Merry Christmas

Lovey

This is David’s friend, Woof. Woof was a gift from David’s godparents before he was born. They gave us this plush dog at our baby shower because their nephew had the same toy and it was his lovey.

Of all the toys, blankets, and stuffed animals that David owns, its adorable that he chose Woof to be his best friend. We never encouraged him to choose a lovey, so it was clearly fate that David and Woof found each other.

David takes Woof everywhere. They sleep together, eat together, play together, go to school together, go to church together, and ride in the car together. The only place Woof doesn’t go is into the bathtub, and that’s only because Mommy won’t let him. David even shares his food and toys with Woof, which is amazing, because David hates to share.

Since David loves Woof so much, Woof gets dirty quickly. Woof also gets sticky when David shares his french toast at breakfast. Evidentally, Woof likes pancake syrup just as much as David does.

Sometimes Woof needs to take a bath. Woof took a bath last Saturday. Mommy put him in the washer machine right after breakfast. We were having so much fun that she forgot to move him to the dryer right away. Daddy panicked at naptime when they couldn’t find Woof, but luckily, Woof was safe and dry. Close call!

Mommy and Daddy have often heard that wise parents keep a spare lovey in case of an emergency. They thought this was a good idea, so they asked David’s godmother where she bought it. She ordered it online because it was sold by Ty (the lovely folks that brought the world Beanie Babies) and it had been retired.

Mommy looked on Amazon and found him!

Only $99!

Mommy looked again and realized that the expensive Woof was the wrong color. The Woof in the correct color is also sold on Amazon.

Only $29!

Mommy is cheap, so Mommy looked on Ebay.

$19.99 and free shipping!

Hurray!!

Now, does anyone have any suggestions for making the new Woof smell and look like the old Woof???

The Joy of Parenthood

Now I have four people reading my blog. Oh, the sweet joys of success!

My most recent bloggy victim is a newlywed anxiously awaiting the arrival of his first child. Although most of my comments on his blog encourage him to savor ever moment of his freedom before its gone, there are so many joys of parenthood that I never truly appreciated until I experienced them for myself.

In an effort to embrace an attitude of gratitude this holiday season, I’m posting this:

Baby Addict’s Top Five Reasons that Being a Parent Rocks

1. You get to experience your soul mate in an entirely new way. You know the best friend and lover in them, but you don’t know the parent in them until your first child is born. Watching your mate protect and care for a tiny, needy human being that is a part of yourself will inspire a new depth of love. (Although sleep deprivation makes it difficult to share your adoration adequately)

2. You get to be the hero. For the first couple of years, you will be the person your child runs to as soon as you walk in the door. You will be the one your child wants to sleep with when they are sick. You will be the one that cuddles your child when they are afraid of the dark, or the lightning, or the big, scary world of sleep. You are everything.

3. You get all the love. Babies are full of love and all the cuddling, hugging, smooching, and baby wearing gives you all the human contact you could ever crave (and sometimes more).

4. You get all the credit. There has never been another baby in the history of time as cute and smart as yours. The great news is that it is entirely due to your fabulous genes and talented parenting skills.

5. You get to see the world in a new way. The most mundane things are new and beautiful when your baby sees them for the first time. Rather than whine about the snow covering your car, you will be thrilled to share the moment when your baby licks his first snowball.

There are so many more reasons I could add to the list, but this post would be entirely too long. Although its more entertaining to whine about the challenges we face, parenthood is definitely a blessing.

I’d love to hear what you would add to this list!

I'm IT

Remember recess in elementary school? Did you ever find yourself leaning on the fence chatting idly with a bestest best friend and suddenly someone runs up and tags you for a game you’re not even playing? Remember how you felt when you tried to explain that you were an innocent bystander and you really weren’t IT but everyone was so busy having fun that no one heard you and your only choice was to play along and get it over with? Remember that?

That’s exactly what happened to me today. I’m at work, minding my own business, trying to look busy when I’m really not, when Eric tagged me for this meme.

Ordinarily, I wouldn’t mind a meme and certainly not on a day when I’m trying to kill some time at work anyway. My only complaint about this meme is that it requires me to take a photo of myself RIGHT NOW and post it online.

How cruel is that, folks?

So, here’s my glamorous photo.



In the interest of sharing the joy of the season, I’m tagging these folks as well.

Heather at Not A DIY Life

Lynette at Day In The Life Of Ordinary

Brandy at Peanut Butter and Jelly

In All Seriousness

I'm wondering who this kid is in David's school portrait?

