Monday, May 30, 2011

What's......

What's it look like I'm doing?
The other night, while dressing Lucy for bed, she pulled her foot up to her nose


What are you doing I asked?

Scratching my nose Mama!

What's for lunch?
Yesterday afternoon, while wandering around Boston Common, Sean spotted a butterfly and pointed it out to Lucy. She watched the butterfly for a few seconds when it abruptly flew away


Where he go Mama?

To get lunch I replied

Oh Mama.....

What do you think he eats for lunch Lucy?

Ummmmm......a hotdog!



What's your name?
A week or so ago, I asked Lucy who a picture on the refrigerator was of (it was her)

That's me! she replied hopping up and down

Who are you I asked?

I Lucy Ellen Sykes!


I almost fell over, I had no idea she knew her full name....and she just busted out with Lucy Ellen Sykes....pretty cool the first time you hear it.


She also, as I mentioned a few blogs back, has figured out that Sean and I have first names, we're not just Daddy and Mama.



This morning, while making breakfast for Lucy, she was pointing to the pictures on the refrigerator and naming the person in each photo :



There Daddy, Lucy, Papa, Noni, Cooper, Mama, Lucy, Daddy, Lucy, Lucy......



Hey Lucy...what's your name?



Lucy Ellen Sykes!



What's Daddy's name?



Sean!



What's Mama's name?



Maria!



What's Daddy's whole name....?



Uhhhhhhhhh........Sean Daddy Sykes!



Maria, the Mum

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Mawage is wot bwings us togeder tooday

We were married May 26, 2007 at Immaculate Conception Church in Malden
We had our Reception in a Barn with hot dogs, hamburgers and potato salad on the second hottest day in May on record for Boston

48 Months
1,460 Days
35,040 Hours
2,102,400 Minutes
126,144,000 Seconds

4 years....not really a landmark anniversary....but I think any year with me is one to be celebrated (so many ways you could interpret that statement, please, I beg of you, have fun with it at my expense)

In the grand scheme of things, four years is not very long.....but it's four years I did not have before today so for that, I am grateful.

Regardless of
how long or how short its been
how good or how bad things have been
how rich or how poor we've been
how sick or how healthy we've been
how hard we've laughed, cried, fought, made up, laughed some more and loved,
its been four years I would never give back or trade for anything - I can only hope that next four give to both of us, and Lucy, what the past four have given to us......

So Happy Anniversary to us -and to our families and friends who love and support us

Sean, you're the best thing that has ever happened to me, and you've given me all kinds of good stuff I could have only hoped for.

I love you more today than I did yesterday but not as much I will tomorrow......and please remember to bring the card you bought for me home from work

Maria, the Wife

Who? Which Side? On My What?


What's his name?


Tuesday night, John the Oil Guy made a delivery to our house. John is the nicest guy you will ever meet and always has a little treat for the kids (gum, a piece of candy, stickers). John also has Scooby Doo painted on the sides and back of his truck. Subsequently, he always has a supply of Scooby Doo stickers to pass out to the kids – and we all know how Lucy feels about stickers and puppies!


While John was filling the tank, we wandered out to chart with him and to let Lucy have a look at the truck. He immediately handed her two stickers that she clung to the whole time we were outside. We must have walked her around that truck 20 times so she could see it from every angle! And every time she caught site of Scooby, she would point and yell PUPPY!!! followed by giggling and clapping.


Later, as we were getting her into the tub, Sean asked Lucy who was on her sticker


Puppy Daddy!


I know he's a puppy, do you know his name?


Yeah Daddy! He's Gooby Gooby Doo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Wrong side of the bed


Lucy woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Typically, she hops out of bed, brushes her teeth, gets a clean diaper and heads downstairs with me for breakfast while Sean showers and gets dressed. And when I say hops out of bed, this kid wakes up hopping almost every morning…literally. She hops from her room to the bathroom and back again (though she calls it boinging like Dory does on the jellyfish in Finding Nemo…..oh, and that's also what kangaroos do according to Lucy)


Subsequently, brushing her teeth and getting downstairs took 30 minutes, breakfast took an hour, getting dressed took 30 minutes and Lucy breaking my last nerve took about 70 minutes. It's the whining that kills me…and the kicking……and the I want Daddy, so Daddy takes over and she yells No I want Mama! So Mama takes over and she screams No Daddy! And then we just stop placating her and try to overpower her…


Needless to say, I spoke sternly to her, banned music and took her books away. I wouldn't even let her brush the hair on her Little Pony. At one point, she was reached a pinnacle of hysteria as I was trying to get her PJs off (Lucy come on honey, skin-a-pig for Mama…arms ups, please don't kick Lucy. Lucy, please stop hitting, honey please don't kick…..LUCY! STOP! Please just reach for the sky!)


I considered a slap across the face (you know like the snap-out- of-it-hysterical-lady kind of slap) or throwing holy water on her. Both seemed viable solutions but, slapping her face is obviously out of the question and I had no holy water on tap (I am however going to see if I can siphon some from the aspersorium at Church this weekend)


So somehow, through a lot of tears, yelling, stern talking tos and yes, some threats (No coloring! No Rosie! No birthday cake tomorrow!), we managed to get Lucy dressed and out the door for school. I wonder, sometimes, how the hell my mother did it with 7 kids…the first 6 all being less than 18 months apart! I can't even handle one!


I carried Lucy to the car and realized I forgot my coffee…Sean went back into the house as I buckled Lucy in. I settled her into her seat with her blub blubs, her monkeys and her baby nu-now. I was talking to her the whole time (about going to school to see Rosie and to color and play outside)


Lucy, I say, Mummy loves you very much…


I know Mama


And Lucy, I'm sorry I yelled at you, I'm sorry I got upset with you…..I'm sorry about this morning


Lucy looked at me, cocked her head to one side and said


I sorry too Mama….want some lips? And I was given a proper kiss from my two year old daughter along with her forgiveness


I could end there, you know on a happy upbeat positive note but as I was pulling away, Sean rolled down his window and informed me Lucy was gearing up for another meltdown….and as if on cue, she started to wail and cry with her bottom lip jutted out and her eyes clenched in frustration and maybe a bit of rage…..I drove away as fast as possible!


Sometimes, you just wake up on the wrong side of the bed………


Everybody now


This morning, after the meltdown in the house but before the one in the car, we were getting ready to descend the stairs which she does in one of two ways: holding the rail and walking down or, sitting on her bum and going down step by step.


This morning was a bum day


I was in front of Lucy, Sean behind her


Mama! Get on your bum! Go on bum! Daddy go on bum!


So as to maintain the peace, Sean and I dropped on our bums and the three of us proceeded to bump and thump down the stairs.


Three steps from the bottom, Lucy, who had been narrating our descent (First Mama, then Lucy, now Daddy…Lucy on her bum, and Mama and Daddy….) says with great joy, enthusiasm and excitement:


Everybody on their bum! Mama on her bum! Lucy on her bum! Daddy on his bum! Uncle Gareth on his bum! EVERYBODY ON THEIR BUM!!!!


