Uncle G, Dr Doolittle, Blurg Blog

Uncle G
Uncle Gareth has been gone for almost two months now but Lucy still refers to the spare room as Uncle Gareth's room...and every once in awhile, she'll ask where he is...

Welcome Home!
When Lucy and I get home from work/school, we typically hang around outside until Daddy gets home (unless I know he's working late)
When Sean arrives home, Lucy will stop dead in her tracks as soon as she sees his car and then take off running while shrieking, grinning, laughing and yelling out

My Daddy! Daddy home! My Daddy! DAAAADDDDYYYY!!!!!!

She runs across the circle towards her Dad....her hair sways/bounces from side to side in the back and she  waves her arms wildly to get his attention......and she always gets it...

Sean will hop out of his car and runs towards her yelling her name with his arms open....

Lucy jumps up into his arms and buries her face in his neck....I can hear them giggling and Sean saying he missed her and Lucy claps her hands on both of his cheeks.....this is my favorite part of the whole day....

Dr. Doolittle
Lucy has more stuffed animals than you can imagine....and I am so not complaining - I love them as much as she loves them....

They all have names.....

If they're a character, Tigger, Eeyore, Bambi, Curious George, Elmo, they are addressed as such

Or, they are named after whomever gave it to her or a place...
The kitty she got from Uncle Alan and Auntie Margaret Walton is called Walton
The puppy dog my Mum have her is Noni Puppy
The monkey my mother in law gave her is called Tesco after the store where he was purchased
The elephant from my sister and her husband is Burt (their last name)
The horse from my boss is Chester (the town he lives in)

Some she makes up on her own:
The recent dog she made at Build a Bear is Bear
Her other dog from Build a Bear is Puppy Jack - not Jack, Puppy Jack
Her moose is Mickey Moose

And some of course Sean and I name (and by Sean and I, I mean me)
Patch, the dog we made her for her First Valentine's Day
Scraps, the dog we made for her before she was even born

She knows all their names and calls them by said names....and as soon as she get s anew one, her first question is

What his name? What he called?

And we'll spend some time coming up with a name...sometimes it takes us a few tries...I'll throw out a name and she'll look at the animal, look at me, say the name, look at the animal, say the name and then say

Yeah Mama! and repeat the name a couple times just to make sure it fits

Or she'll say,

No Mama! That not his name......

And we'll keep trying till we find the right one

Not any one animal is her favorite though she will go through a stretch where one is her favorite (last week it was bear, this week it's Walton). We never leave the house without three animals and she sleeps with no less than 6....
She  insists that the animals sit at the table with her and that we give them kisses good night. I've even put food in a bowl for the animals and left it on the table for them...

Lucy loves her animals.....I'm glad she has that much love to give....

Blurg Blogs

For the past few days, I’ve been completely obsessed about blogging…. not posting (though I have posted quite a few this week but that was mostly because I had writers block and it finally broke) but with other blogs that are out there…specifically the big blogs that appear to have hundreds of follower, thousands of fans on Facebook and get millions of hits….how the fuck did they do it? Probably not  by swearing….

Here’s what I discovered about such blogs:

They're parents and write about the struggles and joys of parenting

They've got religion - some of them more than their fair share

The women seem to have perfect husbands and the men have perfect wives

If they are single, they have the perfect apartment, take cool vacations, and have some incredible artistic talent, usually photography

More blogs appear to be by women then men

Most of those women are stay at home Moms and/or have some super-secret-cool-work-from-home-free-lance job

They spend part of their blog telling you how to blog

Most of them fancy them selves writers and declare it at least twice a week

The blog is a "hobby" but some of them are pretty damn serious about this hobby - professional photos for the profile picture, badges, professionally designed sites, agents, passwords....

These people are far more witty, engaging and eloquent than I am...and they are far more photogenic than I could ever dream of being....I hate them all...okay, maybe I don't hate them...I might just have blog envy...

Maria, the Mum

The New Deal, More Punchlines, The Stage

The New Deal
We're slowly but surely starting to figure this parenting thing out.

