Bad Nana

"Bad Nana, Mom." Ian comes running to me from the playroom. "Ian want Bad Nana."

"Bad Nana?" I ask. "Nana's not bad. Nana loves you."

Ian looks at the floor. I can tell he's thinking.

"Nooo, Nana at home wit Poppy. Ian yove Nana. Ian want Bad Nana."

"You want Nana to be bad? That's not a good idea. Nana's a nice Nana." I'm distracted. Kyle's nursing and is trying to pull off my dangling earrings.

"No Mom!" Ian pauses to get my attention. I look up. "Ian want Bad Nana. Right here," he points to the kitchen table where we keep the plate of fruit. Ian stands on his tippie toes and stretches to reach the plate filled with nice ripe bananas.

"OH!" I wrestle with the nursing baby and stand up from the couch but Ian has already pulled out a chair and is climbing up onto the table. "You want a BANANA!? Here, let me help you."

Doing a little happy dance, Ian shrieks, "Yeah Mom! Ian want badnana!"

My Day in 5 Minutes

"No, Ian, you may not have another piece of gum."

"Wahhhh, scream, whine, complain!"

"The last piece you had, you swallowed it. I'm not giving you anymore today."

"Yeah, Ian, Mommy says no more. But I didn't swallow my gum so I get more. See?"

"No, Yaun! No yo Ian dum. Ian not wahyow dum, Mom. Ian dyop it."

"Whatever Ian. Swallow, drop. It's all the same to me. Shaun! Keep your gum inside your mouth or I will take it away from you!"

"Whine, whine, whine some more! Peese have dum Mom?"

I'm trying to steer my monster cart filled with children through the crowded produce section of my grocery store. Shaun continues to tease Ian with his gum, Ian continues to cry because he doesn't have any (but there's still evidence of the last piece he dropped in the van on the way to the grocery store on his shirt) and Kyle is reaching behind Ian and trying to push his fingers through the holes in the bag of grapes.

"Wow, you must be busy. Are they all yours?"

She's in her 40s and already I don't like her.

"Yes," I reply sweetly. Why is it that whenever I go anywhere with my children people ask me if they're all mine? Of course they're mine. Even if they weren't, what business of yours is it? It's not like I have 9 and they're all following me like little ducklings. I enter into my standard response for situations like this.

"There's 3 years between the 2 older ones, and this one," I place my hand on Kyle's head and he immediately grabs for it and tries to stuff my fingers in his mouth, "was born last winter. There's 16 months between them. It was a busy winter but they keep me young!"

Produce lady puts her hand on Ian's hand and I notice her long painted fingernails. I imagine the griminess crawling under her nails and am relieved when Ian pushes her hand away. She turns to Kyle, touches his spitty hand and quickly pulls her hand away.

"I have 2 boys," she begins, searching her pockets for a kleenex to wipe her hand on.

"Waaaah freaking waaaah! Want dum now Mom!"

"I already told you, no gum."

"... when he was 5 he fell and got so scratched on his knee..."

"Shaun, can you hand me the hand sanitizer from the side pocket?"

"... was working odd hours so thank God my mother..."

"I can't find it Mom."

"Check the other side pocket."

"Det dum Yaun! Ian want mo dum."

"No Ian. No gum."

"Waaaah, freakin' waaaah."

"...this time of year. Pumpkins and squash..."

"I can't find it Mom. It's not here!" Huff and puff and fold arms on your chest.

"Here, let me look."

"... easy, but I made it work. The laundry, oh..."

Found it! Ha! I always know where this stuff is. Nobody can mess with my diaper bag. It's my lifeline to a world beyond my kids. If I can just get them through this stage I'll be free to go and do big girl things. I don't know if I can get through Produce Lady's ramblings though! She's still yaking! Doesn't she see that I'm not listening? I've turned my back on her to dig through the diaper bag and sanitized my 9 month old's hands and picked a half dozen pears and she's still going. Man, I should squirt some sanitizer in her mouth. Maybe that would shut her up.

"... well, enjoy it! This stage goes so quickly."

"Yes it does, doesn't it?" Not quick enough some days, I mutter under my breath.

"Who was that, Mom?" Inquisiting minds want to know.

"I don't know Shaun."

"She had a lot to say, didn't she?"