Uncle Gareth isn't even here yet……


Maria, the Mum






Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Calling out around the world


So I discovered on Blogger there are stats that track how many times your blog is viewed


Then I discovered it also tracks how they found our blog (Facebook and Google being number 1 and 2)


It even tracks what browser and operating systems people were using (Internet Explorer being the most widely used and Windows…though someone is using their iPod to read us…)


You can even see what countries people are from….


Of course I expected to see the United States (1581 views) and the United Kingdom (53 views).


Did not expect


Germany, 62 views


Russia, 35 views


Canada, 32 views


Japan, 21 views


South Korea, 19 views


Brazil, 17 views


Slovakia, 11 views


Italy, 9 views


I'm not even 100% sure where Slovakia is (sorry about that to my Slovakian readers…no offense….)


What I want to know is how do I know more Germans than Brits? I didn't even know I knew any Germans…..


What are they Googling to find us?


Who is reading this on a iPod? That's got to be somewhat annoying…isn't it really small?


And have I really read my own blog 1,581 times?!?!


Maria, the Mum

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Dumbo, Bambi, Bingo, Waldo, The Biter

Oldies but Goodies
We watched Dumbo and Bambi recently - Lucy loved both movies

She asked only once where Bambi's mummy went but answered herself by saying she had to go shopping. When she watches Dumbo, she stands in front of the TV and tells Dumbo its okay, don't cry, I like your ears. She also tries to soothe Dumbo's mother by assuring her that Dumbo OK! He's flying!


Where's Waldo
Saturday, Kristen, our neighbor, knocked on the door and asked if Lucy could help her plant some flowers. Lucy, who adores Kristen (and her puppy Jet and her boyfriend Roger), obliged and the two of them toddled off hand in hand to Kristen's to plant flowers.

An hour later, Lucy returned (with a lovely impatient in tow) and informed us she had fun in the dirt and she got to feed Jet. She was telling her Dad about the flowers when Kristen pulled me aside and says

Roger's not here this morning, he had a few things to do up at his place. So I take Lucy into the house to feed Jet through the back door. She sort of looks around for a minute, without saying anything and the walked through the dining room into the living room, back around to the kitchen...and I knew she was looking for Roger but I did not say anything, I just let her look. And then, says Kristen through her laugh, Lucy looks up at me, raises her arms and says

Where the heck is Roger?!?


Bingo was his name Oh
Monday morning, Lucy was perched in her car seat flipping through her Dumbo storybook while Sean and I were saying our good byes.

As I was leaving, and Sean was adjusting the straps on her seat, he asked, What are you reading Lucy


Lucy, without looking up or missing a beat responds

Bingo

Love
My sister Angela aand her son Cooper sent Lucy a beach towel with Nemo and his Tank Gang on it. She's been carrying it around with her since it arrived (even insisting that it be hanging on the back of her chair while she's eating dinner). She refers to it as her Nemo Blanket.

The other day, as I was in the kitchen fixing her lunch, she was snuggling her Nemo "blanket" abd I heard her whisper to it
I love you Nemo blanket, I love you

Welcome to America!
Uncle Gareth will arrive from England Thursday. We've been talking about it all week and prepping Lucy for his arrival by announcing Uncle Gareth will be here soon!

This morning at breakfast, Sean said Lucy! Guess who will be here to see you tomorrow?!
Lucy, all excitedly, gasps and says ROSIE!!!! (her teacher from school who sits for her)

Uhh, not quite I say...Uncle Gareth! I declare with just as much enthusiasm

OH, she says slumping her shoulders and sort of groaning.....can Rosie come instead?

Mama Did It
Between Saturday and Sunday, Sean hung all the blinds in the house.

One of the blinds we hung was a bit wonky...Sean noticed it straight away and pointed it out to me. While he was upstairs, I wondered aloud to Lucy if I broke it when dropped it in the store (and may or may not have forgotten to tell Sean I did so)

Sean left a bit later to take the blind back and exchange it.

Lucy asked where Daddy was

He went to the store I replied

For Lucy? code for to Buy me something?

No silly, he had to take the blind back to the store

Oh.....the one you broke?

Spartacus no more
When I picked Lucy up on Thursday, before I could even say hello to her, she popped up from where she was sitting and blurted out

Mama! _____ bit me!


She must have repeated this three times before we left, and at least a half dozen more times on the way home. And when we arrived home, she told anyone who would listen that ____ bit her.


The next morning, as we're leaving for work and school, Lucy informs she does not like the biter.


I no like ______. He bite Lucy. I not play with him

Lucy, I say, I know he bit you and that was not nice but _____ is still your friend. You just need to be nice...and patient with ______.


No Mama! I not like ____. He bite Lucy! No No ____! Don't bite Lucy!

Now Lucy, don't you say that to ______. You go get Rosie or Kylie or Georgette and let them handle it.

Lucy sort of pouts and huffs at me

OK Mama! But I'm not playing with him


That's OK Lucy, you don't have to play with him but you still have to be nice

OK Mama, Lucy be nice.....but I won't like being nice!


Maria, the Mum

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

I OK, Good Job, Look Out

I'm OK, You're OK
When I picked Lucy up from school today, I was informed that she had a little run in with the table
Rosie explained that Lucy went to pick something up off the floor and slammed her forehead into the table. Rosie said she had a big old bump and bruise on her forehead but was just fine.
As Rosie finished telling me this, Lucy, who had been sitting on the floor next to Rosie popped up and declared
I OK Mama! I OK!

Atta Boy
As I do every day when I pick Lucy up, I settled her into her car seat, handed her a cup of water and gave her an on the way home snack - today was fruit snacks and blub blubs (goldfish crackers). I also gave her an extra kiss and ruffled her hair on account of her run in with the table
Three minutes down the road, Lucy says
Mama, you did a good job!
Thanks Lucy
You're welcome Mama, I love you!

Look Out
Three minutes after that, Lucy leans over in her car seat to get a better look out the front window and noting the line of traffic coming towards us (on the other side of the road of course)
Mama! Look out, here comes the cars! Whoa, be careful!
I got this I assure her
OK Mama, just look out!

Maria, the Mum

Big Bed, Brave and Bubba

I Brave Mama
Last night, after Sean bathed Lucy and I dressed her, and we sang a rousing rendition of Old MacDonald's Farm while parading (literally) around upstairs, Lucy decided she wanted me to read her stories before bed instead of Daddy.

Just as Daddy and Lucy have been doing for the past couple weeks, we stretched out on her big girl bed to read a couple stories. After the fourth or fifth book, I told Lucy we were all done and it was time to go to sleep

OK Mama, turn off the light please

So I turned off the light expecting to hoist her into her crib but when I turned around, she was standing next to her big girl bed clutching Bubba, The Orange Dinosaur and announced

Lucy sleep in big girl bed Mama
OK Lucy, want Mama to put you in?
Yeah, Mama help Lucy

So I helped Lucy crawl into the big girl bed and pulled the covers up over she, Bubba and Dina (the pink and green dinosaur Auntie Mikel gave to Lucy when she was born)

Do you want Mama to read Winnie the Pooh
No thank you Mama, I go to sleep in my big girl bed
Oh, OK.......

