A Last

I think I nursed for the last time, forever, last night.

One tiny part of me knows it was the right decision. He's 2, for cryin' out loud, and he's ready, and I have never liked nursing or the hormonal mess it makes me. I've been nursing straight for almost 5 years. My family deserves at least a few months of normalcy before menopause mood swings kick in, LOL.

But most of me just wants to cry. I don't WANT to be done having kids, I don't WANT to have to make hard decisions like this.

I don't like lasts.

I don't like goodbyes.

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Lost in Translation

Jeffrey just came upstairs because his sisters were not letting him into the basement.

"Stairs. Go (down)stairs," he asked me.

"I'm sorry Jeffrey, you can't go in there. They are roller skating, it's not safe," I told him.

He walks away, going to the basement door, yelling, "Mommy says yeah! Girls! Mommy says yeaaaaah."


See what I'm up against?

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So basically, just sit there and stare at it

Warnings on my 2yo's new T-ball set:
(paraphrased a bit for readability)

• adult supervision required
• do not place hands, fingers or face near or on ball or tee
• never place t-ball set on hard surface such as concrete, asphalt, wood, or other hard surfaces
• never place or use t-ball set in or near street, driveways, sidewalks, alleys, patios, hills or garage
• never place or use t-ball set near playground equipment, trees, low branches, wires, clothesline, fences, pools, and parked cars
• do not use product when raining or when ground is wet
• recommend or encourage use of batting helmet to promote safety.

....why you'd need the batting helmet if you are just going to sit inside and stare at it I have no idea.

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Weed, marigold, whatever!

After weeding all morning and not making half as much headway as I need to, I think I've come up with a new collective noun:

an evil of weeds

*********************

I think I'll put up a sign on our new chalkboard for the people coming to see our house tomorrow (!) ... "my toddler helped me weed."

Yours in dirt and cleanliness,

Amy

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Favorite Jeffreyisms

I love how he says BEEbooRIES? BEEbooRIES? for any kind of small berry looking thing - blueberries (which is how it all started), strawberries, raspberries, grapes, beads...

I love how he adds MINE! to anything he is proud of. He did a forward roll the other night and jumped up so proud of himeself - you could just see it beaming out of him - and said, "I did it! Mine!"

I love how he adds 'Kay! to his requests when he really wants something, as if him saying "OK" makes it true - "Cookie? Cookie? Kay!" I know that when I have to say no to a 'Kay! request there's gonna be trouble.

I love how he signs I love you. Instead of putting up the traditional thumb, pointer, and pinky, he just folds down his pointer finger and leaves the rest up. He signs his "I love you" to Daddy every morning as he drives away, and he is so earnest and sincere.

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Supfast

My biggest critic:



Needs syrup, Mom. And where are those chocolate chips you usually add?

note: the child has clothes on now that we are done cooking together**

**said note mostly for dh who wonders if the todder is EVER dressed, LOL




mama should spend more time watching the pancakes and less time taking pictures...

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The cuteness that is Jeffrey

I love how he speaks these days. For one, he's so polite (when he's not screaming and pushing people over). "Moo me!" he says, when you need to get out of his way. He says "day dyuu" and "wecome" although asking for a please gets me the evil eye.

He plays "Duh duh doose" with the girls and loves when I do "Bitty Bitty" Spider.

Walking by any window brings loud cries of "BUUUUHD," and "CAHW" (car) and "MONEY!" (LOL, I wish it was money, but he's saying "bunny"). He loves to stand on a stool and watch them.

"Come" means we should follow him, and "Bye" with a wave means he wants to leave me to go get in trouble.

I love how saying "On your mark, get set, go!" will get him to stop what he's doing and run away (or to me, to tackle me!)

He loves his Daddy and will push past me to get to him if he's around.

He's bucking the girls' trend to add "ah" at the end of every word at this age (true Italian children that they are...they always saw a "birda," "car-a," or "Daddy-a"). No, Jeffrey adds a "K". He loves his "Daddyk" and "moneyk" and his "babyk"
We think he's awfully cute. I think he knows it too. :)

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My greatest gift

I was feeling a little worked up about something this morning, and Jeffrey (21 months) came up to me and hugged me. I hugged him tight and said, "I love you!" and clear as day, this toddler who barely puts two words together said, "I love you too"

Surely that will be my greatest gift today.

