September 30, 2006

NLC Memories

Dear Dawson,

Yesterday was your last day at the Noel Learning Center. I believe I am more sad about this than you are, and you probably won’t remember your time at this fabulous daycare when you are older.

In November 2005, when your original caregiver, Karen, decided to quit, I enrolled you in my company’s onsite daycare. The NLC was a bit expensive for me, but I justified the cost based on all the wonderful things you would learn and by how loving your teachers were. Okay, I admit, I also was able to bring the cost down by participating in Parent Involvement Hours. I would clean the Globe Toddler room (your classroom), sanitize toys and do the cot sheet laundry whenever possible to receive childcare credit. It was worth it to see you learn and grow.

The first month at the NLC was so difficult for you. It was hard to adjust to the classroom setting. You weren’t so sure about being with so many children your age. Miss Tamika and Miss Tracy were so helpful and supportive of your transition and they did their best to make you feel safe and secure while I was upstairs working all day.

I loved using the Nanny Cam to virtually check in on you throughout the day. It was a wonderful to watch you play with other children, to see you eating with a spoon and using sign language (your teachers taught you the signal for “more”) to say you wanted more milk. I got such a kick out of seeing you follow Miss Tamika all over the classroom and it broke my heart to see you cry when she left the room even for a minute. You loved her so. You loved Miss Tracy, too, but Miss Tamika was your favorite. I envied her those days. I sometimes cried when I couldn’t be with you. But I knew you were loved and taken care of.

I loved to see you get settled for nap time and watching how Miss Tamika would lay next to your cot on the floor and rub your back to soothe you. I could never ask for a better person to care for you in my absence. She loves you as though you were her own child.

My favorite time of day to peek in on you was at 3:00 p.m. during snack time. Seeing you sit at the table like a big boy and waiting patiently for your pretzels and juice made me want to run right downstairs to hug and kiss you. When you were done with snack time, I knew that meant that all the kids would go outside to play. My desk was right next to the window that overlooked the playground. I spent many moments staring down at you, wishing my work were done so I could greet my baby and ask you how your day was. It was funny to see you playing outside during the winter. You were bundled up in your coat and snow pants. You didn’t know if you liked that snow so much. When spring and summer rolled around, your favorite place was the sandbox or pushing a toy lawnmower all over the schoolyard.

When a few of your classmates turned two years old months before you, Miss Tamika explained she would be moving with the children into the Marathon Travelers room (the two year old room) and that you wouldn’t be joining them until you were actually two years old. I started to worry but your new teacher, Miss April was just as sweet and kind as Miss Tamika and she loved you. When I told your daddy how much love your teachers gave to you, he replied, “Well naturally! Everybody loves Dawson! He’s the new Baby King.” (Baby King was your daddy’s nickname when he was young. He’ll have to tell you that story when you’re older. Your teachers also called you “The King of Doodlebugs”. Doodlebug was my nickname for you.)

Miss April was funny because she loved to laugh and tickle and read silly books to you. She and Miss Elizabeth and Miss Carrie would take you and your class on walks to the park. When I picked you up from school they would tell me that you were such a chatterbox, pointing to the ducks and trucks and tractors (riding lawn mowers) and you always had a smile on your face. They loved your facial expressions when you saw something familiar to you, like a puppy or a bicycle. Your eyes would light up and you’d point the object and proclaim, “Puppy!!!” or “Bike!” to make sure everyone else saw what you did.

When you finally turned two years old, Miss April and Miss Elizabeth had a birthday party in your classroom. They painted your faces as if you were at the circus. You were to sure about the face painting but after Miss April painted Matthew and Matt and Vai’s faces you were ready for your make up. They gave you a mustache, rosy cheeks, and eyebrows. Matthew had a ring around his eye like the Target dog. You all looked so cute. You loved wearing the birthday crown they made for “Doodlebug King”.

Now that you were two years old, you could move into the other room with Miss Tamika and Miss Brooke. The first day was hard for you. You weren’t sure what was happening. You were happy to see Miss Tamika, but you missed your teacher Miss April, too. It was hard for you. But you’re very brave and I’m proud of you.

It was at this time that I found a daycare provider that was extremely less expensive than the NLC. I couldn’t decide what to do. I knew we needed to save money and this seemed to be the best option. I didn’t want to take you out of the place you loved, but your daddy and I knew were affording so much more for your future by cutting a few corners. Our friend Chris referred your new daycare provider and you know her children well. Miss Renee is loving and kind and we know you’ll transition just fine.

On your last day at the NLC, you didn’t want me to leave. You knew something was different. I told you not to worry, that Mumma would be back as soon as work was done. I told you to be ready. It was funny and ironic because later I saw you carrying your coat around the room on the Nanny Cam. It was like you knew what “be ready,” meant and you were just patiently waiting, playing in the meantime, until I came to get you.

You still followed Tamika everywhere, you still cried when she left the room to get lunch, and she still rubbed your back to help you fall asleep. I still envied her in those moments and I could never ask for a better caregiver in my absence. I love Tamika for loving you and she knows how much you love her. She told us to come visit any time and I think we will.
So, dear sweet Dawson, those are our memories of you and your days at the Noel Learning Center. The were wonderful, you learned so much and I do believe the influence of Miss Tamika, Miss April, Miss Carrie and Miss Elizabeth is what helped you to learn and grow and become your own little person. Never forget how much they loved and care for you. I never will.

