October 18, 2006

Awesome Dawson

If anyone would have told me years ago, that I would have a beautiful, smart, intelligent son, I would have said, “Don’t I know it!” Okay, I’d probably have laughed and smiled and secretly hoped they were right, but I now know that Dawson is far too brilliant to be my child. Not to put myself down, but he amazes me every single day, and I often wonder where he got his smart genes from! It can’t be Doug, can it? It has to be me, but I’m soooo not sure. Maybe his brilliance comes from each of his parents.

I first noticed that my son was brilliant at the local library. We visit the Portage County Library or PoCoLi, as I like to call it, every Monday.

Dawson loves the library because he has a wonderful time playing with the gigantic table of Lego Blocks and he has such fun meeting other children who happen to be there as well. He also loves to pick out his own books. His favorites are anything about tractors, trucks and school buses.

I love the library because in all honesty, I can leave my child somewhat unattended with the Legos (the Plover branch is so small that every “department” is on the same floor) as I scour the shelves for a new book to read. Okay let’s face it, I get a solid ten minutes of peace and quiet before the Doodlebug yells “Mumma” thirty times in a row for my attention.

This past Monday, Dawson wanted me to play with the blogs blocks with him. I agreed. We stacked and stacked these vibrant colored blocks to make towers and castles and after a few minutes I noticed Dawson was bored. He walked over to a corner in the play area and carried out a Little People Farm circa 1990 (it was much older than the one we have at home, but still had the little animals inside) and proceeded to ask me what each animal was.

“Mumma, wha’s dis?”

“That’s a pig.”

“A peeeg?”

“Yes, that’s a pig. Let me ask you, what’s this?” I pointed to a sheep.

“Mmm, Mumma, das a baaaaaaa.” He made the sound of a sheep.

“Yes, that is a sheep.” I said proudly. “You’re a very smart boy.”

After Dawson took each animal out of the barn and we named the sheep, horse, cow, pig and puppy (I don’t think this one went with the barn, but farms have dogs, don’t they?) I asked Dawson to put each animal back in it’s stable (or whatever they call them). When he put them in their respective places, he laid each animal on it’s side. I made the mistake of standing up the animals in their pens.

“No! Mumma! No!” Dawson said firmly.

“What? What’s the matter? The animals need to go back into the barn.”

Dawson took each animal and put them back on their sides.

“Dawson, why are the animals laying down?” I asked.

“Mumma, dis go nigh-nigh. Shhh.” And he closed the barn door and put the barn back in the toy corner.

I was stunned and speechless. My child knew that animals lay down to go to sleep. For the first time I realized that my mind is programmed for adult logic.

When did I stop being a kid? How could I not see that the animals were going to sleep? Have I not been paying attention all these months?

When we got home, I put Dawson down for a nap and I looked into his toy box at his own Little People Farm. Each animal was in his own pen, laying down, naturally. I smiled and looked at my Doodlebug.

“I love you little one. You taught me to think like a kid today. Thank you.” And I blew him a kiss.

“Nigh-nigh, Mumma. Sshhh!” he said as I closed the door.

October 17, 2006

Poppin’ the Cherry

The Queen of Spain is asking that we share the experience of our first time. What she means is the first time we voted. Yeah, I know, I thought it was GBJD again!

The first time I voted was in the 2000 elections. I was 21 years old. I didn’t turn 18 until March of 1997 and there wasn’t an opportunity for me to vote prior to that. I’m positive I could have voted in the local school referrendums, but they didn’t interest me like a Presidential Election.

I was anxious to vote. I couldn’t wait. I was a proud Republican in a world full of radical, left-wing, liberals and loons. I was ready to vote for my candidate, George W. Bush.

I took a lot of heat, I took a lot of grief and people argued with me until they were blue in the face — trying to convince me to vote for Al “Global Warming” Gore. But I knew better.

President Bush has been a far better President than Bill Clinton and Al Gore combined. I went to the same church service as Monica Lewinsky’s “Handsome” in the 9th grade during a trip to Washington, D.C. and I, too, though Bill was good looking. That’s all he had going for him. His foreign policy sucked and his taste in women is terrible (umm, duh, Hillary? Monica?) He’s a liar and crook, but still good looking. However, we can’t always vote for the good looking men, they seem to prove to Americans they are womanizers. It pains me to say that as John F. Kennedy was a great president but a flawed Catholic and womanizer.

While I’m proud to say I voted twice for G. Dub, I must admit he may never measure up to my favorite, Ronald Reagan and I was only a child when he was in office.

The upcoming elections excite me and frustrate me all at once, but this feeling of personal power, knowing my vote may change the course of history is something I would never give up.

I encourage you, ALL of you, to vote this November. You can help us turn this country around.

Please visit this BlogHer article also to see the Women’s Voices, Women Vote campaign video.

