New Midlife Mommy

Daddy's Day

DD has been soooo excited about today.  She had presents!  Presents for Daddy!  Presents that must be opened!  And secrets!  Secrets about the presents!  Secrets that were just bursting to get out!

Ahem.  With great struggle, DD did manage to keep the content of the presents a secret.  But she just couldn't resist telling him little things, immediately after she'd learned them.  Like, "Daddy, your card!  Your card!  Has a purple envelope!  But I can't tell you what's on the front!  And I can't tell you what's inside!  It's a secret -- shh."  She'd hidden all the presents under our bed so that she could easily get to them today, this very, very special day.

And finally, finally, FINALLY after waiting what seemed like an eternity ("mommy, is it Daddy's Day yet?  Is it?  Is it?"), this morning arrived.  DD was in heaven.  She ran to the side of the bed and pulled out all of the presents. 

"Daddy, your presents!  Your presents!  You could open them!  I could help!"

And so they did.  A card shaped like a tie, that DD's teacher had made, with a poem inside.  DD's card that I'd bought, which had a princess on the front and a sweet verse inside, with the letters of DD's name painstakingly traced at the bottom.  A small frisbee with her picture in the center and artwork on the side, courtesy of DD.  A "#1 Dad" hat that DD's teacher had made.  A coffee cup with her school picture on it.  And, my personal favorite, a picture frame that says, "My prince did come.  His name is Daddy.  Love, His Princess DD."  That was very fitting, because for all the hours that DD has played at being a princess, Daddy has always been her prince.  When they watch a video of a princess movie, whenever the princess receives her first kiss from the prince, DD leaps onto her Daddy's lap and sighs, "oh prince, my prince."  Just at the right moment.  Kind of corny, but very sweet.

But the best part, the very best part, came after the presents were opened.  DD was sitting on DH's knees, looking up at his face.  Not a word was said.  But the look on her face radiated pure love.  I can't help but think that if there are angels, this is the look that they have on their faces.  And in a fleeting moment, it was gone.  But I will remember it forever.

Late this afternoon, we will drive to my Dad's house and take him out to dinner.  He's getting kind of cantankerous in his old age.  I offered to pay to have his lawn cut this year, because it's just getting to much for him.  He thanked me and said that it could be my Father's Day present to him.  When I told him that I already had that taken care of, he started b*tching and complaining about how silly I was to get him anything, he doesn't need anything, blah, blah, blah.  Well, in fact I didn't get him any thing.  I just got him gift cards.  One to a restaurant that he always goes to, from DD.  And I bought him a gift card from a warehouse store that he always shops at, so he can get the things that he needs.  I didn't say anything while he was yelling at me, even though I wanted to.  And, I'm sure he doesn't remember doing it.  He's 78 now, and he does have some memory failure due to hardening of the arteries in his brain (no Alzheimer's, thank the Lord, though Alzheimer's drugs are a lifesaver for him).

I can't remember ever being as close to my Dad as DD is to hers.  I vaguely remember favoring him (as I was rejecting my Mother) as I was growing up and my Mom telling me, "Hey, kid, if it weren't for me, you wouldn't have anything."  And, you know, she was right.  Not to shortchange my Dad.  He worked at a job that he hated, counting the years toward retirement, just to provide for us.  (My Mom was a SAHM, having quit her job when she was seven months pregnant with me, never to return.)  We never lacked for anything, and if we needed something extra, my Father would work overtime.  I know now how hard it is go to in, day after day, to a job that you hate, with nothing but long years of the same stretching out before you.  Not a good life.  But a yoke that he put on willingly for us.  And I have made a point to specifically thank him for that.  Because it took becoming an adult, with a child of my own, to really understand that particular sacrifice.

That said, my Mom was the heart and soul of our house.  My Dad provided the capital, but my Mom made sure that everything else that mattered was there for us.  The special dress.  The costume for a school activity, the one that she stayed up all night putting the finishing touches on.  Cupcakes for school.  The cheese burger and sundae to mend a broken heart.  And on and on.  It was my Mom who was there, who kissed my tears away.  My Dad didn't know how (and not for lack of gentle prodding from my Mom -- she and her father were very, very close).  In fact, I don't much recall my Dad telling me that he loved me until I put a stop to that in my early 20's.  I simply insisted on a hug, a kiss, and and "I love you" every time I left their house.  Every time.  Now, he reaches out on his own to do that.  But still, we are not very close.  And we did have some knock down, drag out fights after my Mom died. 

I have spent more time with my Dad in the last several months than I ever have in all the years before.  You see, my Dad thought that fathers should spend time with sons, and mothers with daughters.  So, my brother got all of his attention, especially when they spent time together doing Boy Scout things.  My Mom was always there for me, but a girl just needs her daddy sometimes, you know?

But, we're working on it.  And that's all that we can do.  But, I would not be truthful if I didn't admit that I feel a hint of jealousy when I see the beautiful relationship that DD and DH have forged.  What makes this even more amazing is that DH lost his dad when DH was 17.  And, at that point, DH wasn't even living at home, since he was attending a seminarian high school in another state.  (Now, that's an interesting story, but it belongs to DH, so I won't share.)  So, I'm not sure exactly where DH learned how to be such a great dad.  But it doesn't matter.  He just is.

Anyway.  Enough said.  If you still have a dad, give him a hug for me.  And if you don't, hopefully, there are good things to remember.  And here is a link to something that I found on the web (through Kim Komando, if you must know).  Very, very nice.  And, even though I'm not a country music fan, I must admit that any country song with half-way decent words brings me to tears.  Here it is; enjoy.

(I don't suppose you noticed the time of this post -- it's only 9:00 in the morning, and I can't imagine that the day could possibly get any better.)

A Small Poll

So, how many of you still have your Christmas trees up?

Hands, please.

Oh, I see.

Nope, no special reason for asking.  None at all.

Happy Heart Day

Today was kind of a sucky day at work.  I've been really busy, and I like that part (though it makes it hard to keep up with the 116 blogs I have on Bloglines -- I'm still recovering from Nanopoblowme or whatever that was).  The sucky part is the senior management.  They just have a way of dragging everything out and making things more difficult than they need to be.  But, you know, they pay me pretty well, and I can leave at 4:30.  So, it's not all that bad.

The best part of the day was leaving early to go to DD's party.  DD had asked both DH and me to come.  And, we arranged our schedules so that we could.  Another good thing about where I work.  Very flexible for family things.  My boss' boss is very sensitive about that -- she had two boys of her own, and she regrets missing some of the important things.  So she makes sure that my office mates and I are able to spend time with our little ones.

I really kind of overdid it this time with the bags that we made for the kids, but I have to say, there was one mom who was more over the top than me.  But she's moving to China soon for a two-year assignment.  So I guess I'll be at the top of over the top.