I was not sure what else to say; I almost said are you sure? But I did not want to discourage her or second guess her decision.....So I just sort of stood there for a second trying not to make a big deal out of the fact she asked to get in the bed...and I was trying not to get too excited so I would not be disappointed when she asked to go in her crib

I leaned over and gave Lucy a kiss good night, stroked her head for a few seconds and told her I loved her and was proud of her

I sleep in big girl bed Mama.....I brave she murmured as she pulled Bubba closer to her and closed her eyes



I stayed in the room for a few minutes just to make sure....she looked so tiny in her bed....and I wondered why I was in such a rush to make her grow up, to move from the crib (a baby bed) to a big girl toddler bed....all of a sudden, I had the urge to pick her up, toss her back in the crib and tell her to be a baby for as long as she wanted.


But I didn't......because she opened her eyes, looked at me and said


I OK Mama, I brave...I love you! and with a giggle, she nuzzled Bubba and within five minutes, was sound asleep


Lucy made it through the night in her big girl bed. She did wake up around 12:45ish (my clock said 1:11am but its like 20 or 25 minutes fast...don't ask) We've not been going in when she wakes up the past couple weeks and she has done great at soothing herself back to sleep but I did get up last night as I wanted to make sure she was not wandering around


She was standing next to the bed when I walked in crying just a bit. I knelt down and opened my arms letting Lucy walk into my hug.


Mama....sniff sniff...where Bubba?


I retrieved Bubba from under the covers, handed him to Lucy who gave him a big cuddle. She then turned and crawled back into bed


Mama stay?


Yes Lucy, I'll stay for a few minutes


Thank you Mama


Though she tossed and turned, she was back asleep within minutes (as was I on the floor....total accident but I was tired)


Lucy woke up this morning full of beans, bouncing around like a toy ball as her Dad observed....and quite proud of herself for sleeping in her big girl bed.


I liked it Mama! I like sleeping in the big bed! I do it again?!?


Maria, the Mum

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Your Age, Bubba the Dinosaur

Your Age
Last night, Sean came home and informed me he had a new co-worker

Sean: Her name is Elizabeth but she goes by Biz
Me: Biz? Is she from Connecticut? What is Biz? What kind of name is that? Is she a preppy?
Sean: I don't know........all I know is she goes by Biz
Me: Is she young?
Sean: No no (with an emphatic head shake)....she's not young. She's like your age
Me: stone cold stare, no words, no noise, just silence.......and a stone cold stare

Bubba
In 1986, I was a 14 year old freshman in high school. I went to a semi private (public for British Audience) school in the middle of Bangor as my little town did not have a high school.

It was a good school - academically. And it offered a lot of extra curricular activities - one of the most relished was the Annual Spring Musical.

Every year, a select group of students, the most talented kids, would audition for and put on a spectacular play, always a musical. They were practically legendary and a social event of the Spring season in Bangor (I may be exaggerating that a bit here but the point is, the play was pretty important and people who did not even have kids at the school would come to see it)

So my freshman year, I somehow made the varsity basketball team (I think there were not enough girls left over for the JV team and they felt badly for me so I made the team) and used to hang around with the girls who were Juniors. Dede decided she wanted to try out for the play - and because she was my ride home that day, I tried out for the play as well.

Now what happened next is nothing short of.....well, a total fluke....I landed the female lead in the school play. Initially, I did not understand the weight this carried - until I saw the senior girl everyone thought would get the lead (as all she had wanted her whole life was to sing and act on stage) having a temper tantrum in one of the classroom and saying some not so nice things about me and the director who cast me.

I remember trying to talk to her, trying to apologize for her not getting the lead....she just glared down at me (she was a lot taller than I was, a lot thinner....she had this shock of curly black hair and this long face,....and her nose was kind of big so when she was glaring down at me, her nostrils were flaring because she was so angry and she sort of looked like a horse. I vaguely remember being afraid she would buck up and come down on me as a horse does when scared or startled by something....) and told me I had no business even being in the play and stormed out of the room with her supporting actors in tow.

So, I landed the coveted lead in the school play that is usually reserved for a senior...who has acting talent...and experience....and can sing...I had none of those things. But I pulled it off and though no Tony will ever come my way, I don't think I was that bad

My sophomore year, 1987, I went out for the play again and though I was not counting on getting the lead - I thought I'd get a part....I did not...and I was devastated...and embarrassed...and really really sad.

Mikel, my youngest sister, at the time was all of 6. She knew I was sad and bought me an organge dinosaur (a brontosaurus) to cheer me up. It did. That brontosaurus went every where with me

I carried it around with me after she gave it to me because he cheered me up and made me smile
He went to Europe with me when I went on the European Field Trip (I left him on the train in Switzerland (may have been Germany or Austria) and Jen and I snuck back on the train to retrieve him...we almost did not make it off the train but we saved the dinosaur)
He went to college with me (and I cried a lot while snuggling that dinosaur as I was miserable the first couple months I was there)
He moved to IL with me -and was the only thing that could console me the first few months I was on my own
I slept with that dinosaur every night for I can't tell you how long.

I still have The Orange Dinosaur....he's almost 24 years old.....a little grungy, a couple wounds, an ink spot on his head (that I tell everyone is a birthmark) and a ragged old tag...but he has been with me 24 years....my longest relationship ever

This morning, Lucy woke up in a state - she cried and fussed and tried to get in the shower with me. She laid on the floor sobbing and stopped only when I picked her up and snuggled her...not even Daddy could not stop the tears.

When I got out of the shower, I was trying to talk Lucy into letting me change her diaper. She just paced up and down the hallway crying. At the end of the hallway is a trunk with some stuffed animals on it (OK, they're mine) and perched amongst the teddy bears is the Orange Dinosaur.

Mama, cries Lucy
What honey?
She sniffles a couple times and wails once for good measure
Mama...I need a dinosaur....sniffle sniffle, wail wail, throw self on floor for dramatic effect

I freeze...she wants MY dinosaur. She wants THE orange dinosaur.. She's eyed it before and I've always been able to distract her with something else.....why do I leave him out you ask?
I leave him out because it comforts me to see him as I'm headed in our room at night to go to bed and when I wake up in the morning, there he is...just as he has been for 24 years....and now, my 2 year old wants him...NEEDS him

Shit

My baby is crying, we're running late, she's got her little hand on my dinosaur...
I'm 38! She's 2! What is wrong with me...he's just a stuffed animal...just an Orange Dinosaur....
Of course you can have the dinosaur I say swooping in lovingly

Lucy tucks him under her arm and paddles down the hall towards her room

I cajole her onto the changing table where she continues to fuss

So I get the dinosaur to talk to her as I'm trying to get her to lay still so I can change her diaper...
Then I get the dinosaur to change her diaper! He nudges her PJ pants off and then, with help from Mummy, gets her diaper unfastened...but Mummy does the wipes because dinosaurs have short arms!
And Lucy is laughing and giggling as I get a clean diaper on her

Mama, whats his name?
His name?

