Play-Learn-Grow-Repeat

After a couple weeks of fun, traveling and visiting with family my life is now back to the daily grind. I had the opportunity to visit my husband in Thailand for a week. The aircraft carrier to which he is assigned pulled into port there. After four long months of not seeing him, our reunion was fabulous, and the location was a paradise! We had a lot of fun and were able to sit back, relax and chat in front of a beautiful beach with crystal blue water. I’m so thankful that my in-laws were able to come to CA to watch their grandson, Jack, for the week. In the 28 months of his life we have been together all but three nights. As much as I love him to death, a break from each other every now and then can be a good thing.

When I returned home from my trip I had planned to sleep in the next day as long as I could since the time change pretty much wiped me out. The morning quickly came and when I heard Jack’s voice and silly laugh, immediately a jolt of energy swept through my body and I just had to go give him a big hug and kiss. As I stood in the doorway waiting for him to look my way tears filled my eyes. He caught a glimpse of me out of the corner of his eye and quickly ran over to me with a large grin on his face. At this point a “happy” tear slowly fell down my cheek and I was so excited to see him again (and vice versa).

Through this experience, I learned that taking a little time for yourself can be very refreshing. Living far from family and not having a set babysitter (as well as not having my husband around all the time) I seem to lack “me time.” Admittedly, I did miss Jack, and his father and I would talk about him everyday. When we reunited it felt invigorating to hold my little boy tightly in my arms. It was like a fresh start to see and watch him do (and say) new things. I’m so proud to be his mother!

A big thank-you to Grandaddy for filling in the past couple of weeks. I’m glad he was able to spend some quality time with his grandson. I bet he never thought he could build, rebuild and see so many trains in his life!

This Monday I thought I would present something new, a Top 10 list from Melissa! I am so excited about this list because it is about one of my most favorite months – October. This Top 10 list isn’t just about the month itself, but about why I especially love it as a mother. It should be noted that I live in the northeast and we get to experience all four seasons to their fullest!

1. All of the senses are ripened during the fall. The smell can’t be described; a cool and crispy “football” night is the best way to describe it. The taste is warm apple pie or hot chocolate on a cool night. The sight is so colorful: the leaves falling from the trees, the apple orchards ready to be picked, the greenery all turning rainbow shades of Fall. The sound of fall is leaves crunchy under your feet, children looking for leaves, and pine cones on the ground, and talk of costumes to be worn. The feel of October is warm. Although the breeze may be blowing, the newly brought out sweaters keep us warm.

2. Picking your own fresh apples – enough said!

3. Corn Parks! In our area we have these wonderful greenhouses that are turned into a playground for kids during October (and the end of September). They have mini corn mazes, HUGE boxes filled with corn and soy beans for the kids to dig in, small slides, and more. All of it is perfect for toddlers and preschoolers. The best part: it is cheap ($12 for a season pass – unlimited). This is great for a newly single mama.

4. Hayrides with a warm blanket, cuddling with my favorite little boy

5. Trick or Treat, Trick or Trunk, or however (if any) way that you celebrate Halloween. I will write about that in another blog post – remember, I am a pentagon, so we have a “unique” way of celebrating this holiday too.

6. Sweatshirts and jeans. I don’t know about you, but there is something special about putting on that first pair of jeans of the season (on both the kids and moms). And as a somewhat fashionable mom, I do love the layering ability of this time of the year.

7. Farmer’s Fair – yes, I don’t believe I just said that! My grandmother’s hometown has a Farmer’s Fair – Hay bail throwing contests and all. I used to kind of make fun of the event. (Students even get out of school to celebrate). But as a mom, I love the food, the parades, the kids events (yup, the kids throw the hay, too). GREAT 3-day event that we wouldn’t miss.

8. Costumes. Who doesn’t love to see their little people dressed up like monkeys, bears, tigers, princesses, or a super hero?

9. Time to start the Christmas shopping (OK, this might be more a mom than child thing, but many of the gifts are FOR the little guy)

10. This year my little man is starting Fall Sports. I am sure his soccer nights will require their own blog entry.

OK, now get out there and enjoy this beautiful weather with your little ones. Until next Monday, let your senses guide you through this beautiful month full of colorful changes. 

It has been a long week. You know the kind – where you already wish it was Friday by Monday at lunch time. I’ve been stressing over a major project I had to complete by Thursday.

The research has consumed virtually all of my waking hours for the past week. I haven’t been able to do or think about much else. Some days – some weeks – are like that.

It’s hard to shut off the lawyer and really leave the office at the end of the day. I try to keep the personal and professional separate. Sometimes it’s easy to walk the line between the two. Weeks like this, it’s virtually impossible. I always feel badly when work spills over into my time with Andrew.

But with the project behind me, I was free to enjoy every second of our time together last night. My face lit up as much as his when I picked him up at daycare. We sang “The Wheels on the Bus” the whole way home. Andrew held my hand as we walked into the house. He helped me make dinner and happily fed me half of his macaroni and cheese. Then we spent hours reading (the same book repeatedly), playing and laughing.
Free of the stress, I felt happier and lighter than I have all week.

I took my first case to trial last week. The high from that victory was amazing. Yet the thrill of the win paled in comparison to spending a couple hours of uninterrupted time with Andrew.

I know he enjoyed it as much as I did. He fell asleep in my arms with a huge smile on his lips. My own smile mirrored his.

These are the moments that truly matter. It’s good to be home.

Well, we have officially survived our week with two-year-old Jack. Mommy arrived home very early Monday morning, much to his delight. We were doing fine, but I’ll admit that there’s no substitute for Mom.

I learned (or, more precisely, re-learned) several things about living with toddlers this past week. First off, routine rules. We survived in large part because we did not alter Jack’s normal daily routine. OK, there was a hot fudge sundae, and a trip to run under the sprinklers at the park, and a couple of other indulgences. For the most part though, we did what Jack was expecting to do, and he was fine with that.

I also re-learned that small people don’t miss a trick; they know-and usually understand-exactly what’s going on. At the same time, they can’t always process what they’re seeing or hearing. Jack was entranced by the Munchkin scene from the Wizard of Oz, but by the time we all got to the Emerald City, he was on sensory overload… so that was enough wizard for one night.  I suspect that the ensuing bath-time meltdown had something to do with the fact that he couldn’t process what he had just seen. Since we never got to the flying monkeys, I suspect we haven’t scarred him for life, though.

Finally, we learned that hugs, cuddles, and reassurance can cure almost anything that goes awry. Most importantly, though, we learned that none of this would have gone as well as it did if Mom and Dad weren’t already doing their parenting very well. Caring for a well-loved, engaged child is still an almost full-time job, but it can also be a whole lot of fun. After all, grandfathers have very few other excuses for spending a couple of hours each day playing with wooden trains.

Gotta go… it’s my turn to run the railroad.

Grandpa Wednesday