They'd had a sign up sheet for the party supplies, and the parents were invited to partake after the kids had been served.  Most of the kids brought in Valentine's Day cards, and many brought in bags of goodies for everyone.  DD's haul was bigger than at Halloween.  I never realized that this is a bigger occasion.  Maybe it's just because she is officially in the Preschool room now, and there are 16 kids in there.

The school offered the opportunity to buy a flower for the teachers from a local florist, accompanied by a message.  We also bought a balloon for DD, which came with flowers and a heart pillow.  Our message to her was "to our favorite Valentine."  And she is.

DH bought me three more Trollbeads for my bracelet.  I knew those were coming, because brought the brochure down a few days ago and asked me to choose what I wanted.  But, he surprised me with some red roses in a really beautiful red vase.  I sent him flowers, as I always do, and I gave him a card this morning.

DD received a card from her Aunt C and Uncle A.  They live in Arizona, and she doesn't get to see them often.  But Aunt C makes sure that DD always has a card on every occasion, and she always makes sure to send along a birthday gift.  Seeing the card made me kind of sad, because it immediately reminded me of last year.  My parents had driven to Alabama, I think, and they were getting ready to go on a cruise.  My mom made sure to drop a Valentine in the mail for DD.  It was to be the last she would ever get from her, though we obviously didn't know it at the time.  So many little things remind me of my mom, and the tears just sneak up on me sometimes.

DD's school has a new center director.  She has been an assistant for a long time.  She has a lot of new ideas, though they do seem to be a little rule-governed.  I guess we are all like that, the first time we get a taste of management.  It takes awhile to realize that flexibility is key.  But I digress.

The reason that I mention this is that they are trying new things as well.  One of which is a Daddy/Daughter dance, which will be held next Friday at a local hotel.  I ordered a beautiful dress for DD -- it's navy blue, her daddy's favorite color.  I think she will make an excellent date.  I am welcome, but not to attend the dance.  I can come, but only if I hang out in the bar.  I am hoping that they have given the same message to the other moms.

Hmm.  At the bar.  No child to watch.  My only job is to relax after work for an hour and half.  Now, that will be hard to take, won't it?

Glad To Say Good-Bye To 2007

You know, when I was in my teens and twenties, New Year's Eve used to be a very big deal.  I was really into going to big parties where everyone got dressed up.  The night seemed magical.

Then, as I got older, it just seemed like any other night.  And I didn't feel like getting dressed up, going out into the freezing cold weather, hanging around with a lot of people that I didn't know, and staying up too late.  I started spending New Year's Eve with my parents and their friends, my honorary aunt and uncle.

We did that for a long time.  Later, it was just my parents, DH and I.  And then we added DD to the mix.  We would either go over to my parents' house, or they would spend the evening with us.  We'd go out to dinner, play cards, and watch the ball drop.  Nothing exciting, but we were together, and it was nice.

This year, we invited my father over to our house.  He canceled due to the giant snow storm that we were supposed to get.  So, he stayed at home, as did we.  We did go out to dinner, and then we drove a long way to see a light show (just different lighted up scenes along a road that you could drive through).  At the end of the exhibits, there was a place to park.  Families could get out and walk through some extra exhibits, and I was really surprised at how many families were doing the same thing we were on New Year's Eve.  My favorite exhibit was a giant Christmas tree that was covered in microlights and changed colors to music.  DD's favorite thing was running through two long tunnels that were covered in lights.  There was a playground nearby, and DD wanted to go on the tire swing.  Silly me -- I didn't check to see if it was wet before I put her on it.  It was dark, but it did look dry.  Wrong!  That cut the evening short.

We went home and watched the Grinch Who Stole Christmas at DD's request.  DH remarked at how sick he is of this DVD.  I guess they've been watching it quite a bit.  I like it because it's short.  After DD started getting sleepy, DH and I watched Breach.  It was a pretty good movie, but then we got into a fight about watching all of the bonus features.  I only like deleted scenes, alternate endings, and the like.  DH likes to watch every.single.feature.  Every one.  To me, some of that stuff is like watching video of someone else's wedding.  Nice for a short while, and then I'm ready to move onto something else.  When I told DH that I don't like this stuff (OK, I said that it was garbage -- bad choice of words), he got really annoyed with me.  We ended up watching an episode of Lost (we're trying to catch up), but DH wasn't happy with me.  (I told him that he should save the remainder of the DVD for today and watch it by himself, but he said he doesn't have any time to do that.  Apparently, the only way he thinks he can watch this stuff is if I suffer through it as well.  So, back to the store it went this morning.)

I think he was still angry with me when the ball dropped.  DD had awakened at that point (she'd fallen asleep on my lap), but she was a little groggy and didn't understand what was such a big deal.  So, we had a terse kiss, finished up our wine, watched the rest of Lost, and we all went to bed.  Ah, the joy of being married for almost a decade.  Sometimes, I don't think that we like each other very much.  And that is kind of sad.

My, my New Year's celebrations have come a long way. 

A Froggy Christmas Eve

The title is courtesy of my daughter, who thinks that Santa asked Rudolph to guide his sleigh on a "froggy" Christmas Eve.  It makes me smile every time she sings it, and I really don't have the heart to correct her.

We did celebrate Christmas Eve with my dad, just as planned.  We picked him up, had a glass of wine, opened presents, and went to an early dinner.  DD was into Christmas for the very first time, and she was just amazed that just about every present under the tree was for her.  She's got the present opening thing down pat -- last year and the year before, we had to do the opening for her.

We went to the candlelight service at my church, which turned out to be a disaster.  I hadn't gone in a long time, but we always used to go as a family as I was growing up and long after I moved away from home.  I remember my father yelling at my balking brother, telling him "if it's Christmas Eve, we're in church!" 

But it was really a mistake, I guess.  Shortly after I sat down, I started crying, and I cried through most of the service.  For some reason, I missed my mother terribly right at that moment.  I could hear her singing the hymns in my "mind's ear," or perhaps it was in my heart.  Wherever it was, I could hear her loud and clear.  And it just made me miss her more.

DD was completely obnoxious, which didn't help either.  It was a family service, and the minister always calls the children up to sit down while he tells them a story.  DD went up to the front of the church and sat down, and then she started fidgeting so much that a disgusted DH grabbed her and took her back to the pew.  She made noises.  She got up and down.  She tried to kick the pew in front of her.  DH finally just took her away.  I certainly wasn't much help, since I was working my way through the box of Kleenex that someone had graciously left on our pew.

I would have thought that DD would be interested in communion.  It's a Protestant church, and they pass out the host and the wine.  But, she didn't care.  She didn't find the offering interesting either.  She did calm down enough to sit on my lap when they started lighting everyone's candle.  I must have been quite a sight -- bawling my eyes out, holding my squirming little girl steadily on my lap, and trying to keep from lighting her on fire with the darned candle.

