understands alot. Maybe its the "grandparent/parent syndrome" but I am ready to buy that kid piano!

Unfortunately Mommy gave her too much candy and she had some yucky diapers and now diaper rash - sorry Mary you are just so darn cute when you make the sign for "more". The big hit was the bath toys Aunt Theresa sent they light up and quack or ribot different songs she carried those guys around with her all day long we had to put them night night in her crib so she would go to sleep - I am just glad someone is using the crib! Mary went right to sleep in our bed with her 3 pacies, you never know when you might have a pacie emergency. Did I mention she doesn't use the pacie or bottle at baby school at all, yes I realize we are probably hindering her development and she plays us like a fiddle but I am fine with that when you go 20+ years between babies its hard not to spoil them!

Wanted - brain cells

I have read you lose brain cells in the last trimester of pregnancy and I need mine back. This was not a stellar week for packing Jim I forgot some of his medicine and the back up had expired. I am just happy I didn't have to hear the "I am surrounded by incompetence" speech I would have to argue I am not incompetent but I do have quite a bit to remember and keep up with -not making excuses - medicine is pretty important especially for him. I am hoping I do better this week.

And the answer is KFC

The answer may be KFC or should I say carbs! Mary polished off mashed potatoes, mac & cheese 1/2 a roll and 1/2 a chicken breast then ate a girl scout cookie thin mint and a handful of chocolate chips. She was in a pretty good mood after than -shoot I would be too, I was pretty happy getting the other 1/2 of the chicken breast with the breading picked off.

Loving the Iphone checking my email and weather at red lights etc. I am sitting here right now listening to America on ITunes call me old but who doesn't love Sister Golden Hair Surprise of course what that means I have no idea, is it a surprise dye job - surprise your a blonde?

I finally finished Mary's birthday on the old digital scrapbook holy cow what a lot of pages!! Blogger won't let me post any after waiting for 20 minutes to upload thanks dummies!

The answer is Daddy

That is the answer to Mary's crabbiness. By the end of the weekend she was fun even laughing this morning I got 2 kissy's good bye and no tears. Daddy was home and that seemed to help a lot she was kind of crabby yesterday morning and Jim asked her if she was sad because Courtney, Pop & Paulette left to feed and she didn't go? She seemed to understand that she could go see the horses after lunch and after her nap. She loves to run around out there and keeping her out of the muddy tractor tracks is a bit of a challenge but if the horses will go by the fence she would rather see them.

Daddy also gave her alot of dessert this weekend - is that the way to her little heart?

Not happy

It occurs to me that Mary seems to be more unhappy than she used to be and I don't understand why. She is usually pretty pleasant in the car but clingy when I get her home. It seems like I am carrying or holding her more often than not. Is it a stage or is something going wrong with her? She is normally happy on weekend mornings when she wakes up on her own - maybe I will keep a journal of her mood and see if I can figure out what is going on I feel like I am missing something.

I know she is frustrated not being able to talk, she also is frustrated if we don't let her do what she wants to right then, like look at scrapbooks, play with play doh etc. She just looked so sad last night in the car after we picked up Jim and she woke up it broke my heart I have to figure out what is going on with her.

Beatles night round 2

They had so many phone calls they are going to try it again - the good news is they will all have to pick new songs. Something that really puzzles me - if you are in the bottom 2 or 3 whatever the count is that week you have to sing your song. Isn't that kind of saying you sucked so bad your in the bottom and we want to hear why. Last night it was pretty obvious although I think the "8 Days a Week Girl" should have went even though the guy who sang "I Saw her Standing There" didn't know or changed the words either way kid you don't mess with a classic! Forget that whole make it your own concept on Beatles night and on Elvis night they are way out of your league!


Being the only 40+ person I know who watches One Tree Hill (and loves it) I have to say that show explains why the next generation is so unrealistic. Here we have high school English teacher - 22 year old Hailey living in a mansion (with a pool) with her unemployed husband and they have a nanny for their 4 year old ! A little dose of reality here people no wonder Courtney wanted to be a teacher they do alot better than I thought!