In my head, I realize he's 24 years old and he's never ever had a name except The Orange Dinosaur

Well Lucy, I say as I lean in towards her and the dinosaur, what do you think we should call him?
Ummmmmmm....she holds him above her as I fasten her clean diaper and announces, with great authority,
BUBBA!
Bubba?
Yeah Mama! Bubba! and she pulls him in in for a hug

Bubba...all I can think of is Former President Clinton....when you say Bubba, he pops into my head and I cringe....and she wants to call my cherished Orange Dinosaur Bubba...cringe....but instead, I declare

Bubba is a perfect name! and I plant kisses on Lucy and Bubba
Bubba hungry Mama!
Ok, what would Bubba like for breakfast?
Fruit Loops! shouts Lucy
Ok, what would Lucy like for breakfast?
Eggies!

And with that, I scoop up Bubba and Lucy and we head down for breakfast.

Bubba was given his own bowl of Fruit Loops, Lucy had scrambled eggs and a bowl of cereal
And I wondered what the hell I was going to say Lucy asked if she could take Bubba to school with her....

Bubba is poised to bring yet another generation love and security.....so here's to the next 24 years of tears, triumphs, love, laughs, hugs snuggles, train trips, car rides, sleep overs and Fruit Loops...

Maria, the Mum

Monday, May 16, 2011

What am I, Who Dat

What am I
Lucy has discovered that we have names. She takes great delight in pointing at her Dad and saying

Daddy is Sean. Daddy a boy!
She then points at me and says Mama is Maria (comes out sounding like Ma-e-a).
Then she points at herself and says Lucy is Lucy! Lucy a girl!

I noticed that she did not identify me as a girl (see previous blog, http://www.sykesfamily.me/2011/05/mama-is-squirrels-driving-lucy.html) so I asked her again

Lucy, Daddy is a boy?
Yeah Mama!
And Lucy is a girl?
Yeah Mama!
So is Mama a girl?

No silly Mama!
Well what's Mama then?
Uhh, Mama is just Mama......! Not a boy, not a girl! Mama is a mummy!

Are you sure Mama isn't a girl? I think Mama is a girl like Lucy.....

No! Mama can't be a girl! Mama has to be the Mama!!!

OK, you win....

Thanks Mama!


Who that
The phone rang the other night as I was sitting Lucy down for dinner. She starts yelling

Hi Yo Noni?
Hi Yo Papa?
Hi Yo Daddy?
Who dat Mama?

It was a telemarketer


Lucy, when Mama is on the phone, you can't yell like that. It's not very nice, it's rude Lucy. And Mama can't hear the person on the phone

Sorry Mama

Its okay Lucy. Thank you. so next time Mama is on the phone, what will you do?


Lucy looks up for a minute pondering my question (or seeking out an answer from God), then leans over her plate looking at me and says in a whisper
Hi Yo Noni?
Hi Yo Papa?
Hi Yo Daddy?


Maria, the Mum

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Or what, Pretty Princess, Boo Boo, Spartacus

Knight in shining armor
This morning, Sean did something heroic while putting Lucy in the car (he either retrieved something she dropped or managed to get her in the car without bonking her head on the door)



He says to Lucy, Is Daddy great or what?



Lucy looks at him ever so seriously and without missing a beat says with a shrug, Or what…



What was I thinking?
Ever since watching The Wedding, Lucy asks at least twice a day if she can see the Pretty Princess or where the Pretty Girl is. I can usually distract her but have had to, on occasion, pull up pictures of The Wedding on line so she can get her fix.



Last night, Lucy asks, as she is sitting down to dinner, Mama! Where the Pretty Princess? I want to see the Pretty Princess!



Well Lucy, I say in an attempt to distract her, Mama doesn't know where the Pretty Princess is right now…..she's probably eating dinner….



Lucy groaned and gave a sigh (it was a glimpse into the future to her being 15) and replied all arrogantly and annoyed



Mama! She's in the TV!! Geez!



Lucy fix it
My Dad got hurt over the weekend – he is fine, just a little run in with a chainsaw



I received the call Saturday morning and within two hours, my youngest sister (who lives in Watertown) and I were in the car headed to Maine.



My sister arrived at my house and we lingered for a few minutes for my good byes to Sean and Lucy. In that time, Auntie Mikel showed us the boo-boo on her hand…her knuckle had a terrible wound on it….the kind you get from punching people (or when you are carrying a laundry basket upstairs and scrape you hand on the wall)



The scab was a bit fresh and was starting to peel back. Lucy decided Auntie Mikel should have one of her Nu Now Stickers (a Miss Kitty Band Aid) as they fix everything. So Lucy and I fetched a sticker for Auntie Mike and she was healed.



Sean explained my sudden departure and absence to Lucy by telling her that Papa had a boo boo and Mama was going to see him.



When I got home, Lucy inquired about Papa's boo boo



Papa all right Mama?



Yes honey, Papa will be okay



Papa has a boo boo?



Yes Lucy, Papa got a big boo boo but he'll be okay



Oh, good Mama.



I thought that was the end of it…until Monday night when I was getting Lucy ready for her bath. I went into the hall closet for something and did not close the door tightly behind me. A few minutes later, I heard Lucy rustling around in there



Mama! Help Mama!



Lucy what are you doing?



I came around the corner to see Lucy standing on her tip toes trying to reach something and the contents of the closet now in the hallway and some falling down around her (note: yes, my fault for leaving the door open but the only things that she can reach are the small boxes of band aids and the toilet paper and paper towels. No Lucys were harmed in this story)



Getting a sticker Mama



Honey, what do you need a sticker for? Do you have a boo boo?



By now, the box had fallen to the floor and Lucy fished out a Nu-now sticker



No Mama. Lucy no boo boo. This is for Papa, Lucy fix it! Lucy fix Papa's boo boo, like I fixed Auntie Mike……



I mailed it to Papa the next day with a special note from Lucy explaining to him the super healing powers of Miss Kitty band aids….and ice cream



I am Spartacus
I think I may have mentioned a blog or two ago there is a biter at school and Lucy has fallen victim to said biter multiple times. After being assured by the teachers that Lucy was not doing anything to provoke said attacks (the child is apparently having issues and they have manifested themselves in the behavior of biting other people) I quizzed Lucy as to who was biting her because the teachers cannot tell me – and I respect that but like any parent, curiousity was getting the better of me



Lucy, who bit you?



I don't know Mama…



You don't know who bit you?



Uhh, Mama bit Lucy!



No I didn't! Who bit you Lucy?