Apparently, while DH and DD were away, DD claimed to have pooped.  DH said it was a very small effort, but to hear DD tell the story, she was in immediate need of changing.  So, DH braved the frigid cold in the parking lot, brought the diaper bag in, and changed DD.  And, instead of putting the bag back in the car, he put it by our coats.  Where he didn't remember it.  I didn't even notice it. 

After we dropped my father off, DH drove back to the church to recover the bag, but no luck.  It was locked down tight, oddly, because another service was due to start in a couple of hours.  I was blessing out the "darned" diaper bag while DH encircled the church trying to get someone's attention.  Good thing that I didn't say the f*cking diaper bag, because DD kept asking her dad about the "darned diaper bag" during the several days that we had to wait until the church opened up again.  DH was willing to drive all the way back to the church after the next service started up, but I thought that was just silly -- that would have been another hour and a half ride, round trip.  Even though the bag that was left had everything under the sun inside, we were able to get by with the basics for a couple of days.

All in all, I should have left the candlelight service for another time.

On another note, DD pooped on the potty again today.  This is the second time she did it at home (she's only done it once at school).  She went into the bathroom herself, asked me for help to unsnap her pants, and then she asked for some privacy.  She was very excited after she finished, and she insisted that daddy take a picture.  Of course he obliged.  Cut from the same cloth, those two.

This really isn't as exciting as the first time, but DD was beside herself.  As I secretly watched, she started to dance and sing a song about how she was so happy because she pooped on the potty.  I guess you had to be there, but I hope that is one of the memories that never leaves me.  She was just so proud of herself.  As was I.

Where Did This Come From?

So, I lied -- well, not on purpose.  I did find that I have one or two more gifts to wrap.  Joke gifts for my boss, and his boss.  They both buy presents for all of us, so I reciprocate.  They are both avid coffee drinkers, so I buy them each a Starbucks gift card.  But these are something extra.  Two boxes of cheese and crackers for my boss' boss, since she's always forgetting to eat, and a light up musical tie for my boss, who is the kind of person who would wear such a thing during the holidays.  They are both really nice people, and very generous.

Anyway.  DD and I wrapped the cheese and crackers tonight.  She wanted to know who the present was for, and I told her that it was a present was for my boss.  And, do you know what she said? 

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"Why are you giving daddy cheese and crackers?"

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Oh, yes.  Yes, she did.  Daddy got a kick out of this.  I am truly puzzled, because we have never even joked about something like that.  You would have to know me IRL.  A man the boss of me?  Just not happening.

But I'm sure that DH will never let me live it down.  Priceless.

Updated to add:

OK, so I couldn't let this go.  Last night, I asked DD why she thought DH is my boss.  Then she said -- "Daddy and I are both the boss of you, mommy."  And she laughed and laughed, because she thought that was very funny.  And so did daddy.

Well, I know where I stand in this house!  (Smile)

Finally Done (I Think)

I'm not really into the whole Christmas thing this year.  But, I have a little girl, who is getting into the whole season for the first time.  Even though I don't feel like doing the whole holiday thing, I will do it anyway.  For her.

But, I think I'm done.  I took the day off so that I could send out my cards, because I just don't get any free time anymore.  That was chore in and of itself.  I have this ratty address listing that I printed off of my Outlook program years and years ago.  It has scribbles all over it.  And, I have been stuffing all of the Christmas cards that I received since DD was born in 2004 into an empty space in the bookshelf until I could get around to checking them for address changes.  And maybe even reading them.  Christmas cards for me are really just a chore that I don't get much pleasure out of, so honestly, I often don't read the cards that I get back -- but I would never tell anyone that, because it is so rude!

So, I had to look through all the cards from 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007 (to date) and edit my list.  And there were quite a few people who have moved in the last several years.  Until now, I'd only realized that when I got a card returned to me with no forwarding address.  But, I got the list updated. 

The cards were preprinted with an Christmas-y greeting, a really cute picture of DD, and our names were printed.  So, for the most part, I just stuffed them into the envelopes that I'd addressed (at least I did that part by hand).  Lazy, lazy, lazy.  I did write notes on the back of a few of them, but most of them are just blank on the back.  I've noticed this is kind of a trend for parents with young children -- photo cards stuffed into an envelope just to meet our minimum obligations.

I finished wrapping presents.  And I went to the bank to buy some gift cards for secretaries, teachers, and other people that we buy gift cards for.  Then off to a liquor store to buy a bottle of very expensive rum to take with us to a holiday party tomorrow night.  This is the only party DD has ever been invited to, and she is the only child there.  The host, our handyman, has just taken a liking to DD.  Even though he is a lifetime collector of antiques, and his house is full of breakable things, he doesn't mind DD being there at all.  We don't stay long, but it is a chance to get out.

Now, I just need to get through work and DD's school parties next week.  After that, I think all I need to do is to wait for the big day. 

We are having my father over on Christmas Eve day.  We will drive 50 miles to pick him up, open presents, go to an early dinner, and then probably go to the candlelight service at the church, which is much closer to his house than it is to ours.  I think DD will like the service.  I always found the church lit by candlelight alone to be very enchanting when I was small.  I'm embarrassed to say that the last time that DD was in church was in February 2005, the day she was christened.  And you know, that was the last time that DH and I were in church.  Shame on us, I guess.

I do have to admit that I'm kind of looking forward to watching DD open her presents.  I do hope that she likes what we've gotten her, though I guess she's a little young to be too much of a jerk about it if she doesn't.  And I'm looking forward to being off work from the 22nd through the 1st.

I'm trying to focus on the good things.  Like baking cookies with DD this evening.  They were precut, and all we had to do was put them on a cookie sheet and stuff them in the oven.  But DD had fun anyway, because she didn't know what she was missing.  DH tried to explain how you make cookies, starting with eggs, and butter, and flour . . . DD interrupted him and asked him why anyone would put flowers in their cookies.  Ahem.  Yes, it's true, I don't cook, and I don't bake, so DD has no idea what flour is.  She does make me smile.

Jesus and DD -- they are the reason for the season for me. 

The Obligatory Thanksgiving Post (Belated)

This is a hard year for us.  As you know, my mom died on September 17.  I am still coming to grips with that.  It slaps me in the face several times a day as it hits me anew that she's gone.  I will never see her again.  I will never talk with her again.  I can't hug her anymore.  No girl talk.  No sharing what DD did each day.  It's over.  And my father just doesn't fill the void.  I'll probably talk about that sometime, but I just don't feel up to it now.  It's just weird, and sad.  My parents have been there as far back as my memory can stretch, and illogically, I believed they would always be there.  It is just soul wrenching, really, and words fail me when I try to explain it.