We've just realized that if we are CONSISTENT with Lucy, we get better results
We've just realized that if we give Lucy a head's up (Lucy, after this story, its time to go to bed, after you finish your cracker, we're going home, after you finish playing with that, it's so and so's turn to play with it) she deals better with transition
We've just realized if we make a deal with Lucy and shake on it, she'll usually hold up her end of the bargain. This might be my favorite tactic....

So our conversation will go like this:
Mama, I watch Scooby Doo?
Well, we have to have dinner and a bath....
No! I wanna watch Scooby Doo!
Tell you what Lucy, you sit down, eat your dinner and drink your milk. After dinner, we'll take a quick bath and watch 1 episode of Scooby Doo...and we can even snuggle in Mama's bed and watch it..

Lucy places finger on chin and looks up at the ceiling mulling it over....

Ummmm, dinner, Popsicle, bath Scooby Doo?
Yep, what do you think? Deal?

I hold out my hand to shake

Lucy, looking quite pleased with herself agrees

Deal Mama!

And we shake on it

And Lucy eats her dinner, has a Popsicle, takes her bath and watches Scooby Doo snuggled in Mama's bed.
Scooby ends and she looks at me and says....

I watch Yo Gabba Gabba?
Was that the deal Lucy?
No Mama! That not the deal.
What was the deal?
1 Scooby......

And with that, she hops off the bed and paddles into her room with me behind her

I'm totally digging this lets-make-a-deal-shake-on-it parenting  method

Punchlines
Said in a falsetto sort of warbly wavy tone when Lucy sees Sean kissing me:
OOOOOO, Dadddddyyyy!!!

Said in a sweet high who-me tone when I discover something somewhere it should not be and question who/why:
I don't know Mama...maybe Daddy?

Said in a empathetic-I'm-sorry-you're-so-pathetic tone as I'm making my way to the car to leave for work in the morning:
You need another kiss Mama?

Said in a game-show-host-wheelin'-dealin'-tone when she wants something from me when she knows I want something from her:
How about we make a deal Mama?

The world is her stage
Sunday, Sean spent the day stripping the deck as it needs to be re-stained and my job (no way was he going to hand the pressure washer to me) was to keep Lucy occupied
So we spent the day running errands, banging on the sliding glass door and making faces at Daddy and about 40 minutes in meltdown mode (both of us)

One of the stops on our list was the grocery store

Lucy was being particularly impish, cute, and charming (which is code for she was slightly wound up but being pretty funny). She was sitting in the carriage, you know the top shelf part of the carriage, munching on her Ms and Blub Blubs (M&Ms and Goldfish Crackers) sipping her milk and making sure that Bear (her stuffed dog) and my purse were comfortable and that I got everything on the list she was clutching in her right hand.

As soon as we walked into the store, she screamed CHOCOOOLATE DOUNTSSSSS!!!! and was jabbing her hand at the display...scared the shit out of the 6 or 7 people milling around the display table

In one aisle, she was randomly pulling things off the shelf and declaring, as she dropped it into the cart behind her back, We need this.....and this.....and this....not this (and she drops that last item on the floor)...
A young couple with an infant strapped all metro sexually on the Dad was at one point amused and entertained by Lucy - by Aisle 14, they were looking at me with pity and at their child with fear....

In another aisle, she informed me that she had a vagina - at the top of her lungs:
MAMA!!!!! giggle giggle laugh laugh I HAVE A VAGIIIIINNNNNAAAAAA!!!!
Screeches of delight, laughter....giggles......and then a sing songy declaration
Vagina! Vagina! I have a vagina!!!!!!! Ta-daaaa!!!!
A few people grinned, a Mum with two young kids gave me a reassuring nod and smile, a couple (who I would guess to be in their 30s with no kids, jobs in the city and Acuras in the driveway) gave me that mortified control your kid look and two preteen girls collapsed in a fit of giggles

Then she broke out in full American Idol mode and started singing Beatles songs....she actually started singing Yo Gabba Gabba songs....one of which was the Goodbye song....which segwayed to Hello Goodbye by the Beatles...followed by She Loves You...followed by Help! and then somewhere in there was Yellow Submarine, Penny Lane and I think Eleanor Rigby.