I glance over my shoulder. Produce lady is rooting through the kiwifruit. "Yes, she did Shaun. She was very friendly, huh?"

"No Tie-yo! Dat's Ian's toat. Yeave hands over dere."

"Waaaah! Wimper. Snuffle."

I grab Ian's coat from Kyle's grasp and throw it under the cart.

"No Mom! Want toat. Waaaah, scream, cry!!!" Well, at least he's past wanting gum now.

Wheels

I have a two-wheeled bike rider! In no time he's progressed from wobbly riding on the grass and crashing into fences to riding smooth and straight on a road. He even rode to school today with Craig. This video was taken this morning when he called for me to come outside and watch him on the road. It is the very first time I had seen him anywhere but on the grass and also the first time I saw him get started on his own. It may seem simple but I'm so stinkin' proud!

Major Accomplishments

I have to update quickly while everyone is eating dinner. First, Shaun's doing great at school. He's happy and excited to go. There will be a class shuffle next week likely but he's okay with that and is happy he'll be back with a lot of friends from last year once he switches. Second, out of the blue he learned how to pump a swing this week. He's been terrified of swings for years. I think something happened to scare him when he was much younger and until spring of this year, he's flatly refused to even sit on one. He'd ride it on his tummy, yes, but never on his bum. And if he was sitting on a swing on his bum and you were to walk behind him, he would be so worried you'd push him he'd quickly turn around or get off. Anyway, we stopped at the park on the way home from school yesterday and while I was pushing the little kids on the swing he climbed on his own. When I offered to push him he said, "no, I can do it." And he did! From a dead stop to really swinging... all on his own. I couldn't believe it and I couldn't stop smiling for at least half an hour!

Mostly I wanted to say that he can ride a 2-wheeler! Finally!!! We bought him a new bike last Christmas and he and I went out on Easter Monday so I could teach him to ride it. We went to an empty parking lot with a slight incline in it. Shaun did great until he toppled and then it was all over. He was shaken and discouraged. We've tried here and there since then and each time he's all gung-ho to try but as soon as he so much as wobbles he gives up and usually leaves his bike in the middle of the sidewalk a few houses down from ours. Yesterday he was watching a kids' show where a little boy was learning to ride a bike in real life on some grass. That put an idea into Shaun's head that maybe that is the way to learn. Contrary to everything my Dad told me growing up about teaching a kid to ride a bike on a hill so that they have momentum, I agreed with Shaun and we tried today in the backyard. Not only was he able to do it on the first try, he actually TURNED AROUND AND CAME BACK TO ME.

Call it a fluke, or that trying on the grass the first time is a good idea, or maybe it was the reassurance the grass provided that if he fell he wouldn't get hurt; which was just the boost of confidence he needed to get his feet on those pedals and go. He hasn't been on the sidewalk yet but after watching him in the backyard I think I'll have to get on my bike tomorrow so we can go for a ride!

Senior Kindergarten

Much to my surprise, Shaun was actually excited for his first day of Senior Kindergarten today. He still goes in the afternoon from 12:40 to 3:10 every day but this year he's started with a different teacher than the one he had last year. Reason being because the school hasn't been given the official OK from the school board to add another class so all the children that would be in the new class are now spread out among the other three classes. Each class can have a maximum of 19 children in it and Shaun's class today had 20. His teacher told us that it's pretty much 99% that there will be another class formed, in which case he'll move to the teacher he had last year, who has already been noted in all the paperwork we received today as having 2 classes. Other children whose Mom's I spoke to today have been told their children will be in the new afternoon class once it forms. I don't understand all the red tape but as long as Shaun heads back to the teacher and classmates he's familiar with, it's no biggie.

Do you think he was excited to head out today?!

Mad Gab

"Meh-toe Pay-toe Mace"

Ian said this to me today. It took about 8 repetitions and finally him bringing the object to me for me to actually get what he was saying.

Give up? For whatever reason... Actually, no, I know the reason. Because he's a dorky, goofy kid, Ian has decided that Mr. Potato Head is now Mr. Potato Face. And he laughs and laughs whenever he says it because he knows it's SILLY!

I don't think I would have guessed what he was saying had he not brought me the poor potato dude.