My brother and I are still not speaking.  At this point, I expect that is permanent.  And honestly?  I have been really angry with my SIL for many, many years for little things that she's done to me.  But the unforgivable things are the things that she did to my mother.  And I'm angry with my brother for letting her do it.  So, the fact that my brother has decided he's not speaking to me anymore gives me a lot of freedom to just be angry with both of them.  I didn't have that luxury before, since my mother wouldn't ever let me say anything to them.

Anyway.  Given my brother's decision not to speak with me, it made it easy to decide that I really didn't want to attempt getting together at Thanksgiving.  I wasn't interested in seeing my brother and SIL, even though I do miss my niece and nephews.  But, unfortunately, my niece and nephews come with parents.  And the parents that they have are not people that I want in my life for now, and maybe not ever.

I told my father that DD, DH, and I were going to go to a restaurant for Thanksgiving.  I also told him that I wouldn't expect him to choose between my brother and I.  If my brother asked him to dinner, I told him that he should go.  (But, if my brother got him for Thanksgiving, then I wanted him for Easter.  Shared custody, you know?)

In mid-November, I went out to lunch with my girlfriend, J (DD's godmother), and "the dads" (hers and mine).  She invited my father and my family over to her house for Thanksgiving.  I know that J really understands how we are feeling.  She was close to her mom too, and she lost her thirteen years ago to cancer.  I know that her father is still aching, as they were good friends as well as spouses.  J tells me that he has refused to change anything in her room, clothes and all.

My family accepted J's invitation.  My father decided to wait for my brother to ask him over, but he said he would let us know by November 16.  Time marched on.  November 16 came with no invitation from my brother.  So, my dad accepted J's offer.  Thanksgiving was on November 22, and my brother didn't get around to calling my dad until the evening of November 20.  We didn't receive a call.  Game on, I guess.

It was a really nice dinner.  J is an excellent cook.  She has three daughters, and she invited enough family and friends to fill the house with twenty-two people.  Her father, and her in-laws, are all my father's age, so he had someone to talk to.  DD loves to play with J's youngest, and even though she's about four years older than DD, I think she enjoys it as well.

It was different for us.  But I'm glad that it was different.  Honestly, I don't think I could have handled getting together with everyone except for my mother at Thanksgiving.

The next night, J babysat for us while we had a "date night."  I think it might have only been our second since DD has been born.  We really didn't know what to do with ourselves, because we are never alone.  We had dinner and then went out for drinks.  DH was ready to pick up DD right after dinner.  I insisted that we spend a little more time out before going back.  There were moments when we didn't have much to talk about.  But, I think that with more practice, we could get the hang of it.  On the other hand, DD was having a wonderful time.  They baked brownies in the new cookware that J had bought for her.  Both girls wore chef hats and looked just adorable.  Unfortunately, most of the pictures were kind of blurry, so I missed the full effect.  But they were cute just the same.  DD was so excited, she really didn't want to go to sleep after we got home.

J has promised to babysit for us once a month.  So, that should be nice.  I do remember that my mother insisted that we should be doing something like this.  She and my father also had a "date night" once a month when my brother and I were growing up.  Our next-door neighbor's daughter, M, used to come over and take care of us.  Speaking of M, I saw her at my mother's funeral.  Time just marches on, you know?  M is a grandmother!  But she looked great, and she is as kind as I remember.  She extended a lunch invitation that I am going to try to accept.

DH and I really need to reestablish our relationship, and hopefully, date night will help.  Right now, "we" consist of whatever words we can squeeze in edgewise over DD's prattling little head.  And, while DD is asking to sleep in her own bed more often (which, I'm embarrassed to admit is still a crib, even though it's a convertible -- shhh, she doesn't mind), we are still bed sharing.  So, we aren't very close in that respect either.

Everything worthwhile takes a little work.  DH is my friend, and even though we have our spats, I wouldn't trade him for anything.  He puts up with me.  And that is saying a lot.  He's a great dad, and he makes me laugh.

And, I could use more laughter right about now.  But I guess that's true for everyone.  As I have been going through pictures at my parent's house, I've been struck by how many pictures there are of my mother laughing and smiling.  She really enjoyed life.

G*d, I miss her.  I hope that wherever she is, she's still smiling.

When Did Halloween Become Such A Big Deal?

We try to let DD make as many of her own choices as possible.  Sometimes, the choices that she does make will cause me to cringe a bit, but I know that this is something that is important for her.

So, this year, we asked DD what she wanted to be for Halloween.  We started asking in August.  At first, it was a "doggie."  Then, it was "Scooby Doo."  Finally, it was a "dalmatian."  I have no idea why DD got the idea to be a dalmatian; she hasn't seen 101 Dalmatians, and she's never seen a dalmatian dog. 

I kept waiting for DD to change her mind, thinking that maybe she might want to be a princess or something similar.  I've heard a lot of moms complain that the only thing that their daughters want to be is a princess.  My daughter has never considered it at all.  This is contrary to my fantasy daughter -- you know, the one who lived with me before I had children.  That child never had tantrums, loved me to pieces, and was a girly girl.  OK, so I didn't get that one, but I wouldn't trade the one that I do have for anything.  Warts and all.

So anyway.  I went on line to find a dalmatian costume, figuring that it would be easier that driving all over hell and back, because whenever I try to look for something specific, no one ever has it.  The first vendor I ordered from canceled the order, because the model was out of stock.  And then I landed on brandsonsale.com.  They had a costume that looked perfect.  DD is 36" tall, and she weighs 29 pounds.  She just started wearing her 2T clothes; 3T is a little big yet.  I ordered a costume in a 2T-4T size.  I did note that they had a no refund policy on costumes, but I assumed that the size would be fine.

Well, it wasn't.  The costume was too small.  The legs and arms were too short -- by inches, lots of inches!  And, the a**holes at brandsonsale.com refused to exchange the costume for a larger size, even though they misrepresented the size of the costume that I bought.  PSA -- don't ever do business with these people; they are absolute jerks.

I couldn't see buying another costume.  This one was around $35, which I thought was kind of high for something that she would wear only once.  DD didn't notice that there was a problem, and we put a pair of tights on under her pants so that when the legs of the costume rode up, it looked planned.  We couldn't do anything about the arms except ignore it.

Today was the Halloween parade at a local establishment through DD's school.  All the kids dress in their costumes, the parents come, and it is supposed to be fun.  But, honestly?  Most of the kids had totally awesome costumes.  A couple of them had to have cost a fortune.  One mom said that she got up at 5:30 this morning, just to get her daughter ready.  She spent an hour and a half on her daughter's hair, and the costume was picture perfect.  She also made elaborate Halloween bags for everyone (someone at work told her that "everyone does it").  I do not think that this mom was crazy, though.  She's a single mom, and one of the last singles to be able to adopt a child from China.  Her daughter turns three tomorrow, this is her first Halloween, and she wanted it to be special.