Now bear in mind, she is not, of course singing the whole song but, she sings enough words, and has the melodies down pretty pat thereby making what she is singing completely recognizable

A couple, I think in their early sixties, was going through the store at the same pace we were and getting quite a kick out of Lucy and her shenanigans
At one point, I heard the husband say to his wife
I think she's singing the Beatles!
Don't be silly! said the wife. She's a baby, how could she know the Beatles

In the chip aisle, Lucy was singing with great gusto the chorus of Hello Goodbye when the couple passed us:
I told you she was singing the Beatles! declared the husband
Unbelievable! responded the wife. She knows the Beatles! She's singing the words
Pretty cool said the husband

At the checkout, Lucy was not so keen to give up the box of Nemo fruit snacks to Olivia, the cashier, to scan them.

Lucy, I said, Olivia has never met Nemo...do you think you could introduce her to your Nemo?
No thank you Mama as she clutched the box closer to her chest
Oh.....well, I guess that poor Olivia will now never get to meet Nemo...
Yes she can Mama! There more Nemos over there! she pointed in the direction of the snack aisle we had just come from.
She go get her own! This my Nemo!
OK well, here's the thing Lucy.....if you want to take Nemo home, you have to let Olivia scan him so we can pay for him....if Nemo does not get scanned, he can't come home with us
Lucy's eyes got really big and her mouth formed an Oh
Nemo no come home with Lucy?
He can Lucy, but first can you just give him to Olivia for a second?
Lucy handed me the box which I in turn handed to Olivia thanking her for her patience
Olivia scanned the box and handed it back to Lucy
Lucy murmured thank you and hugged the box to her chest
I let out a sigh grateful to have made it through that with no screams or tears

The boy bagging my groceries says to me
Is it always like that? Like do you always have to explain stuff and negotiate?
Yeah, I say, and it doesn't always work
That must suck he says
I sort of shrug my shoulders and Lucy lets out a screech just to let us know she's still there
Good Luck he says to me as he puts the last bag in my cart.......Good Luck.......

Maria, the Mum

Resolution Update

I made 5 New Year's Resolutions.
We're a bit over halfway through the year....here's how its going:

Resolution #1: Once a month date night with husband
January: We know we had a date night, we just can't remember what it was....but I'm sure we had fun and totally reconnected

February: This is the date day that almost did not happen...was a fiasco but with a happy ending.
We had tickets to the Celtics game Sunday afternoon - which also happened to be Super Bowl Sunday.
We were going to go have a nice lunch, attend the Game, maybe have a little time in the city.
But the friend who was supposed to watch Lucy for us flaked out and made plans with her family....then she got sick.

So on Friday afternoon at 5pm, we were scrambling for a sitter.

When I picked Lucy up, I wildly asked any of the teachers if they would be willing to sit for Lucy - Rosalie, yes, Lucy's beloved Rosie, was the only one with no plans. And from that day on, Rosie is our #1 Sitter.
So off we go.....we got stuck in traffic, were late for the game, ate shitty sausages, saw a ho-hum game and ended up leaving early to get home and avoid traffic...not quite what we planned but the good thing was Rosie became Lucy's sitter....and all three of us adore her

March and April: We were all sick in March...for like weeks on end.
In April,  Lucy had surgery and three birthday parties, but I know we caught a movie or two uninterrupted....so though we did not make it out of the house, we spent couple nights together, no laundry, no computer, with a movie and takeout

May: We were so excited for this date night. It was the night before Mother's Day and we were going to have a fancy dinner at a grown up restaurant and then go to the movies! Not a matinee but a night time movie! Rosie was coming to hang out with Lucy - I even made them brownies for their dessert.
But then, I get a phone call at 10:30am...my Dad tried to cut his arm with a chainsaw so I headed to Maine and date night was cancelled.

But a week later, we made up for it and had our night out - dinner and the movie Thor (Sean wanted to see Bridesmaids but I talked him into Thor)

June: We skipped June.....Gareth had been over and we had spent quite a bit of time and money entertaining him so we sort of skipped this month.....unless you count the day we spent with Gareth in Newburyport and then dinner the next night at Turners (the 3 of us) . But again, I know there was also a nighht we caught a movie together on the couch.