He had his photo taken at daycare and this is what the photographer captured:




I tried to take his photo at home, and this is what he gave me:

How much do I have to pay to get a smile out of this kid???

Empty

I feel negligent in ignoring my blog for so long, but I honestly can’t think of anything uplifting to share. This blog is a place where I share the many joys of my daily life. I haven’t been here for awhile because that joy is missing and I can’t describe the feeling that is filling the void it left.

Rest assured that David is happy and healthy and as joyful as ever. Mommy is just missing that peaceful feeling that comes from knowing that you belong in the world and there are other people in it that would miss you if you were gone.

When I feel that peace again, I’ll be back to share it with you.

Seeing the Future

My guys are sick this week and I feel so much sympathy as I watch them struggle to breathe and fight to sleep. Daddy and David both have bronchitis and have been taking antibiotics since Saturday.

I’m hoping their infections are bacterial and not viral, so this will be done and over with quickly. Their doctors warn that their infections could evolve into pneumonia, which Daddy had last year (although he didn’t tell me his diagnosis until months later. He only consented to a doctor visit after I nagged him for three weeks to go. Please note, normal flu does not last for three weeks)

The only thing worse than watching your family battle illness is knowing that you are the only healthy person left in the house to be attacked by their germs. I try to get more rest and eat well, but that’s hard to do when a screaming toddler finds his way into your bed at all hours of the night.

Its like facing the electric chair. Only 17 days until Christmas and these germs are stalking me!

Excuse me while I reach for what David likes to call, “Magic Soap.”

How I Know I'm Old

We recently celebrated the Queen of Sheba’s 18th birthday.

I think I’m still in denial. She can’t possibly be old enough to vote and buy lottery tickets already!

Our family tradition is to celebrate with a dinner at the birthday girl’s favorite restaurant, but I felt that this birthday was too special to be celebrated as just another common day. I recommended that Daddy take the Queen of Sheba on a Daddy & Daughter Date, and that’s exactly what they did.

They enjoyed dinner at Melting Pot, a fancy fondue restaurant that I’ve been lusting after for quite some time. They later confirmed that I would love this place because the only food yummier than chocolate is cheese, and this place melts them both. Yummy! After dinner, they headed downtown for the annual Holiday Lighting Festival.

While they were out having fun, we were home having fun, too. Skywalker and Mommy took Little King David to Chick-Fil-A for chicken nuggets and a romp in the indoor playground. The restaurant wasn’t very busy for a Saturday night, so we joined David in the tunnels and the slide. It was great fun!

At the end of the evening, we all gathered in our kitchen and sang happy birthday. Skywalker even put aside the sibling rivalry momentarily and played the Happy Birthday song on her guitar. Queen loved her cake, which we decorated in the Chinese characters for Happy Birthday.

There’s nothing like a child’s milestone birthday to make a woman feel ancient!

My Favorite Creatures

I realize that its been awhile since you heard from Mommy, but she’s been really busy with school lately. She just finished an Advanced Placement Exam today that will give her credit on her transcript for a Computer Information Systems course that she needs to graduate. Since she passed the test, she doesn’t have to take the class and that will help her to graduate an entire semester earlier. That means more time to spend with me!

While Mommy is busy, I want to tell you some more about our trip to Cancun. I learned so many new things there and I want to share them with you!

I saw some really cool animals at our resort. As we walked around, I saw iguanas laying out in the sun. I tried my best to pet one of them, but they were always faster than me.

At night, we saw geckos everywhere! My Dad caught a baby gecko and let me pet him with my Nice Hands. We let the baby gecko go home because he wanted to see his Mommy and Daddy. I loved that baby gecko and I’m obsessed with drawing baby geckos. I can’t draw really good yet, but I like to ask my sister to draw me a picture of a gecko on my Magna-Doodle. I love to do it again and again and again, but my sister eventually grumbles about it.

At night time, we saw some bats flying around in the jungle. They were hard to see because they fly really fast, but one of them touched Mommy’s arm. I don’t know why she wasn’t more excited about that.

I met a monkey on the beach one day. He was on a leash, so I knew he was someone’s pet. We also saw some monkey creatures in the jungle, but I don’t know what they were called.

I loved Cancun because it was just as exciting as visiting a zoo! I really want to go back someday so I can finally pet an iguana.

Happy Thanksgiving Again

So much has changed in Little King David’s world since his first Thanksgiving last year. Today, he is thankful for:

His feet that walk him everywhere he wants to go

His big boy words that help him tell Mommy & Daddy what’s on his mind

His teeth that help him chew yummy foods

His hair that keeps his head warm

His mouth that puckers for kisses from Mommy & Daddy

His sisters that taught him to say, “Go away!”