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The cuteness that is Jeffrey

I love how he speaks these days. For one, he's so polite (when he's not screaming and pushing people over). "Moo me!" he says, when you need to get out of his way. He says "day dyuu" and "wecome" although asking for a please gets me the evil eye.



He plays "Duh duh doose" with the girls and loves when I do "Bitty Bitty" Spider.



Walking by any window brings loud cries of "BUUUUHD," and "CAHW" (car) and "MONEY!" (LOL, I wish it was money, but he's saying "bunny"). He loves to stand on a stool and watch them.



"Come" means we should follow him, and "Bye" with a wave means he wants to leave me to go get in trouble.



He loves his Daddy and will push past me to get to him if he's around.

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Wordless Wednesday: Harold and the Purple Crayon

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Haiku Friday

hey feverish child
please learn the difference between
tissues and my shirt


Poor Jeffrey has a cold and is probably reacting to his latest shots at the same time. Poor Mommy has not slept in two nights. Here's hoping we're over the worst of it!

For more Haiku Friday, visit A Mommy Story!

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Haiku Friday

happily playing
stacking cups in the kitchen
silence: a bad sign


Hey, I thought I left that bowl on the table...


ooo, let me smear it around a little more and help mommy clean the floor...


I'm hot stuff...


For more Haiku Friday, visit A Mommy Story!

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Adventures in Allergies

Today I took Jeffrey (1) and Jane (5) to the allergist. Now, Jane is known to have food allergies. She tested positive to dairy and almond allergies as a baby. Years went by, and she lost the almond allergy and gained egg.

Today she had a SPT - Skin Prick Test. She tested negative to all the nuts (yay!), and positive to dairy, egg and *wheat*!! What is up with that? She has eaten wheat with no apparent problems since infancy. The doctor said that SPT *negatives* are usually accurate, but the *positives* can be false positives. He wouldn't even blood test (RAST) her for wheat, because she is eating it fine, and sent a blood test out for the other positives, to see what level of allergy we are dealing with. Of course, he can attempt to stop me from worrying by not RASTing her for wheat, but a mother's mind is always wondering ... what if that is why she is so small? Would taking wheat out help her absorb her other foods? What about the asthma? Eczema? Hmmm...

I'm not about to start yanking wheat from her diet though. Because I've always said, "If one of us becomes allergic to wheat we'll have nothing left to eat, and I'll completely lose my mind and quit this mom business." Which really came out more like, "Please God, not wheat. Anything but wheat."

Jeffrey tested negative to everything! Which is good, I *guess*, except that I'm positive he reacts to things that I eat. Which kind of leaves me in limbo - limbo that I was hoping this test would answer.

The allergist said that recent research is turning everything they believed about allergies on it's ear - that it's possible that early exposure to allergens will actually help prevent more allergies in the long run. There is research going on right now in England where they are putting peanut in baby formula. This mom of an anaphylactic to peanuts daughter almost gasped out loud in horror when he said that, LOL. I always take research with a grain of salt, but it will be interesting what comes of all this. I was sent away with strict instructions to pump my kids full of potential food allergens. ;-)

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Haiku Friday: Birthday Edition

sweet baby Jeffrey
forever my baby boy
Happy Birthday, Son!

Yes, I know I'm posting this on Thursday, but today we celebrate the exciting first birthday of Jeffrey! I like to make a big deal about first birthdays, because I feel like it's a little celebration for me, too. Jeffrey has survived, grown, and thrived, and so have I! (well, maybe not *thrived* - but I've definitely survived and grown). And while I struggle with the first year, this 12-18 months age is one of my absolute favorites. :) Jeffrey himself was so excited about turning one that he took his first steps yesterday!

So here are some gratuitous shots of Jeffrey to celebrate his big day.

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The Way You Do the Things You Do

How do I capture your charm? Photographs aren't enough; the video camera is always a moment too late. Your very cuteness makes me cry. You are so amazing.