July: This is probably Sean's favorite date night so far. His beloved football (soccer) team, Manchester United, was in the States on Tour and played a match against the New England Revolutions at Gillette Stadium. Lori and Kevin took Lucy for us and we went to Gillette for the game.
Neither of us had ever been to Gillette which is just an amazing stadium (though I hate the whole Patriot Place Shopping Mall that surrounds it...but that is another blog) and Sean had only seen Man United play a couple times (in person) so this was a real treat for him....he was like a kid on Christmas morning. Even made me take his picture with the field in the background and then he immediately posted it on Facebook

Resolution #2: Go to Tulsa to visit  brother and family
We're headed to Tulsa Columbus Day Weekend!

Resolution #3: Keep in better touch with siblings
I was calling and leaving messages but no one ever called me back...then I realized we may not be the kind of family that likes to hang out with one another....or maybe it's just not fun to hang out with me...

One of my sisters made a comment about how just because people are sisters/brothers and live close by they don't always need to be in each other's faces...that's what holidays are for....ouch

But then when I see my friends and realize how much time they spend with their families, and...well...I get jealous....I wish I could spend time like that with  my sisters, brother and parents. Fortunately, we have friends that include us in on their family functions/parties so I do get that feeling of "being with family" but still, would be nice to spend a bit more time with my own...and I'm not saying I'm not to blame here...I have sort of giving up on calling....maybe I should try again

Resolutions #4 and #5: Patience, count to 10 before reacting
This is really hard.....and the hardest one to be patient with is myself...followed closely by Lucy!

Want to feel like a failure of a parent? Lose your patience with your 2 year old.....breaks your heart when she starts to cry because you've snapped at her or scolded her a bit prematurely.....

So I'm trying, I'm trying to remember to take a deep breath, exhale, and count to ten.....but for the times I forget, I'm sorry

Maria, the Mum

Rollin' With Mah Homies

Just found this on a blog I follow
Laughed really hard...
Sean and Kevin, could totally see you two in this!

Rollin' With Mah Homies

Maria, the Mum

The Catwalk, The Punchline,

The Catwalk
When you pull certain shirts out of Lucy's drawer, she has an editorial comment to go along with them:

Red Sox T Shirt: Goooooo Red Sox!
Pink Oklahoma T Shirt: Oklahoma where the wind comes sweeping 'cross the PLAINS!
Beatles T Shirt: Hello Goodbye! Hello Hello!!! Goodbye Goodbye!!!!
Gray Oklahoma T Shirt: 'Homa 'Homa!
Puppy Dog Shirt: Hi Yo Puppy Dog! I love you!
Whale Shirt: I have no idea how to type what a whale says or sound like but Lucy makes a whale noise...then informs us she is talking to the whale like Dory did in Nemo
Turtle Shirt: Duuudddeee

The Punchline
I wish I could write these with the tone and inflection of Lucy's voice but I have not yet figured out how to do that.....

After she took all the clothes out of the second drawer of her dresser, said with a grin on her face:
Lucy you are a little monster!
No I not Mama, I a imp!

Said this morning when she awoke with drama and a bit of woe is me in her voice:
Mama! My tummy hurts!
Why Lucy, what's wrong?
It hungry!

Said after a meal or two during which she had honey or syrup, and apparently one time glue:
Lucy! Please take your feet off the table!
I can't Mama, they're stuck in honey/syrup/glue(?)

Said in her best let's make a deal voice:
What would you like for dinner Lucy?
Uhh, cupcakes!!
No Lucy
OK, how about just ice cream?

After watching the dog's at Pet Smart get groomed and delivered with an incredulous tone:
Mama, how come they no get a lollipop and slinky like Lucy haircut?
Oh, well, puppies don't like lollipops Lucy...
Can't they even get a bone?!?

After I came to a quick stop the other day in a line of traffic:
Whoa Mama! Pay attention!

After the dinner I made her the other night and said with a shrug of her shoulders:
Was it good Lucy?
Ahh, it was OK...

On the way home from day care the other day as she let out a big sigh:
Tough day at the office Lucy?
Yeah Mama.....how 'bout you?