October 16, 2006

Memory Monday

My paternal grandfather, Florian, passed away July 10, 1999, on my father’s birthday. He had dementia/alzheimer’s and I remember him slowly digressing back through the years. I remember that he forgot names and dates. I remember the pain on my dad’s face, knowing his own father didn’t recognize him. I remember that as the years went by my grandpa almost never spoke at all. He just stared out the window of his room at the nursing home. I remember wondering what he was thinking. What kinds of thoughts were going through his mind? I remember that my grandpa could not remember.

I don’t know why after all these years I’m thinking of Grandpa. I have an idea, but I’m not sure. My maternal grandmother Alice passed away December 6 of last year. It has only been less than a year since God called her home. She was the grandparent who outlived them all. Even her own siblings. Alice was an amazing woman. I adored her strength very much. I miss her.

In April of 2004, my maternal grandmother Helen passed away. She was a spitefire. Never took any guff from anyone. Always spoke her mind no matter what anyone thought. She told me to stand up tall and be proud of who I was and where I came from.

My paternal grandfather Adolph died before I was born in March of 1978. Two months before my mother wed my father. I was barely a glimmer in my mother’s eye. But I have a hunch that Grandpa Adolph is my guardian angel. My father speaks so highly of his father-in-law that I can only imagine that Adolph was a great man.

As I remember my grandparents and their lives, the stories I’ve been told by them and about them, I realize how precious my memories are.

Grandpa Florian, somehow, almost amazingly divulged his memories when he couldn’t grasp the present. Those memories were all he had left when his mind began to deteriorate, so-to-speak. When he couldn’t recognize present time, his mind was like a time capsule. All the stories of his younger days came pouring out. I listened intently to him talk about his childhood as if he were living that particular day in history, right then and there.

While I was young and thought he was going crazy, while it was painful to know he had no clue I was his granddaughter, I listened and learned. I only wish I’d have recorded his memoir. I wish I’d have spent more time with Alice, Helen and Florian before time passed and they left this world for eternity.

While there is no cure for alzheimer’s disease at this time, there are little things we can do to strengthen our minds and bodies to hopefully avoid this difficult condition.

Writing and blogging are wonderful tools to strengthen our cognitive skills. Having an eye exam each year may detect the disease early enough to obtain adequate medical treatment. Avoiding stress and worry is also suggested. Take out those photo albums, too! Studies show that individuals who enjoy their photos and revisit their photo albums (and the memories associated with them) help strengthen their memory which may reduce the risk of acquiring the disease. Lastly, and most obviously, taking care of your physical health is important. My own goal is to stop smoking, lower my cholesterol and blood pressure and watch my borderline diabetic condition. My doctor explained that all these factors may contribute to dimentia and alzheimer’s disease, and the diseases are generally hereditary. If you have a family history of dimentia or alzheimer’s disease, I encourage you to learn more by visiting the Alzheimer’s Association website.

In honor of Grandpa Florian, I dedicate each Monday as Memory Monday and I hope to share a new memory from my own life every week. I’m blessed to have discovered blogging as an outlet to express myself and to create my own piece of history, a kind of “memory legacy” to leave my children and grandchildren. And who knows, maybe my mind will become stronger and alzheimer’s will never take my mind away from me. I will remember to remember.

Won’t you join me? Share your memories with us and please link to your post in the comments section!

October 15, 2006

Good Things - Volume I

Being that it is Sunday, I thought I’d share some Good Things with all of you.

First, my Aunt Kathy sent me the link to this video. Kate Nowak did a stunning job and I cried happy tears watching it. Her blog is wonderful, too, so be sure to check her out!

A few days ago I wrote my “Anniversary Tribute” to Doug as we celebrated five glorious years of marriage on the 13th of October. We didn’t do anything special for the big day. Doug made BBQ Ribs and Shrimp for me Friday night and it was excellent. My gift to him was given on Saturday. No, it’s not what YOU’RE thinking so get your minds out of the bedroom. After work, I came home and Dawson was cranky so I turned on Public Television. Lawrence Welk was on and Dawson loves the music. It’s okay, he’s only two. But during one of Lawrence’s jived up orchestra tunes, I dragged Doug off the couch and made him foxtrot with me. Yes. You read that right. We did the fox trot in our living room and laughed hysterically the entire time. You know that’s love. Seriously, I’m still laughing because our “moves” caused uncontrollable giggling from Dawson, too.

Today we went to church and Dawson was well behaved for 20 minutes. This is a record breaker. Usually he’s a terror two minutes after blessing himself. When I got home I found this in my e-mail. I’m feeling pretty Blessed today. Then I found this.

It’s quiet in the house. Dawson is napping. I’m finishing this post and heading into my bed as well! I’ll leave you with the first commercial that has made me cry since I gave birth to Dawson. This hit me hard because in a few short weeks my brother will be coming home.

Happy Sunday!