But the other moms?  They make me feel like a total putz.  Here we were, in a room full of beautiful costumes, and my daughter is a dog among the princesses.  Even worse, in a dog costume that is too small.  Ugh.

When I came back for the Halloween party in the afternoon, I had a chance to talk with both of the room teachers before anyone else came.  I'd had my pictures developed from that morning at a one-hour photo place, and we just had a chance to talk and have some fun (most of the kids were still napping, or just lying on their cots trying to wake up, so it was pretty quiet).  The teachers were really having quite a good laugh at all of the parents who went overboard.  I know I must be evil, but it was nice to feel like a "normal" mom, rather than a crazy mom.

I should take a clue from DD.  She didn't care a whit.  She was a dalmatian!  And the costume was furry!  And it was fun to wear!  And she had a tail!  And you know, I guess that I needed DD, and her teachers, to show me again what is important.  It's all about the fun.

Even if your costume is too small.

Better Late Than Never?

Are we the only ones who still had a Christmas tree up?  Until today, that is.

Yeah, I thought so.  Sigh.  Well, at least DD thought it was normal.

A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood

Today was such a wonderful day, it reminded me of that old Mr. Rogers song, "It's A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood."  For the first time in, like, forever, we had a day above the freezing mark.  I'm hopeful that the washing machine drain pipe is finally unfrozen so that I can stop going to the damned laundromat.

I was also home today, and I had a wonderful day with DD.  Her daycare was closed for a teacher training day, so I had the opportunity to spend time with DD while DH was at work.

We lounged around in bed and nursed for a quite while after waking up.  She was a perfect little angel as we got dressed and went out for breakfast.  She asked for a booster seat while we were still in bed (she's always thinking ahead).  She's a little small for it, but she feels like a big girl when she sits in it.  Since it was a special day (any day that I can spend with her alone is a special day to me!), I agreed.

I'd purchased this set of tins that have plaster in them before DD was born, enough to make hand prints for her first five years.  I was starting to think that we just wouldn't get around to it this year, but we finally did it.  And DD was much less of a PITA than she was last year about it.  I think that she even enjoyed it.  I followed the instructions, but it never seems to come out like the picture.  But, it still does look like a hand print, and I will treasure it forever.  I do hope that she keeps these things that are so precious to me after I'm gone.

We also colored and baked cookies.  I felt like a regular Martha Stewart, though I guess it doesn't count if you have the precut cookies that only require putting them on the baking sheet and sticking them into the oven.  At least DD thought she was "baking" cookies.  And at this point in time, that's the best I can manage.  I remember that my mother used to make us sugar cookies all the time.  As I got older, I used to do it.  I think I even had the recipe memorized, though I've long since forgotten it.  We used to modify it at the holidays and make candy cane cookies.  Those are the kinds of things that I look forward to doing with DD as she grows.  Hopefully, she will enjoy it as much as I did.

Late in the day, DD asked to go for a walk.  Since it was about 36 degrees outside, it almost seemed balmy.  We didn't walk for a long time, but DD did manage to point out all the dog leavings along the way.  She also wanted to "shovel" the driveway after we returned home.  In her mind that means taking the snow that is piled up on the side, out of the way, and putting it back onto the driveway.  Or throwing it all over my long black coat. 

All too soon, DH came home, the magic was over, and we were back to our evening routine.  Sigh. 

I think that I am going to try to take off a day a month, just to spend time with DD like I did today.  Life is too short not to.  That point was driven home to me last week, when I lost an acquaintance and former coworker.  She was in her mid-30's, and yes, she did have some health problems.  She had Lupus, and it had attacked her lungs.  But two years ago, she received a double lung transplant, and she was doing fine.  Last Wednesday, she was unable to come to an interview where I work, because she felt like she had the flu.  By Wednesday evening, she was gone.  She left a ten year old son and a husband who loved her very, very much.  And, she was oh so close to adopting a little eighteen month old from foster care.  Now I doubt that will ever be.

Life is so fleeting.  Thank you, my friend, for reminding me of that.  And thank you DD, for giving me a day for the memory book in my mind.

Keepin' Up With The Joneses

I think I mentioned before that at DD's daycare, they had a book exchange for Christmas.  I'd purchased a book for the exchange, but then they sent around a second notice that said there was a $5.00 limit.  So, I gave the first book to DD, and I dutifully went in search of another book for $5.00.  There weren't many, but I did find some at TRU.  But, at the book exchange, no one had stayed within the price limit, and DD's book cost at least $10.00, probably more.  DH and I felt sorry for the kid that received the $5.00 book from us, even though it was a good one, and one of my daughter's favorites (The Foot Book, by Dr. Seuss).

Fast forward to Valentine's day.  We were asked to bring in a treat, and to bring in Valentine's cards for exchange.  The card exchange was optional.  I purchased some very inexpensive cards that I thought were cute, and a bag of Hershey's chocolates.  DH didn't like the cards; he thought they were too cheap looking.  And he was right. They looked like inexpensive cards that a child would exchange at school, or at a daycare.  So, I went out and bought different cards that were made by American Greeting.  They weren't that expensive, but I spent about five times more on the second set of cards than I did on the first ones.

So, what happened today, you might ask?  Well, most parents didn't provide cards for the kids to exchange.  But the ones who did bought higher quality cards, like the second batch that I purchased.  One parent even went so far as to hand make all the cards that her child passed out.

And the candy?  Well, I was so behind the times.  One mom had made heart-shaped, red Rice Crispies treats.  Another had purchased small heart-stamped plastic bags that were filled with treats.  And so on.  I felt like a bonehead having just brought in a bag of chocolate, though I'm sure the kids didn't care.  I guess the bright side is that we were the only ones who brought chocolate, also known as the nectar of the gods in our house.

I know that I shouldn't care about this stuff, and I hope to raise my daughter not to care either.  But sheesh.  One of these days, I hope to get it right.  It's always nicer to be at the middle of the curve than at the ends, but when you are in a class of over achievers, the curve keeps moving upward.  What's with these parents?  Don't they have anything better to do?

I guess there's always St. Patrick's Day.  If I start now, perhaps I can get it right.  But I doubt it.

Bonding Time

I had yesterday off work.  Which was a good thing, given the weather that we had.  Yikes!  Glad that I didn't have to do the long drive. 

DH went into work, and DD and I got to spend the day together.  We started out lounging around in bed, nursing and cuddling.  This is one of the reasons that I look forward to days off from work.  But, when DH is home, he whines about hanging around in bed.  Once he's awake, he wants to get up.  And, if he's around, DD wants to get up with him.  But yesterday?  He wasn't there.  So we got to talk, and snuggle, and nurse -- for an hour and a half.  I couldn't believe the clock when we finally got up.  It was heavenly.  No stress.  No whining.  Just nice.

