April 24, 2007

Link Love - The Mom Edition

I’m at a loss for words today.  I have a lot to write about but my thoughts aren’t making it to the page properly.  And so, to take the pressure off of my brain today, go visit some of my favorite blogs, okay?

Christina is struggling with what to name her baby.  Any advice for her?

Crystal always makes me laugh.  Read her story about her mom babysitting little Harmony.

Mary shares five things she likes about herself.  Carmen started this meme as part of Mission Monday.  Here’s my five things:

1.  I’m a savvy grocery shopper.  I can coordinate grocery lists with my stack of coupons and what’s on sale in the flyers, and walk away with a dump-truck load of goodies for less than $150 every two weeks. 

2.  I can spend the entire day outside with Dawson and not go crazy.  (Indoors is another story.)

3.  I love that I love going to church.  Prayer and silent meditation are important to keeping me grounded.

4.  I’m getting better at yoga.  I wanted to quit at first, but the longer I stick to it, the better I feel.

5.  I feel healthier than I did ten years ago and that’s a great accomplishment.

Mom-101 is gearing up for the delivery of Baby #2.  Read about her third trimester language translations.

Elizabeth just finished a cleaning frenzy.  You’ve gotta read all about her whirlwind tidying.  I think I’d be exhausted for days after that!

Caroline had one of those inevitable mommy-moments.  Go give her some encouragement!

And last but never least, Erin goes to battle over pj’s with booze bottles on them.  Tell her what you think about this outrageous concept.  What are these marketers thinking?

April 23, 2007

Bringing Bike Butt Back

Do you remember the time before you got your driver’s license when your parents made you ride your bike to get to the places you wanted to go?

There was a time when I was in shape.  A time when I could ride my bicycle without having a cardiac arrest.  A time when carefree bike rides with no apparent destination ruled my days.

And then I got a car.

So long, Huffy.  See ya later, Schwinn.  Pontiac and Chevrolet were my new best friends.

And now I have a son who loves to be outside.  Once little Dawson is on the loose in the backyard there is no bringing him back in.  We could live in a tent next to the swing set and I do believe he’d be the happiest child in town.

Last year for his birthday, I bought Dawson a bicycle.  Doug just agreed to it because he thought I knew what I was doing.  Little did I know he won’t actually be able to ride that one until he’s six years old. 

This weekend, my parents brought over a tiny little toddler bike with training wheels and we attempted to teach Dawson how to pedal.  He’s just not coordinated yet.  He can’t steer and peddle at the same time and so we listened as a very frustrated two-year-old cried and watched him throw his helmet on the driveway.

“Dawson go for a bike ride, Mumma?” he asked, tears streaming.

My solution to this problem was to buy a bike trailer to attach to my bicycle (the one I haven’t ridden in ages).  I carefully selected the proper style, keeping in mind the ones with the best ratings but also the best price.

I came home with the box and Doug and I successfully put it together.  I’ve wanted one of those trailers for a year and Doug always poo-poo’d the idea claiming it would just sit in the garage unused.

I took it for a spin last night, with Dawson safely strapped in.  It is magnificent.  I love it.  I don’t have to worry about the seats that attach behind mine (I was worried about tipping over and killing Dawson and myself) and it really isn’t hard to pull the trailer.  Well, up hill is rather hard, but I think that’s difficult without the trailer attached anyway.

When I got home I was sweating.  It really is a great workout.  Dawson loved going down hills the best.  I could hear him yelling, “Weeeeeeeeeee!”

The only bad part? 

My crotch hurts. 

I need my bike butt back! 

Or a “car” seat attachment.

April 20, 2007

The Funniest Thing I’ve Heard Today

This morning as I was getting ready for work, Dawson was chattering about going to Renee’s house (his daycare provider) and playing with her new baby bunnies. I listened and interacted with him, asking questions like what the bunnies were named and if they were soft and cute.

Dawson was talking non-stop and when it was finally time to head to the car he told me all about his favorite move, Cars (again). When we got outside a bird flew past the house and Dawson was silent as he watched the chirping robin in the tree.

I let him watch the bird for a few minutes and then politely told him to get in the car.

Just when I got to the passenger door, I noticed a huge streak of bird poop on the window. Dawson saw it, too.

“Mumma, what’s dat?” he asked.

“Umm, well…that’s bird poop, Dawson.” I replied.

“Yucky, Mumma. Naughty birds need a time out.”

“Yeah those naughty birds!! Who said they could poop on my clean green car?” I asked.
Dawson looked over at his father’s white truck, his brow furrowed, and said, “Naughty birds did a big poop on Daddy’s truck.”

My laughter was loud enough to be heard down the block.

Once I regained my composure I said, “Yeah, Daddy just doesn’t wash his truck much, does he?”

April 19, 2007

That’s What He’s Talkin’ About

Life with a toddler is rewarding and demanding.  Dawson is growing every day, yet he’s still “too skinny” according to my mother.  She’s probably right.  He will be three years old in September and he still wears pants sized 18 months.  His upper body is bigger, but his legs and stomach are tiny.  I envy his metabolism.  The child can eat like a horse and not gain a pound.  Ah…the life of a 2-year-old.

With the physical growth comes the intellectual development.  Vocabulary and motor skills come to my attention more and more.

I’ve noticed lately that Dawson is talking much more than I remember and he’s often repeating the words that Doug and I say most often.  He loves to tell us to “Stop It!” and says “Dawson’s naughty, he needs time out.”  Can you tell we discipline his bad behavior a lot?

My child is like a sponge, soaking up vocabulary like water and storing it away in the pockets of his brain, just waiting to use his new words. 

When Dawson was 10 months old I worried he was a late bloomer because he didn’t even babble like most babies.  He just listened intently to the noises and voices around him.

Later, when he began talking at 22 months, I worried again that he wasn’t saying enough words.  Bottle, Baby, Da-da and Puppy were the only words he knew.  Children his age were saying 10-12 words compared to Dawson’s four.

Suddenly, I’m not worried anymore.  It’s like a vocabulary explosion has happened.  Little bombs of words being spoken and more often shouted at any moment.

He tells me about his friends at daycare and how Breanne sat on his car or how baby Lydia cried for her mommy.  He talks about Auntie Rachel’s truck whenever he sees one of a similar color.  Every school bus on the road is his Nonna’s bus (my mom is a school bus driver) and he wants to ride to daycare on it.

He loves to tell our dog, Murphy, to sit, speak and stay.  He narrates the entire move, Cars.  He asks for “Juice, please” and tells his father, “Daddy, put the juice in the fridger, kay?”

I can’t believe I was so distraught over his development, because now he doesn’t shut up.  Not that I want him to shut up, just to not talk so much all the time.

But I know he’s learning and developing and I couldn’t be happier about that.  I’m just amazed at the words he’s picked up. 

I can hardly wait for the sassy teen years.