You curve your chubby fist up and say "Ha-aah" fingers waving toward yourself in a backwards hello.

For months now you've been giving us your sign for "I hear a noise! Share the wonder with me, Mom!" - a shake of your head side to side, a pause while you catch my eye to see if I'm hearing it too, then shaking again. You hear the swoosh of the water in the washer, the voices on the CD, the soft whisper of rain through the screen door.

Your fickleness is showing too, when Daddy holds you and you lean towards me, but pull back with an indignant stare when I dare to think about actually taking your from your father's arms.

Oh how I love how you rest your head on my shoulder the moment I start singing your lullaby now.

You are almost walking! I don't practice with you though. I just can't bring myself to help you start down that road one second before your time. Let me revel in babyness just a moment longer.

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Haiku Friday

oh my little boy
with tongue as blue as your eyes
don’t eat the Play-doh

A repeat from my haiku blog from this week, because I'm too tired to be *extra* creative today (i.e. come up with a whole separate haiku ;-) ). For more on Haiku Friday, see A Mommy Story.

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Haiku Friday

Mouth patrol over
I'm free! I'm free! squeals Jeffrey
I'm free! sighs Mommy

The doctor prescribed five days of "mouth rest" are over for our 10-months-old-today Jeffrey. The dentist said that would give his loose replaced tooth the best chance of catching hold again. He is reveling in his new freedom away from a crazy mommy who carried him everywhere, constantly pulling his hands out of his mouth and grabbing everything fun from his reach. I'm quite relieved too -- that was totally exhausting!! My nine and ten-month-olds have always LIVED to put anything and everything in their mouths. It's how they learn! Trying to prevent that 24/7 that was very frustrating for both of us.

There's no guarantees the tooth will heal, even years later it may have a more tenuous hold than his other teeth (well, not the one they pulled out completely, LOL, that's in my dresser in a baggie).

Now that I've grossed you all out completely, I promise to stop talking about it. ;-)

Happy Friday! I'm off to reclaim the house and children that turned wild while my attention was necessarily on the baby. :)

For more on Haiku Friday, visit A Mommy Story!

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Mouth Patrol, Day 4

And so begins the fourth day of trying to keep anything and everything out of my 9-month-old's mouth, which is like trying to keep little children from growing, little girls from laughing, weeds from taking over my garden...in a word - exhausting!

He is none too happy about it. But we are enjoying finding things to do as I walk around distracting him...twice daily trips to the garden to look for ripe cherry tomatoes, baths, clapping games, and crazy antics of his doting sisters.

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We survived Jeffrey's first ER visit (not for the dental squeamish)

Poor Jeffrey, he had a freak accident this morning. We have (make that had, it's on the curb now, lol) a child size table with a metal rim running round it. Like a 1950's kitchen table. He pulled himself up, gnawed on the edge because that's what he does to everything, and his bottom two teeth got caught. He then panicked, lost his balance, and fell, pulling the teeth loose. Extremely loose. Ugh. So a few phone calls later we're off to the ER, mostly because it's Sunday and everything is closed. They pulled one of the teeth, but the other was not as loose and they pushed it back in place. We're kind of at a loss as to how to keep this kid away from everything for a few days so that it can have a chance to heal!

He was a trooper through it all, and is more upset now that we are holding him all the time instead of letting him crawl around to gnaw on more furniture. ;-)

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Let the wild excitement begin!

He signs! Today Jeffrey said his first purposeful sign. (Said? Is that how you describe signing? "Did" his sign? Peformed? Help me here.) We started about two days ago with "cheerio" and tonight we introduced a cup to him for the first time - he loved that so much that it was the perfect time to introduce "more" and "water." After just a few times of signing them then giving him a sip, he very purposefully signed "more" and then leaned in towards the cup (sticking his tongue in and out very cutely I might add) quite expectantly and wanted the water he had just asked for. He did that several times and also signed water at least once.

So exciting! And while I know I will be overjoyed to hear his first real words, for now, with a 3-year-old sister who never. stops. talkingsingingcryingscreamingmindlesslyrepeating and 3 other girl siblings who also talk a fair lot, I am quite happy that he is quietly signing.

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