His family that loves him more than he can imagine

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Ocean

My Mommy is from Florida, so she grew up swimming in the ocean. She really loves the water and she isn’t at all afraid of sharks. She likes living near Lake Erie, but it’s not as pretty as the ocean.

I saw the ocean for the first time in my life on our trip to Cancun. My Papa is going to be a little sad that I didn’t see the ocean for the first time at his house in West Palm Beach, but Mommy said this ocean was prettier than Papa’s ocean. The water was very clear and the sand was soft. The waves were gentle and the water wasn’t as salty when you accidentally swallowed it.

The first time I put my feet in the ocean, I was a little scared. It was a lot bigger than the swimming pool at the YMCA. I really wanted Mommy to pick me up. I wanted Daddy to pick me up, too, but he was busy taking photos of me being scared.

After we took some pictures, Mommy & Daddy carried me while they walked out into the waves. We met a very nice lady in the water that was holding a bread roll. She was feeding the fish. I looked down in the water and I saw lots of silver fish swimming around us. The water was so clear that you could see them gobbling the bread. That made me forget how scared I was because I wanted to get in the water and touch the fish. I wasn’t fast enough to catch one, though.

After my first day, I wasn’t scared of the ocean anymore. I loved to run into the water all by myself and watch the waves hitting my legs. I would let Mommy & Daddy take me into the deeper water, but then I would scream at them, “I do it! I do it! I DO IT!!!!” I don’t know why they didn’t understand that I just wanted to stand in the water by myself. When Mommy finally got the message, she let me stand in the water alone. It was fun until a big wave knocked me over, which is when I found out that the water tasted funny.

I really loved the ocean and I want to visit it again, soon!.

My First Flight

I’m sure my Mommy told you how relaxing our vacation was and how she had an opportunity to review her priorities and enjoy the little blessings in life. Now that vacation is over, she’s really busy planning a year-end event at work and she doesn’t look as relaxed as she did in Cancun. I’m trying to help her out, so I’m posting on her blog today. It’s just one less thing she still has to do before we can play with my Magna-Doodle together, so I’m happy to help.

I know you want to hear all about our vacation, but I have to tell you about the airplane ride first. Mommy & Daddy took me to the airport a couple of weeks before our trip so I could explore. They were very nervous about my first flight. I heard them wonder aloud how I was going to sit on an airplane for a couple of hours when I can’t even sit through church quietly for ten minutes. I suppose they just don’t understand how hard it is to be quiet when you have as much to say as I do. I really don’t understand why the Pastor is allowed to talk as much as he wants, but I’m not allowed to talk at all. Don’t you think God wants to hear me, too?

The morning of our trip, Mommy woke me up really early. She usually gets mad at me if I want to wake up at 4:30am, but it was alright on trip day because it was her idea. She asked me again and again if I was ready to ride the airplane, and I just looked at her like she was crazy because airplanes are way up in the sky and they’re really small. Either way, I could sense that we were going on an adventure, so I played along.

After a quick car ride to the airport, we got to ride a shuttle bus from the parking lot to the terminal. I was so excited about the bus ride! When we got off the bus, we had to wait in line to send our luggage onto the airplane. I had lots of fun running around the queuing line. Everyone loved watching me run around and I know they did because I saw lots of smiles and giggles from the people I ran past.

After our bags were gone, we waited in another long line. At the end of the line, I had to take off my shoes and walk to a policeman, which was kind of strange. I didn’t mind, though, because there was a big window next to the line and I could look outside and see a huge airplane! I didn’t want to leave that window.

After we were done waiting in lines, Mommy & Daddy let me run all over the waiting area. I was darting in and out and left and right and up and down the terminal. I was entertaining folks again, which I suppose is just my job. After I got bored with that, we saw an airplane getting ready to leave. I stood in the window and watched the luggage get loaded on the plane and I watched other people walk down the tunnel and get onboard. I was so interested in watching that plane that I argued with Mommy & Daddy when it was time to get on our airplane.

I was supposed to be a lap child, but our airplane wasn’t full, so I got my very own seat. I was obsessed with buckling and unbuckling my seat belt, so I did that for the entire time we were waiting to take off. The sun was just starting to rise that morning as we taxied on the runway, so I could watch out the window as other planes took off. Our plane started to move very fast, which reminded me of a race car, which was really cool. Suddenly, we were up in the clouds, which was very interesting, but not as interesting as my seat belt.