Then she would name her teachers, all the kids in the class…she even blamed one of her friends who does not even go to school with her!



I told Sean how I quizzed her and she would not crack



She's like a vault! I said. She could totally keep state secrets!



Do you think they told her not to tell he asked



No, they would never do that, I say. They know better……I think in her little head, she knows what the other kid did was wrong and he or she got in trouble so she won't tell me because she does not want to get the kid in more trouble…..or maybe she just does not remember……I mean really, can a 2 year old already get the idea of covering for some? Like she's really standing up and saying No I'm Spartacus….she probably just forgot who bit her…..



I went to a seminar the other day so I picked Lucy up a little early. When I got there, Georgette was just getting ready to read Where the Wild Things Are. Where that is one of Lucy's favorite stories, and I was sort of crimping her style, she wanted to stay and hear the story. After making sure it was okay, Lucy settled into the story circle. I sat outside the circle trying not to be disruptive (I'm a terrible student).


The kids were all around Georgette watching and listening…and yes, fidgeting a bit but the story was getting good……they had to fidget….the Wild Things were gnashing their terrible teeth, rolling their terrible eyes and roaring their terrible roars….



Just as the story finished and Max was home in his room with his dinner (that was still warm) I saw one of the boys turn and look at the little boy behind him – and then boy #1 leaned over and bit boy #2 right in the chest! For no reason! Crying ensued; boy #1 was spoken to and removed from his friends; boy #2 was snuggled and the other teacher got all other kids out of the mix. Lucy turned and ran into my arms and so Ok Mama, now we go.



So now, I know who the biter is.



We're in the car and I say Hey Lucy….



Yeah Mama, she says in between bites of her ride home snack



So was it (boy #1) who bit you?



Uhhhh…she tosses another fruit snack in her mouth trying to avoid my question.



Was it ______ who bit you too?



No Mama, it was…and then she listed all the kids in her class!!!



I swear, after she said everyone else's name, she whispered Spartacus….



Maria, the Mum

Saturday, May 7, 2011

There’s a story in here somewhere

Over the weekend, I was looking for an electronic copy of something and came across some exercises from a creative writing class I took.

The class taught that the best stories were the ones you know…that is you are better off writing what you know and what does one know better than one's self?

The assignment was to sit down for 60 minutes and write as much about yourself as you could and then choose one or two of those things and write a story based on it….so I did


  1. My middle name is Rose, after my maternal grandmother


  2. I grew up in Orrington, Maine. I left when I was 17 to go to college and have never gone back to live. I am now 38 years old and have lived outside the state of Maine longer than I lived in the State of Maine…but I still call it home


  3. I have an older brother and 5 younger sisters


  4. My parents still live in Maine as do three sisters, brother is in Tulsa OK, one sister in NYC and one in Watertown, MA


  5. My brother has 3 boys, a sister has 1 son…Lucy is, at this time, the youngest grandchild and the only girl


  6. I'm a half breed: 50% Irish (Dad) 50% Italian (Mum)


  7. I go to Mass every week and make no apologies for it; you can believe in what you believe in, let me believe in what I believe in…and let's not judge each other


  8. Having said that, I'm a party line Republican….go ahead, judge away…but if you're going to call me dumb and a racist because I'm a Republican, be prepared to defend that statement because I graduated from College with honors, have a job, pay my taxes and though I may not like everybody, I'm no more racist than you are


  9. Liberals drive me crazy…not because they are Liberal but because they think the rest of us are idiots for not being Liberal. Open my mind? How about you open your mind and realize there are other view points, other perceptions and ideas other than your own? I bet I've read more books about religion than you have. I bet I've read more liberal publications than you have…. I read them so I know why I don't like Liberal ideology…. I bet you've never read a Conservative publication. I bet I've got more friends that are different from me than you do…and I bet I'm more willing to change than you are.


  10. Having said that, I may harbor some liberal tendencies….I use reusable shopping bags…and not just at the grocery store. I use them at Target, Macy's, Kohl's, LL Bean, Bed Bath and Beyond, wherever I may shop…..I also stopped buying bottled water and carry a reusable water bottle with me


  11. When I was in college, I was a liberal for one semester…I read books by Abbie Hoffman, I went to rallies for…well, I don't really remember what they were for because I was most likely drunk and busy smoking clove cigarettes.


  12. I started smoking in college but quit 6 years ago…I loved smoking…I got a job just so I could have smoke breaks…now the smell of it makes me sick but oh how I loved smoking! Especially when was on the phone or in the car…and nothing compared to the Friday nights spent at the bar smoking and drinking…….


  13. Yep, I was also a great drinker; Captain and Coke was my drink of choice though I did go through a gin phase. Gave that up when I joined Weight Watchers and they pointed out I was not losing weight because I was not counting my beer and Captain and Cokes towards my points….as soon as I quit, I lost 10 pounds in like 3 weeks


  14. I met Sean in 2005


  15. We got engaged in 2006


  16. We got married in 2007


  17. We got him a Green Card in 2008


  18. I had Lucy in 2009


  19. We bought our first house in 2009


  20. I wanted to get married in the Fall but settled for a May date so I could say I was married before I turned 35 (I turned 35 that August)


  21. My husband is English and on our second date, I asked for proof that he was here legally. After he showed me his Visa, I let him kiss me.


  22. Sean's folks are in Halifax, England….Sean will always point out when he tells someone where his family is from that it's the "original Halifax…..I hate to tell him but the people he points that out to probably don't even know there's a Halifax in Canada


  23. Sean has a younger sister; she and her husband have two girls…so all together I have 4 nephews and 2 nieces


  24. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a news anchor…but in College, I had a professor who said I was not pretty enough so I gave up that dream


  25. Deep down, I really want to be a teacher


  26. I love to write and fancy to think someday I'll write a novel but I am way too lazy for that….I just don't have the level of commitment one needs to nurture a plot and characters


  27. So instead, I'm an Office Manager


  28. I hated high school and as a result, keep in touch with absolutely no one I went to school with; as a matter of fact, I don't keep in touch with anyone I met before the age of 20


  29. Some would say I was an overachiever in High School because I got decent grades, participated in this and that, played a couple sports (though not that well) I'm not sure when doing your best became a bad thing and made you an over achiever….if you find something you enjoy and want to excel at (which means you have to work hard) why is that a bad thing? Why is that over achieving? Isn't it just achieving? Besides, it made the 4 years go by pretty quick


  30. Sometimes I wish I kept in touch with people from my childhood….I get nostalgic when I hear people talk about how they still see their childhood/high school friends. I have one friend who every five years takes a trip with her girlfriends from high school…makes me jealous and feels like I missed out on something…..but then I remember that I did not have that many friends growing up because I was busy over achieving


  31. I talk to my Mum every Monday - Friday at 5:10 as I'm driving to pick Lucy up from Day Care. Sometimes we talk about what's going on with family, sometimes we gossip, sometimes we talk about politics or what's going on in the world. Mostly, I just call to see how she and Dad are doing and to remind her that I'm here