I showered, and DD played with her doll.  We took our time getting dressed.  She wanted to walk to a local restaurant for breakfast, but once we got outside, it was apparent that wasn't going to happen.  The sidewalks were a sheet of ice!  So, I decided to drive.  And when we got to the local restaurant, it was closed -- I think there was a power failure, because a couple of the traffic lights were out as well.  Thank goodness that it didn't affect our house.  I get really crabby when there's no heat!  (Before DD was born, we were without power for five freaking days during the winter because a tree branch caught a local power line.  It was just awful.  DH and I managed to stick it out for one night before going motel hopping for the rest of the week.)

DD and I went to a local chain restaurant instead, the one that we go to on the weekends for breakfast as a family.  I asked DD if she wanted to try a booster chair, and she said that she did.  This really is pretty new for her.  I think she was in a booster chair only one time before, while we were on vacation, and only because the restaurant didn't have a high chair.  She's still pretty small, so I have to be careful that she doesn't slip in between the table and the bench seat.

DD was so affectionate!  She cuddled, and she hugged, and she kissed me -- all self-initiated.  Usually, it's all daddy all the time, but since he wasn't around, she actually noticed me.  For a change.  It made it easier because she was sitting next to me on the bench seat, as opposed to being strapped to a high chair.  It was so very nice.  We ate our breakfasts, and I had three, count them, three cups of coffee.  Very, very relaxing.

We went home, did some reading, more nursing, and played with a puzzle.  She was pretty much out like a light by the time I put her down for a nap.  Then we had another hour before daddy came home and it was back to all daddy, all the time.

You know, one of the things I really struggle with in regard to having another child is having to wean DD in order to take the injections to start and maintain the pregnancy.  Nursing is the only thing that daddy can't have any part of.  It's why I don't mind waking up throughout the night when DD wants to nurse.  It's why I can tolerate the sore nipples that I get from time to time from DD's overzealousness.  It's why I can put up with carrying around the extra weight that my body is holding onto so that I could continue to nurse in the event of a famine (or at least that's my theory regarding why the weight is not going anywhere). 

It's our thing.  She loves it, and I love it.  And, while it's probably not very rational, I feel like giving that up means losing the only little piece of DD's world that I can stake a claim to.

And I'm just not ready to do that.

No Santa Fans Here

We use one of those on-line DVD rental sites to order our movies.  A friend of mine told me about The Polar Express, but she didn't tell me it was a Christmas movie.  She just said that it was really good, and that DD would like it.

So, I ordered it, and it finally arrived a week or so ago.  We just got around to watching it last night.  I knew that DD would be up until around 10:00, because she'd had a late nap from which she didn't awaken until 4:00, but I didn't think that she would pay attention for very long.  (Sometimes, it's hard to get her to focus on a Baby Einstein DVD, and those usually last somewhere around a half an hour.)

But my goodness, she was hooked on this movie.  She made loud comments throughout, and she found it very exciting.  Amazingly, she watched it through to the very end, through all one hour and forty minutes of it.  She must have identified with the children, even though they were a bit older than she is.  Even when she nursed, she had one eye on the television.  She asked all kinds of questions about the elves, and the North Pole, and Santa.  I thought that she was getting a little bit more of indoctrination about the whole Christmas thing than I was really prepared to give her.

At the end, DD seemed like she wanted more.  However, she made sure to tell us that she still does not like Santa, thank you very much.

I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not.  We haven't decided whether or not we are going to do the whole "Santa" thing.  I would much rather have DD celebrate Christmas as the Lord's birthday, but my mother thinks I'm so terribly, terribly wrong for even thinking twice about it.

My parents really took things to the extreme.  I remember when I was around 4, I really wanted this plastic buffet with plastic china, crystal, silverware, and napkins.  I mean, I really, really, really wanted it.  On Christmas eve night, I woke up late to go to the bathroom and what did I see?  The buffet!  In the middle of the living room!  I was so excited, I couldn't breathe.  (Apparently, it required some assembly, and my father was trying to get it done before morning.)

What did my mother do?  She told me that I shouldn't have been up, and I shouldn't have been looking.  (The buffet was sitting in the living room, and it was a straight shot visually to see it down the hall from the bathroom.)  Then, she said that Santa had asked them to keep this for some other little girl, saying that he would be coming back for it to take to her.  I was heartbroken and shuffled back off to bed.

Of course, I got the buffet the next day, and of course, I was excited.  But to this day, what I remember is the heartache that my mother caused with her tall tale.  Sometimes, I think that adults do way too much to keep the lie alive, and really, it is a lie.  We can say all we want about the "spirit of Christmas," but we are actually creating a big fallacy about everything Santa.  And the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny for that matter, but I don't think we go as far overboard for them as we do Santa.

If I didn't believe in God, I might feel differently.  What is the difference if everything is secular?  But that's not the case for me.

Still mulling this one over.  But I have until next year (er, the end of this year) to think on it some more.

My Little Christmas Angel

DD had her "Christmas Spectacular" event on Thursday.  Her teachers had the room all set up with cookies and paper curtains that had various holiday sayings on them, along with tracings of the children's hands.  They had cute little seats set out for the parents to sit on.  Kind of awkward, but it only added to the ambiance. 

We heard the kids practicing and shuffling around as they got into their little costumes, which were absolutely adorable.  They all wore royal blue choir gowns.  The girls had little wings on the back of their gowns; the boys wore crowns.

All the kids marched out, one by one, and the teacher put them inside a large swimming pool.  What amazed me is that they all stayed exactly where they were put.  Then, they sang three songs.  The first was just the months of the year, the second was a little snowflake song, and the last one was Jingle Bells.

We were so proud of DD!  She was the only child who didn't have stage fright.  All the other kids kind of looked like a deer caught in a pair of headlights.  The poor babies.  DD didn't really sing the first two songs either, but she did the hand movements.  She and the teachers were the only ones singing Jingle Bells, but the other kids were using their little bells to play along.  DD was also the only kid smiling; I pray that she holds onto this self-confidence as she gets older.

Afterward, the kids gave their parents a present.  They'd colored the wrapping paper, and inside was a cute little picture of them inside a frame that they'd made.  We have ours stuck to the refrigerator.  DD's teachers gave them all a present (modeling clay), and the kids had a book exchange.  This was the book exchange with a $5.00 limit, but the book that DD got probably cost at least $10.00.  It made me feel bad -- I should have just gone with the first book that I'd bought and said the heck with it.  I think most of the parents did go over the limit.  But, the book that we bought was "The Foot Book," by Dr. Seuss.  I think that the child who received it will like it.  It is one of DD's favorites.