Love,
Mumma

September 29, 2006

Strange Things I Overheard Yesterday

In the breakroom at work:
Woman: “I now know I’m definitely straight when I find myself attracted to lesbians who look like men.” (Say, what?)
Man: “You mean like, butch women?”
Woman: “Is that what they are called?”

As I walked into the ladies room:
Girl 1: “…I know…I totally hate when people go into the stall next to me when I’m trying to take a shit…”
Girl 2: “Yeah that’s like, totally gross. Do they really want to smell your business?”
(All I have to say is, “Ewwww” and “No…we don’t.”)

Standing in the checkout line at Target:
Woman 1: “I was in the bar last night and Bob* and Marilyn* totally hit on me! Marilyn asked me to go home with them. For real.”
Woman 2: “What did you say?”
Woman 1: “Umm, do I look like I do threesomes?”
(Apparently, because Bob and Marilyn want you to go home with them.)

*Names have been changed because I know how small my town is and how many people here read me.

September 28, 2006

Blogs of Murderers

This article upsets me. Especially since another school shooting happened yesterday, in Colorado. I don’t want to ruin Love Thursday, so I’m not going to rant today, but tomorrow I will share my feelings and opinions on this subject.

What the world needs now is love, sweet love. Visit Chookooloonks to participate in Love Thursday.

Love Thursday - Puppy Love

Since this is my first Love Thursday, I wanted to write about unconditional love. And when I think about unconditional love, I think of my loyal pup, Murphy.

Murphy is a Boston Terrier who came into this world on December 12, 2003. We adopted him on January 16, 2004 when he was just five weeks old. His entire body fit into my hands and he had the worst puppy breath imaginable, but I loved him from the first moment I saw him.

My co-worker Donia had two Boston Terriers that decided to mate and produced second litter of 5 pups. Two males and 3 females, and Murphy was the cutest of them all.

His handsome facial features and adorable “bat ears” as we called them, always made my heart melt.

When he was just a few months old, he learned the joys of potty training in the middle of winter (poor freezing puppy) and chewing pig’s ears (he loves these).

Sure, Murphy chewed our furniture, had potty training accidents and nasty puppy breath for a while, but he was the cutest little dog ever.

Just a few days after I brought him home, I discovered I was pregnant. Murphy was like my first born. I definitely learned some responsibility in taking care of a puppy. Looking back now, puppy care is so much easier than parenting, but I had a pretty good idea what I was in for.

Murphy is a bundle of love. He loves to play. He loves to go for walks (he was like my personal trainer — he loved long, fast walks — I could barely keep up). He is content just sitting next to me on the couch, chewing his nylon bone and occasionally licking my feet. His job is just being a dog. A loyal companion. He’s like a child who never cries, never demands attention, always licks your face when you greet him.

Granted, I love my Dawson very much, but I often feel guilty when I don’t pay enough attention to my faithful pal, Murphy. He loves me no matter how good or bad my day was. He forgives me when I have to pass up playtime to change a diaper or clean the house.

And I love Murphy. I love his playfulness. I love that he burrows under the covers every night to sleep next to me and Doug in our bed. His warmth is better than any electric blanket. I love to see him run outside and to play fetch. I love how he plays nice with Dawson, careful not to injure him, but doesn’t hold back with me.

Murphy is a member of our family. He holds a special place in my heart and I will love him always. I’ll love him eternally. I can only pray there are dogs in heaven, because I can’t bear to not see my Murphy in the afterlife, he means that much to me.

Love you always, Murphy Lee.
Your “Hu-Mama” (Human Mama)

September 27, 2006

Talkin’ ‘Bout Talk Shows

It’s Wednesday and a brick just hit me in the head, a metaphoric brick of course. I just realized I have nothing to write about. Then the second brick hit me and I realized that I could never be a talk show host BECAUSE I have nothing to talk about in addition to having nothing to write about. Then, finally, the third in the trilogy of metaphoric bricks hit me and I realized: This country is overloaded with talk shows.

We’ve got Oprah (one of my favorites), Tony Danza, The View, Regis & Kelly, Rachael Ray (my new favorite), Ellen, Tyra, Jay Leno, David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel (or Craig Kilborn – I never know who’s on), Howard Stern, Megan Mullaly, Jon Stewart from the Daily Show, Maury Povich, Caroline Rhea, Jenny Jones (is she still on?), Montel Williams and don’t forget Dr. Phil. You could even put, Bill O’Reilly, Hannity & Colmes & Larry King into the mix if you really wanted to. I wonder if the Today Show is a talk show? And what about Good Morning America? Or how about CBS Early Morning? I know some of them talk about news, too, but ultimately these productions are swaying to the talk show side of things. Constantly airing celebrity interviews, musical debuts, controversial news stories about horrible crimes across the country (my mind thinks back to the Laci Peterson case).

Do we really NEED all these pop talk shows? Is America that hungry for the latest interview with Gwyneth Paltrow? Do we really care which couch Tom Cruise will jump on next?

I admit I’m a sucker when it comes to this pop culture talk. It’s intriguing and fascinating to hear about how the stars live, but am I learning anything? Am I not just wasting time hearing about the lives of the rich and famous instead of living my own?

Sure, I like to laugh my ass off about Britney Spears’ latest white trash faux pas. I crack up when I see women on Maury who don’t know who their baby’s daddy is. I also love watching the ladies on The View bicker and banter. I adore Rachael Ray for showing me how to cook 30-minute meals and agreeing to do a talk show (even if she is kind of copying Oprah). But when is enough, ENOUGH?

Am I the only one who feels this way? Hit me with your comments please! What do you love and hate about talk shows?