I spent a couple of hours playing with Mommy & Daddy. They packed a big bag of my favorite toys and books and they even brought a couple of toys I never saw before! I really loved having Mommy & Daddy’s attention all to myself. After about 2 hours, I told Mommy that I was “All done,” but she said we were flying over the ocean and couldn’t get off the plane right away. I started to argue with her, but then she promised to sing the Winnie the Pooh song to me if I cuddled with her. I love that song, so I grabbed my blankie and my doggie and cuddled up with Mommy. She sang me to sleep and I napped for the last hour of our flight.

When we got to the new airport, I got to ride an elevator and we waited in line for immigration and customs. I love lines because there are lots of bored people to entertain there. After that, we got on a big tour bus with huge windows and we took a two hour bus ride to our resort. I loved looking out the windows because Mexico looks so much different than Cleveland. I liked it.

We had a really long day. Mommy told me that we were traveling for a total of 7 hours and I didn’t cry once! Mommy & Daddy were shocked. I’m such a big boy. I would love to ride on an airplane again. I want to go on the airport parking shuttle bus, too.

Back in the Saddle Again

I’ve been dying to write a blog post and tell you all about our fabulous vacation, but I don’t know where to begin. I’m also drowning in work, so blogging is a seriously guilty pleasure at the moment. I just can’t resist the urge to indulge.

I won a 7-night, all-inclusive vacation package from Apple Vacations as part of my Makeover Prize. On the advice of several travel agents, we chose to visit the Riviera Maya region of Cancun. We stayed at the Grand Palladium Resort and we took our toddler along.

The trip was so fabulous that I really don’t know where to begin. I think I’ll have to share multiple posts about it, but the highlights are that Little King David absolutely loved the airplane ride and our travel days were tantrum-free. The people in Mexico were among the nicest folks I have ever met in my life. My first reaction to the gift of this vacation was a sense of dread because I really don’t enjoy wearing a bathing suit in public. I grew up in sunny Florida, so the idea of a tropical vacation wasn’t a novelty to me. I assumed the beach in Cancun would be just about the same as the beach at my father’s house in West Palm Beach, which we visit annually.

Thankfully, I was wrong. The beaches were beautiful and the ocean was serene. I spent a couple of days twitching from withdrawal after realizing that I didn’t have access to email, the internet, or my cell phone. A few pina coladas did wonders to help me relax.

I learned several important life lessons from this vacation.

*Stop and enjoy.

*The urgent details aren’t so important once you take the time to walk away.

*Toddlers are wise. Live at their pace and enjoy the peace.

*God is awesome. Look at everything he made!

Enjoy the pics and stay tuned for all the vacation details. I’ve heard a rumor that Little King David will be here later this week to tell you all about it from his perspective.

Bye Bye!

Tomorrow!!!!

The time has finally come!!!!

Our bags are packed and David is anxiously awaiting his first airplane ride. We'll be waking up at 3:30am tomorrow to catch our 7:00am flight to Cancun.

Let's keep our fingers crossed that David can refrain from throwing a massive tantrum for the first day in months. I'm trying to be optimistic, but considering that the kid refused to put on a shirt today until we took him outside and he realized that it was darn cold this morning, I think the likelihood of an entire day without a meltdown is asking for too much.

I've resolved to enjoy myself, anyway!

I'll be thinking about all my bloggy friends while I'm laying on the beach. I promise!!

Chocolate Addiction

Although I am obsessed with vacation preparations at the moment, I feel obliged to share the details of David’s first Halloween celebration.

This is technically his second Halloween, but he was sick last year and didn’t get to celebrate. These are photos of the costume he planned to wear and what he actually wore last Halloween.

This year was a different story, thankfully. The weather here was gorgeous and sunny, thanks to the delayed time change. David went trick or treating with his sisters and their friends, which was funny to me because last year they felt they were too old for such nonsense. How could a person possibly be too old to collect free candy????

The concept of trick or treating was a little lost on David, though. At the very first house, our neighbor dropped a candy bar in his bucket. David stood right in front of her door, took the candy bar out of the bucket, threw the bucket on the sidewalk, and unwrapped the candy bar. He repeated this process at every house until we got smart and took his candy bucket away.

I bet you’ve never met a lion that was a Chocolate Addict!!

David Reviews the Circus

My Mommy has been busy packing for vacation lately, but she finally let me get online because I want to tell you all about my first trip to the circus. We went last week, but it took me awhile to write this.

Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus is in town and my Mommy got some discount tickets from work. She said it was really hard to find a show time that wasn’t at my naptime or bedtime. I don’t know what she was worried about because I’m never in a rush to go to sleep. I would rather be anywhere than in my crib, but the circus is especially more fun than sleeping.

Daddy bought me some cotton candy as soon as we got to the circus. He was so excited to give me my first cotton candy that he was almost jumping up and down. I didn’t really like it at first because it felt weird on my tongue, but I got over it when I realized that I was eating sugar.

My favorite parts of the show were the motorcycles, the elephants, and the confetti during the finale. The worst part was the tigers because they are really slow and quiet. I also hated the clown that was trying to steal the circus from the ringmaster. He had a really creepy foreign accent and a bad toupee. I also got really freaked out when he brought out a bubble machine. I can’t really explain why I was trembling, but I really didn’t like that clown or his bubbles.

After the show, Daddy told Mommy to let me pick a toy for a souvenir while he went potty. When he came back, he saw me screaming and yanking on a toy motorcycle. I didn’t know that it was anchored to the display so a ranting toddler wouldn’t run off with it. I just knew I needed to have it. My Daddy bought it for me and I’ve been carrying it with me everywhere I go ever since. I sleep with it and I eat with it and I take it to school. I really love my motorcycle.

Mommy and Daddy tell me that their favorite memory of my first circus is when I told them for the first time, “I happy.”

I think they will take me there again. I loved it!

Happy Halloween!

Lost and Found

Again, my posts have been few and far between, but I am obsessed with getting ready for vacation. I’m sure you’ve realized by now that I do nothing spontaneously, and this vacation is certainly no exception.

I have been hurriedly finishing all my homework assignments, trying to clear off my desk at work, cleaning the house, and planning a celebration for my bonus daughter’s 18th birthday. (Yes, the Queen of Sheba will be 18 already!!)

I also decided it might be a good idea to start packing so I can figure out what I forgot before we actually leave the house. So, last night I dug our luggage out of storage and started filling our suitcases. As I packed David’s duffel bag, I realized there was something in the front zipper pocket. It felt kind of like a flashlight, so I realized we must have left it in there when we went camping last June. I pulled it out to make more room and realized that it wasn’t a flashlight.

It was a sippy cup.

Filled with milk.

In our luggage since last June.

Oy.

Photography by David

If you're curious, this is what happens when you let a toddler touch the buttons on your camera.

Now I guess you know what the Baby Addict looks like in real life...from a toddler's perspective.

Old Friends

I recently found an old friend from high school and I decided to reach out to her. This isn’t something that I would typically do, since most of the kids I remember from high school were not friends that would be uplifting to have in my life right now. I thought it might be helpful to contact this particular friend, though, because she was always an anchor during my tumultuous adolescence. She was that girl that always respected her mom, did her chores, studied diligently, and followed the rules. She was the girl that I should have been spending more time with rather than hanging out with the kids that smoked while they were cutting class (at least, until they dropped out of school altogether).

I had no doubt in my mind that she went on to be successful in life and I thought she might be happy to learn that I’ve been surprisingly successful, too. I was looking forward to meeting her for coffee. Then, I learned that she recently moved far away.

Initially, I felt bad for postponing my contact with her for so long. Maybe if I had reached out sooner, we could have reunited.

Despite the move, she did answer my email. But I could sense that she was a little hesitant.

Remembering the other kids we went to high school with, I shared many details of my current life to reassure her that I wasn’t like them. I couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t be eager to meet for coffee. Who doesn’t need another Mocha?

Then I had a huge realization.

I AM that kid from high school that you wouldn’t want to reconnect with. I AM that kid from high school that I wouldn’t even want to talk to again.

I’m that kid that cut class and started smoking when I was 14 years old. I’m that kid that talked back to teachers and wore the tightest, smallest shirt I could find. (usually belonging to my toddler sister). I’m that kid that came home drunk and I’m that kid that would run down the street while my mother pelted me with insults and obscenities. I’m that kid that couldn’t have friends over because I never knew when my mom’s mental illness would take over and she would have an embarrassing or violent outburst. I’m that kid that got kicked out of the house when I was 15 years old. I’m that kid that barely graduated high school.

It’s a very sobering insight to look at my self that way, but it reminds me of the mistakes I’ve made and how much I have achieved. I truly believe that we all have trials and life experiences for a reason. Maybe my reason is so I can understand and help my own adolescent bonus daughters. Or maybe the reason is so I can relate to my Teenage Sunday School class. Or maybe the reason is so I can truly appreciate God’s grace and his forgiveness.