Be OK

Once I had the Bigs in bed tonight, I sunk into the rocking chair in Kyle's room to nurse him. It was a rough day today. Actually, it's been a rough go for the last several days.

Shaun's excited about Senior Kindergarden and unbelievably anxious at the same time. He switches from jumping up and down flapping his arms and hands, to wimpering and whining about having to go back. Ian has been screaming an awful lot and it's at such a decible, it makes my ears ring. Kyle is teething, he's decided he doesn't need his third nap anymore which has increased the Witching Hour from 2 hours to 3, and he's determined to figure out how to switch from sitting on his bum to laying on his tummy without face-planting every. single. time.

It's hard being on my own at the end of the day. Dinner time is the worst and it's even more difficult because everyone is tired and hungry and needing something all at the same time, and it's only me who can help them. Often I end up foregoing dinner for myself alltogether and eating once everyone is in bed and quiet and I can enjoy a warm meal with no interruptions. Most days I'm on a 2 1/2 hour countdown from 5PM. Dinner, dishes, baths, jammies, stories, bed. It can't go quick enough.

Tonight I could hear Shaun chatting to himself about the Spiderman jammies he's wearing tonight; planning his next move on Venom. Ian was quietly humming to himself and rustling his fresh sheets as he snuggled in for a long nap. Kyle's eyes were rolling back into his head and I listened to the sound of his bare feet stroking the arm of the rocking chair. As the rush of milk came, all the sounds of the house ceased except for the occasional swallow from the baby at my breast. At that moment I realized something -- It won't always be so easy to make everything okay. All my boys need is right here. Our house could burn down tomorrow, the van could be stolen and we could have a negative balance in our bank account, but my boys are happy and safe - that's all that truly matters.

Turning a Leaf in More Ways Than One

After the disaster I found myself in last Friday, I really and truly wanted to hide in my backyard for the rest of the fall until winter, when I could just wear a hat to cover the mess my hair had become. I desperately called around on Friday night trying to find someone who could fix my hair on short notice without success. Saturday was more of the same.

Craig and I had to get some school shopping done for Shaun, though, so we headed off to the mall on Saturday morning. I was tempted to walk into a salon in the mall and beg to have someone help me but I soon realized that there's so little length to play with and I run the risk of STILL not being happy with the new 'fixed cut'. So I hung my head as we walked around, trying not to make eye contact with anyone, fearing they'd know me and comment on my hair.

When we got home, I washed my hair and decided I had to make the best of a BAD, BAD situation.

After an hour playing around with different styles, some gel, hairspray, and wax...Voila. It's still not the look I was going for originally but at least I don't feel the need to walk around with a paper bag on my head until it grows in.

Tinkerbell

I took a leap today. A completely spontaneous one. One that I told myself I was absolutely NOT going to do. At least not until I had stewed over it for a while. And certainly not in the location it ended up being.

Now I can't go back. And I hate it. The only positive thing: hair grows back.

Craig's step-mom is a hairstylist. Perk, right? Usually it would be. I've been thinking about a 'pixie' cut for a while (by while, I mean a couple of days) but knew I didn't want to go to her for the cut. You see, I only get my hair cut once a year - if that - because I never like the way it's cut. Too floofy at the ends, too long, uneven length, bangs too short, too many layers; I wish she would just do what I tell her to do and leave the rest the heck alone. I went this morning for a trim. Long story short, I got my hair chopped. And it's not a pixie cut like I wanted. I want to crawl into a hole for the next 8 months until it grows back.

I'll post a picture when I'm feeling a bit better about it. And once I pay a real stylist to fix this disaster that is my head.

Under Roo

I'm soooo proud of my little Beanie-Butt. Two days in a row he's come running to me saying he has to poo in the potty. We've had him in undies since the end of July and he's done remarkably with pee; it's been poo that's been a struggle. For the last 2 weeks he's caught himself at the beginning and I've managed to get him on the potty in time to finish but he's been having trouble recognizing how his body feels before anything comes out. Needless to say, the laundry sink has been getting quite the workout and I'm not regretting having 29 undies for him (yes, 29). But with this newest milestone of knowing when he's beginning to feel like he has to poo, we could be in the home stretch. Only just turned 2 and already wearin' the under-roos like he's been doin' it his whole life!