After arguing with me about getting out of the tub the other night, said with defiance and finality:
Lucy come on honey, you cant sleep in the tub all night, the water will be cold!
Yes I can Mama, Nemo sleeps in water and he fine!

Said yesterday afternoon after we were both exasperated and annoyed with one another:
Lucy, I can't take it anymore, you are making Mama crazy!
You making me crazy too Mama!

Said with in an exasperated and please stop bugging me tone:
I love you Lucy...
I know Mama, I know!

Maria, the Mum

Perfect Pretty Princess Party

Cousin De got married on April 9th to Brad. It was a private ceremony but on July 9th, they had a reception with their friends and family to celebrate their nuptials. We were lucky enough to be invited.

My only hope for the day, aside from no meltdowns from Sean, Lucy or myself, was to get Lucy in a dress. Knowing Lucy's lack of love for dresses, why would I push such an agenda? Well, De had shared with me  that the young ladies in attendance would be seated at a Princess Table and would be receive their own tiaras, wands, bubbles and bracelets....such a great idea...and I really wanted Lucy to be a Princess for a day...or at least resemble a little girl....like a sugar and spice and everything nice little girl.....not that I don't love her little rough and tumble tomboy self...but now and then, I like seeing her in a pretty little dress...

From the moment we got the invitation, we talked up the Pretty Princess Party to Lucy.....trying to get her excited for it....and told her how all the girls would be in Pretty Princess dresses and how De would wear a White Pretty Princess Dress just like Princess Katherine (Kate Middleton).

Lucy be a Princess too Mama?
You bectha Lucy...and what does a pretty Princess wear?
Ummmm, Red Sox shirt!
No silly Lucy, what does a princess wear....
Ummmmm, Beatles shirt!
No!
OK, umm...a pretty princess dress?
Yeah!!! And Lucy will wear one too!
No thank you Mama......

Lucy came around........

Lucy, what does a pretty princess wear?
Ummm, a dress!
That's right...and are you a pretty princess too?
No Mama! I wear Red Sox!

OK, she did not come round straightaway.....but, she did come round..when I told her there would be cupcakes.

Mama! At the pretty princess party there are cupcakes?
That's right Lucy!
And I have cupcake?
You bet...all pretty princesses wearing a dress get a cupcake!
OK Mama, I have two cupcakes?
Sure! (De told me they were mini cupcakes, no need to give up that detail just yet)
OK Mama, I wear dress and have three cupcakes!
(I so did not see that one coming...)

My sister-in-law gave her a beautiful dress for Christmas. Pink velvet top, stain bottom with tulle over it...a proper ballerina's dress...a dress fit for a princess (or a lady in waiting as the case may be).....I pulled it out of the closet and waited for Lucy to start screaming NOOOO!!!! But Lucy was just chattering about going to the Princess Party, seeing Princess De...she did not even notice when I pulled the dress down over her head....and Daddy made such a big deal out of how beautiful she looked we even got a twirl out of her!
Dress on, check, sandals on, check...not even going to push for a barrette or bow in hair, check....

The Party was great fun - De of course looked regal and stunning, Brad handsome...and Lucy looked like a little princess! We made it almost two hours in the dress before we changed...into shorts and a T shirt of course as she refused to put on the little sundress I brought with me...as a matter of fact, we made it through most of the party with no meltdowns from any of us.....until.......

Lucy was starting to get tired and in my family, saying Good Bye is a 30 minute process....so we started to say good bye.....and the more people we stopped and spoke with, the crankier and squirmier Lucy started to get...as we were standing talking to Cousin Kay, Lucy heard someone mention cupcakes....and lost her shit.....

I want cupcakes! I want CUPCAKES! I WANT CUPCAKES!!!!!!

And then the tears and wailing came! De was quick to come up behind us and tell us the cupcakes were just coming out, go get Lucy cupcakes!!!! De and Brad: thanks for skipping "the cutting of the cake" and letting us dig in!

We said our final goodbyes. Lucy managed to eat two cupcakes as we did so, and somehow also fot two for the road!

Lucy rode home with her wand in one hand and a cupcake in the other...
Perfect end to a Perfect Pretty Princess Party!!