  32. I don't think people know me as well as they think they do….when I was younger, I was wound pretty tightly and my siblings would tell you I was bossy, controlling, had to have everything my way and always thought I was right….and I probably was…but then I grew up…..but I think they still see me as that (funny, that's how I see some if them)


  33. I recently reconnected with someone from my youth and I know she still thinks of me that way because when I told her I was a corporate facilitator for a number of years (I learned other people's job, wrote a training manual and then taught them how to do their jobs more efficient and effectively, company words not mine) she gave me one of those Ahh, how fitting reactions….that was my last contact with her


  34. I'm a big fan of giving people credit for changing….we all change every 5-7 years because life changes, our bodies change (my eyesight is getting progressively worse, my memory is shot and I pee a little if I laugh too hard), our physiology changes, our environment changes, our circumstances change…so it only stands to reason that people change…sometimes for the good,, sometimes for the not so good


  35. I'm the second oldest of 7 kids, the oldest daughter…I think I was like 4 or 5 when I changed my first diaper....which is part of why I was bossy, I was always telling my youngest sisters what to do because Mum told me too….I was like the Manchurian Candidate…


  36. Having said that, don't even think of criticizing my family because I'll kick your ass. They are my parents, my brother, my sisters….I will love, defend and protect them with every ounce of my being….and of course judge them….but they are mine and I would not trade them for the world…well, maybe just two of them…(I'm kidding! Jesus, lighten up will ya?!?!)


  37. I'm actually scared of, not intimidated by, but genuinely scared of a couple of my sisters and try really hard not to piss them off…but somehow, always manage to do just that


  38. And again, having said that, don't even think of criticizing them


  39. I hate bad grammar and the way words are misused all the time…but I have terrible grammar, can't spell for shit and am forever mispronouncing words or using the wrong form of a word….but I admit to it and am not a snob about it…well, I try not to be


  40. I love being a Mum but must admit I miss the days where we'd wake up with no plans for the day and end up in some little town three hours from home having a fantastic meal at some restaurant we stumbled upon. I miss our bike rides after work and going to the movies. I miss our road trips to the White Mountains, our late nights playing Lego Star Wars on the Wii and lounging around on a wintry Sunday without a care in the world…..but I miss Lucy terribly when I'm away from her for more than an hour.


  41. I tried pot a couple times in college but it just did nothing for me – and I'm pretty sure I inhaled


  42. I like the water…I'd rather swim in the ocean than a pool, a pond or a lake. I find the waves at the beach relaxing and the sand somewhat therapeutic for the soles of my feet. I love the rocks that are shaped and smoothed from rolling around the waters for who knows how many hundreds of years. I like walking up and down the beach looking for mermaid's tears (sea glass) and I like bringing home a rock or two that has caught my eye


  43. I like the night better than the day, the moon better than the sun and the stars better than the clouds


  44. Aunt Nell died just over a year ago and sometimes, she'll pop into my head and I start to cry for no reason. I just miss her…and I wish she could have seen Lucy turn 1…..and could have seen Lucy start walking and heard her talking…..I just miss her


  45. I'm terribly afraid of death…I just don't understand how the world continues…or why I don't get to see how it ends…whatever it is. When I think about it, about me dying or my parents or Sean or my siblings, I get this cold feeling that rushes through my body and I feel like I'm falling…and I have to stop thinking or I get so paralyzed with fear I can't move and forget to breathe….I get a lump in my throat and tears fill my eyes…..it is the one thing that scares me more than anything else in the world – not even snakes and spiders scare me so much


  46. Then, I wonder what it will be like in heaven. What form will I take? Will I be in my mid-30's with Lucy and Sean? Will I be the age I was when I died? Will I be a kid? Will I be with my family or Sean's? Or will the families be together? Will we have a house?


  47. I lose things all the time. I am forever misplacing my wallet, my debit card, my cell phone and my license….so it's ironic (I think) that Sean is always asking me where the recycling calendar is or where his sunglasses are or where his Red Sox T Shirt is or where Lucy's coat is and I always know….


  48. I have no desire to travel. That's not to say I don't enjoy it but I don't feel the pull that so many people have to travel to Europe or England or Ireland or the Mediterranean or the Far East or Australia….I think there is lots to do and see right here in the old US of A.


  49. When I do travel, I always freak out a bit before its time to go. I worry that I am forgetting to pack something or that I'll miss my flight or that I'll leave the stove on or that security will think I'm a terrorist or some sort of threat…


  50. But I love road trips. I like it when we hop into the car with no destination in site, a pile of magazines, the iPod and a bagful of snacks and we just drive…


  51. Fanny packs drive me bonkers…so do socks paired with sandals….and it makes me crazy when woman (and young girls) do not dress age appropriately. A 12 year old girl should not be wearing a strapless dress that plunges in the front and ends mid thigh….neither should a 50 year old


  52. I worry all the time that Lucy will be picked on or bullied when she starts going to school…or that she'll be a bully or the picker on-er…


  53. When I see a little kid on the playground by him/herself, it makes me sad


  54. I used to travel a lot for work when I was in my 20's and living in Illinois. It always used to make me sad when I would see middle aged men sitting by themselves at a restaurant or in an airport….never dawned on me that I too was alone and someone could be looking at me with pity…


  55. I did not get my driver's license until I was 20..and did not buy a car until I was like 23..then I drove that car for 10+ years until my mechanic refused to let me spend any more money on it – I loved car….


  56. I worry about Sean getting into a car accident on the way home or Lucy falling and getting hurt at Day Care. I worry about my brother who sells airplanes for a living getting hurt on the job. I worry about my sisters getting into an accident or falling ill with some malady….I worry about things I have no control over…..one time, I heard on the news that a man had been killed in a car accident on 114 and I was convinced it was my friend/boss because he was not at the office when I arrived, it happened on a route he could potentially take to the office, it happened around the time he drives to work and the car was the same color as his…it wasn't him but I was sick to my stomach until I tracked him down that morning….


  57. But it's not like I just sit around and worry; these bouts of worrying hit me at totally random moments: when I'm driving home, when I'm making dinner, when I'm working, trying to falls asleep or when I'm doing laundry…and it's just this weird little panic attack that works its way into my brain and nervous system and then vanishes as quickly as it came….