All I can say is kudos to the teachers.  They put a whole lot of effort into this event, which only lasted about a half an hour.  I'm glad that I got it on video; DD has watched it a couple of times now.  Grandma and Grandpa will probably watch it on New Year's Eve.

Tomorrow, we will celebrate Christmas with my family.  I finished wrapping presents tonight, including the ones that we will give DD on Christmas Day.  At least I think that we will have a separate present opening on Christmas Day.  We really haven't established any kind of tradition in our own home yet.  My brother does that with his kids, and it's kind of nice.  But they say that the presents that they receive on Christmas Day are from Santa.

We haven't quite decided what we are going to do about Santa yet.  I really want DD to know what the true meaning of Christmas is about, and I really don't like the idea of lying to her about the whole Santa thing.  But I guess most parents do it, and there doesn't seem to be any lasting harm done.  My parents think I'm just awful for even thinking about not going with the mainstream on this one.  For this year, at least, DD is terrified of Santa.  So, I guess we don't have to decide what we are going to do for awhile. 

I'm kind of dreading the years to come with regard to Christmas.  Right now, I can put things in the closets.  Where in the heck am I going to hide things when she's smart enough to figure out that there might be secrets to discover?

Ready? Set? Go . . .

I think that I am finally -- almost -- ready for the holidays.  I mailed out what I think will be the last card.  The Christmas dinner (to go, of course) has been ordered.  The last gift was purchased today.  It was a $4.99 book for DD's Christmas party.  I was a little ticked off because they said that there would be a book exchange, and it was only after I bought the stupid book that they sent another flier home saying that there was a $5.00 limit.  The book I bought was only $10.99, but I didn't want to risk making someone feel bad.  There are enough hard feelings around Christmas time without adding to them.  I gave the book to DD today -- she was delighted.  So a win-win there, I guess.

We had our Christmas, er, Holiday party at work on Friday.  It was nice.  They had a catered lunch, games, and entertainment (it was a couple of the guys playing guitar -- corny, but nice).  It's kind of weird to take a break at noon, attend the party, and then go back to work.  It would have been harder to go back to work if they had wine, but it would have been better! The party is supposed to last three hours, but this is the second party that I've attended, and they last just over two hours.  Then everyone meanders back to their desks to do -- nothing.  I mean, really.  Who wants to work?

My manager bought DD a really pretty black velvet dress with ribbon trimming as a holiday gift for me.  She bought baby clothes for all of my co-workers with small children.  I have the oldest child in the office now; the other two who have young children are aged 4 months and 8 months.  I think that she got a kick out of buying these things, especially for DD.  She has grown children, both boys, so she said that it was fun to buy the frilly stuff (my coworkers have little boys).  My immediate boss usually gives us something on the last day of work, so I have no idea what it will be yet.  I bought him (and his boss) a Starbucks card.  Both of them are like me -- coffee fiends.  Unfortunately, the cards didn't arrive in time for the Holiday party (FYI, free shipping on Starbucks cards purchased over the Internet, but they do take about a week to arrive).

This is going to be a loooong week.  My last day is Thursday, and then I'm off until January 2nd.  And I'm leaving early on Thursday to go to DD's little Christmas party.  They have been practicing Christmas carols all week long.  She especially likes Jingle Bells.  Well actually, she likes saying the "hey!" part.  They just had their Hanukkah celebration this last Friday; they offered to celebrate other holidays on request, but I don't think that anyone asked for anything else.  I would think that Kwanzaa would have been interesting -- I wonder what they would have done if someone would have suggested celebrating the Winter Solstice.

I still have to wrap all the presents, but there are less this year.  My SIL and brother are not exchanging presents with us.  She moans every year about how they don't have any money (as though she is surprised that every year has a December, containing a Christmas -- she simply cannot plan ahead for anything).  I just got tired of hearing it, so I suggested that we could skip the presents this year if they wanted.  Of course, that is what she wanted.  I'm a bit sad that I won't be buying anything for my brother for the first Christmas ever, but whatever. 

See what I mean?  Always hard feelings somewhere.  This time, I have a few.  But I'm going to set those aside and concentrate on the most important thing of all, celebrating the birth of my Savior with my family.  I don't know how long that we will be together, given my parents' health problems, so I am going to cherish every minute. 

I hope that things are coming together for all of you, no matter what you celebrate.

All Hallows Eve

I decided to take tomorrow off to spend time with DD.  At her daycare.  Sounds weird, I know.  But they are having a Halloween parade tomorrow at 9:30.  She will get to march around with all the other kids around the daycare center, and then they will go trick or treating at a large, local hotel.  (Awfully nice of them to allow it, and to provide treats.)

Then, I will take a break while DD has lunch and takes a nap.  I think that I'll go see  my mother.  Maybe we will go out to lunch and have a nice little visit.  I don't get to see her as often as I would like, even though my parents live only about 50 miles away from me.  She wasn't home tonight for me to make any plans with her, but I guess I'll play it by ear tomorrow.

At 3:30, DD will have her Halloween party.  Again, the parents are invited.  DH will meet me at the daycare center, and DD will get a chance to be in costume again.  After that, we'll take her home and get ready for Halloween.  Around here, it starts at 6:00 and ends at 7:00.  It's bizarre, but those are the unwritten rules that everyone seems to know.  Lights on at 6:00; lights off at 7:00.  Trick or treating after 7:00 is an aberration -- is it like that all over the country or just in our part of the world?

I'm looking forward to tomorrow, and I'm glad I took the day off.  Last year, the daycare had their party on another day, so I ended up working on Halloween.  Big mistake.  I tried to get home by 6:00 for the official start of Halloween -- along with six million other parents.  I ended up stuck in bumper to bumper traffic, not making it home until about 6:10.  DH had already gotten the candy ready and had dressed DD in her ladybug costume.  But I felt disappointed that I'd missed the beginning, and I was really, really stressed out from the traffic.  It was no fun at all.

But tomorrow it will be different.  I feel so lucky to be able to have a job that is flexible enough to take time off like this, which is one of the few things that I enjoy about it.  (I think that's all I'll say about that, since we all know that no one is supposed to talk about work on the Internet.)

Hope you all have fun tomorrow.  Have a safe and happy holiday.

Mission Accomplished

Well, we did it.  We now have a tree.  That was the easy part, since we'd already picked it out last week and determined that it was going to be a good fit.

We got to the place pretty early, since we had the extra hour this morning due to the change over from daylight savings time.  Of course, most of the world was probably putting that hour to good use and catching up on some extra sleep.  Not us, I'm afraid, since our little one always wakes us up bright and early.  You know, that's one of the things that I miss about my old life.  Sleeping in.  And sleeping in when there's an extra hour is sweet.  Sigh.