And to De and Brad, thank you for letting us be part of your day....and one last wish for you:

May your hands be forever clasped in friendship
And your hearts joined forever in love
May your mornings bring joy and your evenings bring peace
May your troubles grow few as your blessings increase
May the saddest day of your future
Be no worse than the happiest day of your past
May God's blessings rest upon you
And fill all your coming days

Maria, the Mum

About me, Not here, I know who, The Big Show

All About Me
As we shared a few blogs ago, Lucy is a Beatles fan. Not a day goes by that she does not request to hear the Beatles. She has even learned the words to a few songs and will sing (and by sing I mean yell) along with George, Paul, Ringo and John as loudly as she can and in between giggles and fits of dancing.

Lucy discovered a mere week or so ago that the Beatles wrote a song about her...I of course am referring to Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. When she hears it, she cocks her head to the side and gets this coy little little on her face and asks

Mama, the Beatles sing about Lucy?
They do Lucy...
Mama, Beatles made a song about me?
They did Lucy! Can you believe it? Its totally about you and not drugs (OK, I did  not say the drugs part but I promise it ran through my head)
I like the Beatles Mama! I in the sky?! (a half question/statement)
Yep, the Beatles wrote about you in the sky!
Oh Mama (insert giggle here).....and I have diamonds?!
You sure do Lucy.....
I lucky Mama!

Not up here
This morning, Lucy was picking her nose, her new favorite hobby and her Dad says

Lucy!What are you looking for up there? Gold? Diamonds?
No Daddy! Diamonds are in the sky!!!

And with that she stuck her finger in her nose and kept digging for whatever it is she's digging for

I know who?!
Its been hot here the past few days and though we are lucky enough to have central air, this is the week it has chosen to act up. As a result, out house is just as hot if not hotter than its been outside. Wednesday, our friend Manny swung by to take a  look at it.

Lucy has met Manny before but as usual, was a bit shy when he first came to the door.

Sean and Manny proceeded to get to work on the AC and Lucy and I read books

30 minutes later, it seemed the problem had been fixed and with profuse thanks, we sent Manny on his way.

As I was getting Lucy into bed, she said to me

Mama, Daddy and Manny all done?
They are Lucy, they fixed it.
Oh that's good Mama
Hmm, it is...
Mama?
Yes Lucy?
With great awe and surprise in her voice she asked/declared,
Mama, I know Handy Manny?!?

Follow up: When we awoke Thursday morning, the AC had switched off again. After more trouble shooting, we've determined that the thermostat is the problem - so we switched it out last night. Awoke this morning to a 76 degree house...hopefully this is the fix!
Follow up to teh follow up: went home at lunch, new thermostat not the answer! I'll be at the Hayes' house if anyone is looking for me!

The Big Show
As we all know, Lucy is a Winnie-the-Pooh fan having been read Winnie-the-Pooh circa 1926 and The House at Pooh Corner circa 1928 at least a dozen times each. So when she saw the movie trailer on TV a couple weeks ago for the Winnie-the-Pooh movie, she asked straight away if we could go see it.

Last weekend was the highly anticipated (in the Sykes Home anyway) release of the movie. We took Lucy to see it on Sunday (after a false start Saturday which I blame my Saturday for the shit week I am having but that is another blog). The previews were about 10 minutes then there was a movie short and then, the movie itself was 60 minutes (64 if you sat through the credits and saw the scene at the end of the credits, which we did)

This was Lucy's first outing to The Big Show - sure, we've watched movies at home (Elmo in Grouchland, Finding Nemo, Bambi, Dumbo) but this was our first foray into the public eye for a feature film.....Lucy loved it and she did great.

The movie plot was taken from Chapter Four of Winnie-the-Pooh in Which Eeyore Loses a Tail and Pooh Finds One but there were all kinds of little subplots pulled from other chapters of both books.....they were all woven together to come up with a 60 minute story sure to entertain little ones, amuse older ones and wane nostalgia for others....there was something old fashioned about this film...even the movie short that played before it (made both Sean and I tear up a bit) was somewhat old school....it was nice to sit tthrough a kid's movie that was purely a kid's movie....nothing I needed to worry about scaring Lucy or causing bad dreams, no change in the characters' looks, no change in anything really.....and no attempt to modernize it...even the toys seen in Christopher Robin's room were old fashioned....quite delightful really.