  58. I don't really collect anything….I feel like I should but I don't…though I do bring rocks home from the beach or from someplace we've been walking if I like the look of them….and sea glass, I always pick up sea glass when I see it


  59. I have a vague interest in photography but lack an artistic eye and patience to indulge in it…


  60. Same thing with knitting….and quilting….and crafts in general


  61. So I think it's safe to say, I don't have a hobby….


  62. Unless people watching counts…my favorite thing is to go to Quincy Market with a cup of coffee, a smackerel of something and to sit on a beach just watching people go by….sometimes I make up stories about them in my head. Sometimes, I eavesdrop on their conversations, sometimes, I see someone or something so bizarre or foreign to my eye that I stare….I hate it when I get caught staring


  63. When I was in my 20's, I picked out the name for my tell all Memoir: I'm No Good at Small Talk subtitle, When I'm Sober


  64. Baseball is my favorite sport followed closely by basketball


  65. I don't understand football, haven't a clue and have no interest in watching it or learning about it


  66. The 4th of July is my favorite holiday followed by Christmas and Easter


  67. Thanksgiving is my least favorite holiday….but I do look forward to the Macy's Day Parade and the Dog Show every year…ohh and leftover turkey sandwiches…and stuffing…..so maybe it's not my least favorite holiday…Maybe its New Years Eve…


  68. New Years Eve is my least favorite holiday


  69. Halloween is my favorite holiday to decorate for – more so now that we have Lucy


  70. I love buying gifts for people….I get so excited that I can't even wait to give it to them…sometimes, I get so excited I try to convince them to let me give it to them before the actual celebration or holiday….


  71. But I hate getting gifts – it's not that I hate the gifts I receive or am ungrateful, I just get all embarrassed and don't know what to say or how to act when I receive a gift


  72. Sometimes, I totally lack a social filter


  73. One time, I had an employer tell me during my yearly review that I needed to try harder to put myself on the same level as my co-workers. I looked at him and cocked my head to one side and said I don't understand what you mean he responded by telling me I needed to use smaller words with my peers so they understood what I was saying….and that my humor was a bit over their heads as it was more witty than what they could interpret….I told him we should consider a new staff…


  74. Sometimes, I've snapped at someone or been so cross with them I feel terrible…and then I cry because I was mean to them…then I call and apologize….usually it's my parents or Sean…sometimes a sister…occasionally a co-worker and one time a stranger….


  75. I hate parties…I'm no good at being in a situation where I don't know anyone and have to socialize…I'm actually shyer than people realize…..


  76. I can be terribly judgmental…but I'm usually more right than wrong


  77. I'm the jealous type….I get jealous if my parents spend more time with my sister in Watertown than with me, I get jealous when I learned I've been left out of something…it could be more hurt than jealous but I am the jealous type….


  78. I used to bit my nails


  79. I'm pretty "regular" and hate it when something throws my schedule off


  80. I loved being pregnant


  81. I love sending cards to people…for their birthday, holidays, for no reason at all…its like a little shot of sunshine in their day…one time, I spent over $100 on cards…and that was with coupons!


  82. I have a wicked sweet tooth


  83. I love, LOVE pizza


  84. I don't like maple syrup..or popovers…or orange juice…unless I'm sick, then I'll drink orange juice


  85. When I was pregnant, I ate fish sticks….you know like the ones you used to get with your hot lunch at school..the ones covered in breading…. A week after I had Lucy, I tried to eat a fish stick and gagged


  86. If I could choose any way to spend a Sunday afternoon, it would be sitting in the Public Garden with a stack of magazines, a picnic basket of cheese, bread, strawberries and apples and a pillow for when I have my nap….and course Lucy and Sean….which means we'd also have to have bubbles…and a ball…and ice cream….


  87. Elephants are one of my favorite animals…and hippos…and giraffes….and sea turtles, I love sea turtles


  88. I like the circus and clowns do not freak me out at all


  89. I don't have a favorite color but yellow makes me smile


  90. When I look at houses, I always look at the ones with a wraparound porch and imagine myself sitting on it in a rocking chair wearing a straw hat with all kinds of kids running around me and playing….


  91. I have terrible taste in music…I'm a Conservative Catholic who favors folk music…


  92. I have no taste in clothes


  93. I'm passive aggressive


  94. I hate shoe shopping – I own two pairs of comfort clogs (black and brown) and two pairs of sandals for the summer (black and brown), two pairs of sneakers (Nike for walking, Chucks for hanging out) two pair of cowboy boots (black and brown) that I don't even really wear any more but can't get rid of because I love them so much


  95. I have never worn or owned a pair of heels…no, not even for my Wedding


  96. I didn't even wear a Wedding Gown, or a veil….I wore a bridesmaid dress and a headband…I totally rocked that head band


  97. At our Wedding, the photographer forgot to take a family group photo…..so did we. When I realized this, the day after our Wedding, I cried for like an hour. Then I was over it – my family was there, who needs pictures (though sometimes it does still bother me)


  98. Our Wedding song was I Wanna Grow Old with You from the Wedding Singer


  99. I ate two hot dogs at our Wedding…how many brides will admit to that?!?


  100. Our first real date was watching "Lost" together and a couple of beers


  101. I think diplomatic immunity and Astroturf are bullshit


  102. I think air conditioning contributed to the downfall of society and communities in this country


  103. I think if people remembered their manners, the world would be a better place


  104. I totally get that this country was founded on the premises of immigrants seeking a better life but at some point, enough is enough

    and lest we forget, when in Rome, do as the Romans do…


  105. I believe Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone (not only a quote from one of my favorite movies but something I do truly belive)


  106. I think Pete Rose should in the Hall of Fame – and that the punishment did not fit the crime…


  107. I can't believe that people my age do not know who Mary Jo Kopechne is…I know it was before our time but it was not that long before our time


  108. I don't think of the Kennedy's as American Royalty….as a matter of fact, I don't think we have anyone or any family that comes close to being royalty


  109. I think Hemingway, Dickens and Steinbeck are slightly overrated


  110. The Godfather III wasn't that bad…


  111. I can watch anyone of the following movies a hundred times…and if I'm flipping through the channels and one is on, I'll stop regardless of what point it is at: The Patriot, Con Air, The Rock, Gone in 60 Seconds, Die Hard (really any one of them), The Last Holiday, RoboCop, Steele Magnolias, Ocean's Eleven (or 12 or 13), Thomas Crown Affair, Breakfast Club, Mermaids, To Kill a Mockingbird, In the Heat of the Night, Elf, Legally Blonde, Liar Liar…yeah, I'll stop now


  112. I love movies but I don't really like going to the movies (but don't tell Sean, it would ruin our date night we have planned for Saturday) I'd rather stay at home and watch the movie


  113. I've never read Moby Dick and have no interest in reading it….but I can, like everyone else, quote the first line


  114. When I was in the third grade, I wanted to be a nun and John Travolta's girlfriend


  115. I also wanted to be Nancy Drew….and Harriet the Spy….


  116. I have no artistic ability whatsoever…as a matter of fact, I really have no talent….depressing….


  117. I read three books at the same time and sometimes, I read the last chapter first…


  118. I have a hard time sitting still…I feel like I always have to be doing something…I can't even just sit and watch TV without doing something else at the same time like folding laundry or flipping through a magazine


  119. I like my eyes…and my hands


  120. I relish celebrity gossip and reality shows


  121. I don't think I'm very good in a crises situation…I don't freak out but I second guess my decisions and allow myself to be swayed by other


  122. James Lipton intrigues and annoys me at the same time


  123. I don't have a hero but I have many I admire


  124. When I lived in Illinois, I once spent two hours hiding in the bathroom from a tornado because the sirens went off…turns out they test the sirens the third Thursday of every month and it was Thursday…..