After we bought the tree, I thought maybe we could look around the store for an ornament.  Every year since we've been married, we've chosen a Christmas ornament.  It's developed into kind of a tradition.  The year DD was born, we bought a beautiful little ornament that gave her length, weight, and date of birth.  Last year, we bought a hand-painted ornament that depicted a carousel, and we bought it on the day of DD's first ride.

DH suggested an Elmo ornament for this year, since that is where DD's interests lie right now.  They only had one, out of what seemed like thousands of ornaments, and it was kind of cheesy looking.  I was hoping for something in glass, so I guess we will take a look around e-bay or other places on the web for something like that.

After we struck out with the ornament, we went over to the carousel.  And it was closed.  We learned that it would open at 11:00, so we just browsed around at a couple of the shops.  At 11:00, and 11:10, it was still closed.  We asked around, and apparently the woman who runs it doesn't think she needs to open on time.  I guess she leaves her house at 11:00, rather than opening at 11:00, which puts her in the building at around 11:20.  So, we grumpily browsed around some more.  DD kept asking about the carousel, and we didn't want to break a promise, but both DH and I felt like leaving sooner than we did.  It finally opened, and DD got her ride on the pony and in the balloon.  It felt good to be able to keep our promise, especially since we'd been talking about it all week long.

So, now we have the tree.  It's too early to put it up, so we stuck it in the guest room.  I hope that we don't have any guests before Christmas; I imagine it would be rather annoying to have to walk around the big box.

I also have Thanksgiving taken care of.  We used to go to my parent's house, but it got pretty small as my brother's family began to grow.  So, now we go to his house.  For a long time, we each used to bring several dishes and had our dinner that way, but that was a pain too. 

Now?  We buy gourmet take out.  It's awesome.  We get a turkey and all the trimmings, enough for 12 people (including desserts) and it costs $175.  It comes out to a little bit more than if we made everything, but I think our time is worth something.  And I know that I couldn't match the cooking (and neither could anyone else in our family).  Anyway, the reservation is made, and we will pick it up at 1:45 on Thansgiving day.  Dinner is at 2:00, and all we have to do is take off the coverings and eat.  Everything will be piping hot.  And the leftovers will be just as good.

Now, I just have to start worrrying about Christmas.

Ready Or Not

It just struck me today that the holidays are just around the corner.  It always hits me like a ton of bricks every year.  I was just floored to realize that next Tuesday is Halloween, next Wednesday is November 1st, and it is all downhill from there.

Usually, I have done some planning ahead of time and have some presents?  This year?  Not so much.  I've purchased one Entertainment book for my parents -- that's it.

DH and I stopped exchanging presents a few years ago.  We agreed that we would buy something for the house every year instead.  But we don't do that.  I think that since DH makes no bones about hating Christmas that it was just an excuse not to participate.  But that's OK.  I don't mind focusing just on DD.

This year, we are going to have to put up a tree.  We haven't done it for the last two years, but she is really old enough now to know what is going on.  In the past, I was always partial to natural trees, but now, I've been thinking that is really a waste.  I'd rather let the tree that we would use live instead, making some more oxygen for the planet.

And I'm getting lazier.  The thought of having to drag out all those effing lights, untangle them, check them, and thread them onto the tree just makes me tired thinking about it.  So, this year we are going to buy a prelit tree.  And we're going to go tomorrow to buy it.  We went looking last weekend and almost bought one, but then we weren't quite sure about the height.  And since they told us they wouldn't take the tree back unless it was defective, and it cost over $250, we thought that we should probably measure before buying.

The best part about this place that we are going to is that it has a store that sells Christmas things all year round, as well as lots of other little shops.  In the middle of all the shops, there is an octagon building with a carousel inside.  It only costs $1.00 per ride, and parents accompanying children don't even have to pay the $1.00.  Last weekend, DD rode it twice, and she's looking forward to coming back this weekend and doing it again.

I do so love experiencing all these things through DD's eyes again.  At 46, life has gotten kind of gray around the edges.  But not when she's around.  Everything is exciting, everything is an adventure.  And now I understand what my mother means when she tells me that children will keep you young.  That's good, because I'm going to need to feel some youthful energy to get in shape for the holidays this year.

 

Labor Day Weekend 2006

We had a pretty nice weekend.  The weather wasn't so great, though.  It seems like the start of the hurricane season has coincided with the end of our summer.  You know, I remember when August was the hottest month of the year.  Now, summer just goes -- pfft -- about halfway through the month.  And then it's over until the next year.  Late the next year, like halfway through it.  My state absolutely stinks when it comes to nice weather.  But others feel differently.

Anywho.  We went to a friend's house for dinner on Sunday.  It is an hour and a half drive, one way, to get there.  We timed it so that DD took her nap during the drive up.  As before, they were wonderful hosts.  They brought out a doll house for DD to play with, as well as many plastic/rubberized zoo animals.  DD loved it all.

While we enjoyed wine and a dinner of awesome lasagna (with homemade noodles!), DD dined on graham crackers and apple pieces.  They even gave her a little cup of water to try.  Since she hasn't gotten the hang of drinking out of a regular cup yet, the water ended up all over her lap, but what the heck.  Good practice.  And they put all of DD's food on little play tea set dishes.  They were just the right size.

After dinner, they uncovered the hot tub, which they had graciously let cool down to around 95 degrees for DD's sake.  We put on her bathing suit, and our hostess got in with her.  DH put on a pair of shorts and sat on the edge.  That saved me from having to put on my bathing suit, which quite frankly, is not that flattering (considering that it is the only one that fits and it's my maternity bathing suit).  Yuck!  Thank you, DH, for saving me from a fate worse than death.

DD loved the hot tub, and she really loved throwing the zoo animals in the water.  I guess that is what this couple does with their grandchildren.  It was a big hit.

After the hot tub, we had Hagan Daaz vanilla ice cream and fresh sliced peaches.  DD had just the ice cream, some of which she managed to get into her mouth.  Most of it landed on her bib, but what are bibs for if not to absorb all the messes, right?  The trip home was uneventful.  I sat in the back and kept her amused -- and awake -- so that she would go to bed at her normal time.

On Monday, we watched the Labor Day parade.  I think I mentioned before that our street is on the parade route.  This time, we were at the beginning of the parade.  There were police cars, fire trucks, marching bands, and lots of politicians, who all threw candy.  DD kind of missed out on that, because there wasn't anything she could eat.  But she really enjoyed the parade.  She was able to identify the trumpets, trombones, drums, flutes, tubas, and saxophones in the bands from watching her Baby Einstein "Meet the Orchestra" DVD.

Unfortunately, Tuesday morning came, and we had to start our normal lives.  But, next weekend will come soon, right?  Right?