While reading the Pooh books to Lucy, I take great delight in the misspellings (OWL spelled WOL, Back Soon spelled Bak Son) and mispronounced words (Expedition/Expotition). In the  movie, one of these misspellings which becomes a mispronunciation (and a key sub plot line) is when CR leaves a note for his friends telling them he's bisy in morn, bak son. He was really saying busy in the morning, back soon but Owl made a right old mess of that one! Subsequently, it was determined Christopher Robin had been taken by a monster called a Bakson...!!! The look of the Bakson was depicted through Owl's imagination and soon had the friend shaking with terror...but they were determined to rescue Christopher Robin....hilarity ensued and after finding Christopher Robin, and Eeyore's tail, the movie came to an end and Lucy asked if we could see it again!

She has talked about the movie non stop telling everyone she went to see it with great enthusiasm and animation:

I see Winnie-the-Pooh movie! she'll yell while jumping up and down
Eeyore lost his tail! Pooh found it! she'll screech with joy
Ohh, the bakson! she cries, timidly while screwing up her face as if she's scared
I no like the bakson! she'll declare

But then we remind her that the bakson was really just a silly make believe monster as all monsters are really silly at heart and she says

Oh yeah! and starts yelling while giggling
Bakson, bakson! Where the bakson? Bakson gonna get Lucy?
Mama! Daddy! We go see Winnie-the Pooh movie again?

Yes Lucy, I'm sure we'll see it many more times....as long as you love and laugh, we can do whatever you want.....

Maria, the Mum

You have a what where?

This morning, while getting dressed, Lucy reminded Sean he has a penis.

Daddy, you has a penis!

That’s right, I do Lucy.

I have a vajayjay Daddy! I have a vajayjay in my bum Daddy!

What more needs to be added to that conversation.......?

Maria, the Mum

How You Doin', Singing Bus, Sugar Bugs, Dress Up, 2 Dads, Crib Out, My Noggin

Hey Daddy, how's....
Remember how I told you about Lucy figuring out the whole boys have a penis girls have a vagina thing (Vagina Monologues)? Well, a couple weeks ago, I forget what we were doing...maybe having a meal, getting ready for work, or playing, Lucy looks at her Dad and says

Daddy, how's your penis?


The Ice Cream Truck
We were outside one night playing when the ice cream truck pulled into our circle playing its ice cream truck song and attracting the attention of the neighborhood kids.

What's that Mama?

Not missing a beat, and not wanting  to set a precedent of getting ice cream from the truck that drives through the neighborhood EVERY night, I say

That's a singing truck Lucy! Pretty cool huh?

Sean and Kristen seemed momentarily impressed with my quick thinking....but Lucy looked at me quizzically, then at the truck then back at me...then at the truck. She slowly turned to me....

No it's not Mama

My shoulders sagged as I thought I had been figured out (at this point, the other kids were at the window of the singing truck getting handed ice cream and Popsicles)

Mama, that's not a singing truck, that's a singing bus!

Oh, my mistake Lucy! You're right, it is a bus, not a truck...a singing bus, that was what I meant to say!

Silly Mummy she says and goes back to playing

Now, when we hear the ice cream truck, she shouts out
It's the singing bus! and we rush to see it go by and simply stand and enjoy whatever song the bus happens to be singing


Sugar Bugs 
Lucy was touted as being the best toothbrusher at school...a skill she is not so quick to share at home. However, the recent discovery of "sugar bugs" on her teeth has turned her into a right old soldier.

We cajole her into actually brushing her teeth (not just sucking the toothpaste off the bristles and chewing on the head of the brush) by telling her we see sugar bugs crawling around and dare her to try and catch them!
So she attacks the sugar bugs with great enthusiasm pulling her toothbrush out of her mouth every minute or so and shouting 

I caught one I caught one! as she holds her brush up for us to see. 

Look at the size of that one! we'll exclaim as we all stare at the sugar bug on her toothbrush and congratulate her for such a catch.

We'll let her brush her teeth for a few minutes than I'll ask if I can try to catch a sugar bug....