  125. I did, while living in Illinois, see two tornadoes touch down….oddly terrifying and mesmerizing at the same time…


  126. I worry every day if I am a good mother and wife


  127. I hate, HATE making the bed…Sean makes our bed every day, and Lucy's


  128. I'm a slob – Sean's side of the room is usually pretty neat…my side of the room has dirty clothes on the floors, my PJs from last night, a stack of books eschew, at least two water glasses on the night table and the top of my bureau is just a big clutter of a mess


  129. Sean does the vacuuming…I hate vacuuming


  130. I like doing the dishes though…and I actually don't mind cleaning the bathroom or washing the floors


  131. I'm not a very good cook but I make really good cookies


  132. When we were in England, I tried rabbit and LOVED IT! Every now and then, I get a craving for Rabbit Pie


  133. I love where I am in my life right now…..sure, I wish we had a bit more money in the bank, that I were thinner, in better shape and maybe a house that was a tiny bit bigger with a nicer yard but I'm pretty happy….isn't that what it's about?

Friday, May 6, 2011

Girlfriend, Where o where has my little dog gone

Daddy knows best
As told to me by Sean:

I was dropping Lucy off at Day Care yesterday morning and while walking to the door, I spotted Jake and his Dad getting out of their car.

(Jake is a little boy in Lucy's class...for a spell, she did not really like him as he slammed a chair down on her leg but they seem to have made up....as witnessed by the following exchange)

Is that Jake? I asked her

Mmmmhmm, that Jakie!

I opened the door to herd her in but she yelled No Daddy! We have to wait for Jakie!

So we stood at the door and Jake and his Dad walked towards us as Lucy hollered out in greeting Jaaaakkie!!

When and his Dad reached us, Jake squared off in front of me, looked me square in the eye and proclaimed

Lucy's my girlfriend!
Lucy's your girlfriend? I asked
Yeah Jake confirmed

Well, I replied, I'm always the last to know........

Where you at?
In the car, on the way to the doctor, Lucy pipes up and says in a slightly falsetto voice with great inflection:
Hey Girlfriend! Where we going?

Absence makes the heart grow fonder
Our neighbor Pat is on vacation and by that I mean for the first time since we've lived here, she has actually gone away and is not around. This has totally disrupted Lucy's little life as almost every night upon our arrival home, we stop in to see Pat and the puppies.

On the way home, Lucy lets out a big sigh and announces

Mama, I miss Pat........

A bit later, still in the car, Lucy lets out another big sigh....

Mama, I miss Kristen (our other neighbor we adore)
*sigh*
Mama, I miss Roger (Kristen's boyfriend)
An even bigger ***SIGH**
Mama....said in a voice so lamenting and sad I responded
What's the matter baby?
I miss all the puppies so much....... (referring to Pat's two dogs Ebie and Ollie and Kristen's dog Jet)
I know honey, we'll see them soon
Ok Mama (sniffle, sigh, sniffle) Ok, I can wait.........

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Signs, Limits, Love

* Started this one the other day and forgot to finish and post it....

Signs Signs
Outside our grocery store, in the middle of one of the cross walks, is a big old orange cone with a big old sign attached to it cautioning cars to yield and watch out for pedestrians.

Sunday afternoon as Sean, Lucy and I were walking into Market Basket, a woman in an SUV the size of Texas was pulled up in front of the entrance letting someone out. When her passenger was out of the car, the woman pulled away and ran over said orange cone cautioning cars to watch out for pedestrians

We watched it happen, along with another customer and his child. The three adults, (Sean, myself and said stranger) politely ducked our heads and stifled our laughter.

Lucy, however, pointed at the woman, started laughing hysterically (and loudly) and yelling Oh no! Look out! Uh Oh!!!!

A girl's gotta have limits
We've been told that at the age of 2, children start to become possessive and understand the concept and meaning of Mine. Lucy is no exception. She has a clear and concise mind when it comes to knowing what is hers, what is Daddy's and what is Mummy's...right down to who sits in what chair at the dinner table and in the car.
Though she is getting better about sharing things (toys, stickers, crayons, books) sharing her animals can be a bit much for her.

Sean's oldest and dearest friend Gareth is coming to visit us in May. I was telling Lucy this the other day....the conversation went something like this...


Me: Uncle Gareth is going to be here soon for his visit Lucy.
She thinks about it for a second and says

Lucy: Mama, he no sleep in Lucy's big girl bed!!
Me: No silly, he'll sleep in the big bed in the other room
Lucy: No Mama, that's Lucy's other bed!
(The second bedroom is where one of us would end up sleeping with Lucy while she was sick and for a spell, she called it her big bed; apparently she still thinks of it as hers!)
Me: Now Lucy - you need to share. Besides, you have two beds already; your little girl bed and your big girl bed.
Lucy: Oh.....OK Mama.......but he not playing with Lucy's toys!
Me: Lucy Ellen! We need to share with our friends, remember? Just like you share toys at school with Jack Jack, Ry-Guy, Naa-naa and Caiti....
She tilts her head and in her little sweetest voice says
OK Mama, I share....but he's NOT playing with my animals!!!

All you need is love
Sean and I are truing really hard to do the date night thing. It was a resolution I made to have one date night a month. Ideally, we'd like to go out for said date night but would Sean would settle for us watching a movie in which I actually sit next to him on the couch and not fold laundry, do work or surf the gossip sites on the Internet.

January and February, we actually made it out of the house. March and April were sort of a bust though I do believe we were able to catch a movie or two with minimal interruption.
We have a date night planned for this weekend and have lined up Roaslie from Day Care to watch after Lucy.

Rosalie, Rosie as Lucy so fondly calls her, may be one of the sweetest girls I have ever met and has more love in her little being for Lucy than anyone outside Sean and I.
She sees Lucy and her face lights up as Lucy yells My Rosie! and reaches for her.
When I pick Lucy up at night from Day Care, she must always, ALWAYS, hug and kiss Rosie before leaving....and Rosie kindly obliges.
Even on her grumpiest days, Rosie can make her smile and Rosie is the only one who can do her hair.

I told Lucy that Rosie is coming to play with her this weekend....

Me: Lucy, Rosie is going to come play with you this weekend, would you like that?
Lucy: Mama! Rosie is coming to Lucy's house?!
Me: Yes Lucy, Rosie is coming to Lucy's house! What do you think of that?
Lucy: (giggling) Rosie gonna play with Lucy?
Me: Yep, Rosie will play with you and read to you and maybe you can do stickers and draw like you did last time Rosie was here....remember?
Lucy: Rosie comin' Rosie comin'!!!
Me: She is Lucy! Rosie is coming to Lucy's house!
Lucy: Hot Diggity Dog!!!!