How can you screw up "Beatles Night"?

I guess I am getting old but I didn't think anyone did a great job last night on American Idol. I knew I was in the wrong generation when Courtney referred to Come Together as that Aerosmith song - come on Courtney! I have real issues with Carley anyway - she should be good she already had a recording contract so much for the idea of finding undiscovered talent.

I fast forwarded through alot of it last night listened more to judges comments who in many cases were alot kinder than I was. Bummer - I was so looking forward to it! The most overated was the girl who sang Let it Be - for one I am still sick of that song and two she wasn't that great! The worst was the girl who butchered Eight Days a Week - which is my parents "song" after hearing that they are probably headed to divorce court.

Happy Surprise

Sorry about the lack of blog - Jim and I got I-Phones and I am still trying to figure mine out in my spare time.

Sometimes you get too used to everything going wrong you are shocked when something unexpectedly goes right. I sent an email to the photographer who shot our family pictures (multiples times) and told him I was into digital scrapbooking and would love to include the pictures taken of the Joseph, Laxton, Gilbreath, Haggarty family shoot. I attached a sample of a page I did of Mary's Christmas photos and ask if he could email me the pictures I had prints of AND HE DID! Following is the page I did, a little simple but I wanted to make sure the focus was on the pictures.

We know why you fly...

What a load of crap! Yeah they know why you fly because out of DFW you have no choice. As usual if there is any kind of weather American cancelled nearly all of their flights yesterday in and out of DFW. Did I mention the airport did not report a freezing temperature all day or all night and less than an inch of snow? How in the world would anything fly out of DIA, O'hare or New York if they were run like DFW? So I got to play travel agent and try to get Jim here since the best American could do was tonight at 8:30 over 24 hours after his scheduled flight that they cancelled. Let me say it again - they SUCK!! Thumbs up to Southwest who amazingly kept flying and who we ended up purchasing a ticket from to get Jim home. He had to fly in to Austin and spend the night but landed at Love Field at 9:00 and home by 9:50 a.m.

A big thank you to my friend Sheila about the Ball Pit pictured below Mary loves it - Courtney gives me this funny look when I talk about my online friends kind of like "your a loser". Its true I probably do have more online friends than real life friends maybe I am a loser. Here is the picture of Mary in the Ball Pit!

What are the answers?

I wish I knew on a number of levels. What does it take to make Mary happy? What will it take for Grandpa to start taking better care of himself? How am I going to get to Chicago to talk to him, take Mary, leave Mary with Jim or go only for the day? Why does Courtney forget to give Bucky his medicine? Why do the kid's birthdays sneak up on me? Happy Birthday Lucas - can't believe you are 12 already, almost a teenager! I would elaborate more on the issues above but I have to leave early for a Dr appt for Mary so I am hurriedly cranking this out while I eat lunch (actually what I brought for breakfast) at my desk. Good news is I am losing weight!

Clippity Clop

That is the song I sang for 45 minutes this morning during my 2+ hour drive in we had ice some real and some imaginary.

Clippity Clop Clippity Clop
Riding on a horsey's back
Just about a mile or so until we get to
Mary's (insert name) house Hi Mary Hi
Bye Mary Bye

We sang the song using every name I could think of including family members, horses, dogs and Mary's body parts. Finally after about 45 minutes of singing that song and making horsey sounds on my leg with my hand (oh and driving 20 mph on icy bridges in bumper to bumper traffic) I asked if she wanted to sing Itsy Bitsy Spider and that is what put her over the edge. Mary reached a whole new layer of crabbiness and has learned to throw quite the fit when things aren't going her way. If I were a borderline drunk this would put me over the edge. After Courtney I knew we had things too good and the next one would be harder but Mary is a mini Jim with maybe a worse temper (or he has learned to control his better). The idea of getting in the car with her this afternoon (or ever again) does not sound very good right now.