OK Mama as she hands me her sword (toothbrush) and opens wide....and then giggles and drools as I make a big deal about chasing the lone sugar bug that keeps jumping from the front teeth to the back, from the left to the right from behind her teeth to the front of her teeth....and when I finally catch him and proudly show her my fugitive, she looks at me and says

Good catch Mummy!

Kevin got Lucy in a Dress

A few blogs back (I'm not wearing that ), I shared with you that Lucy hates dresses.

Hates them so much she will not even wear a nightgown (though she will wear just a T Shirt to bed)

Kevin, Lori and Caitlin came down one Sunday after attending a graduation party. Caitlin walked in wearing the prettiest little dress I have ever seen – complete with a bow on the back and a petticoat of tulle underneath. At some point, Cait was changed out of the dress so the girls could play…..somehow, conversation shifted to getting Lucy in a dress (probably because I commented on how cute Caitlin looked and how I wished that now and then, I could get Lucy in such a dress)

Kevin pipes up and say, bet I can get her to put the dress on.

Lori, Sean and I laughed – hard.

Kevin says, I bet I can, seriously, can’t be that hard.

I stop laughing long enough to accept his challenge ($20 bet) and gave him a few guidelines (no screaming, crying, whining or fussing from Lucy, and she had to put the dress on willingly not forced over her head) We even had a time limit which was, I think, 20 minutes

Kevin, who is always calm, mellow, reassuring and kind in his ways, says in his quiet confident voice, I can do it

The girls were playing in the living room and Kevin settled on the edge of the rug watching them with the dress in his hand.

Lucy he says, come here a second.

Lucy, who adores Kevin, Lori and Caiti, stands in front of Kevin.

Can you do me a favor Lucy?

Yeah! Lucy says while rocking back and forth

Can you put this on for me?

Next thing we know, Lucy has her arms raised above her head and is letting Kevin slip the dress down over her head! We stopped laughing

You look beautiful Kevin says to Lucy

She turns on her heel, wearing said dress, and throws herself on the floor giggling and continues playing with Cait…

It took Kevin 3 minutes to get her in the dress….and I still owe him $20.

My Two Dads

Right now, Lucy’s favorite book is a children’ Bible Aunt Marie and Uncle Bill gave her for Easter

We read the WHOLE thing EVERY night.

Last night, as we were reading about Moses and the burning bush, which comes right after the story about Moses being put in the basket, Lucy asks

Mummy, God is Baby Jesus’ Daddy?

Yep, he is Lucy, that’s right

Oh……..She says and thinks for a second

God is Baby Moses’ Daddy too?

Well yes, in a sense he is Lucy. God is everybody’s Daddy

Her eyes grew wide at this

What about Daddy? Is he still MY Daddy?

Well of course Daddy is your Daddy…I was not sure where to go from here but Lucy finished up for me

Oh, so I have 2 Daddies….how many Mummies do I have?

Out damn crib, out!

Back in May, before Uncle Gareth came to visit, I wrote that Lucy started sleeping in her big girl bed

Two weeks after she started sleeping in her bed, I was downstairs getting some laundry when I heard some banging around up in Lucy’s room

Lucy! I yelled up the stairs.

Hi Mama!

Are you OK?

Yeah Mama

What are you doing?

No answer…

Lucy? I dash up the stairs…...

I turn the corner to see Lucy’s crib partially blocking the door and Lucy on the other side grunting as she tries to push it out the door!

What are you doing?

I no need crib anymore Mama! I have my big girl bed! Lucy has a big girl bed! Not a baby bed!

We broke down the crib that night, threw it in the basement and have not looked back….next she’ll probably ask for a car…..

Hit my noggin

We’re walking down the stairs to breakfast Tuesday morning, I was in front of Lucy

I hear this thud and turn to see Lucy rubbing the side of her head and muttering to herself

You okay honey?

Yeah Mama, I just bumped my silly noggin on the wall……..

Lucy’s breakfast on my shirt

Got to work yesterday morning and looked down to discover I was wearing part of Lucy’s breakfast on my shirt…..I look good in chocolate chip pumpkin bread……

Maria, the Mum