Here’s What I Do Have

So last week, I decided I want to be a "professional" blogger....primarily because, as we have discussed, I am far too lazy and commitment phobic to complete a novel and blogging sort of quenches the need/thirst I have for writing.

I've been doing research - translation trolling around reading other blogs out there - and have come to the conclusion there is no way in hell I could ever compete - translate make my life as interesting, witty and funny - with the blogs out there

There are some amazing people out there!
And they are interesting and funny
They have a point of view and they have a voice

I focused mainly on blogs by other Moms because those were the ones I got sucked into the quickest and got the most out of

These women have

• Multiple children
• They work full time outside the home or inside the home and they have really cool jobs
• They home school their children
• They gave birth in a tub with a midwife or at home with a midwife or in the hospital with a midwife
• And they had a fantastic labor and though some pushed for hours, it was all done with no drugs
• They scrapbook, knit, quilt, make homemade cards for all occasions and holidays
• They garden
• They travel
• They eat organic, cook gourmet meals and make mouthwatering desserts
• They take pictures and post them regularly and with ease
• They lost all their baby weight and go to the gym/bike/run/do yoga
• They love Jesus; they make it to Church every week
• They decorate their homes for every holiday
• They all seem to be pregnant! (I'm being dramatic, but quite a few of them are preggers)
• Oh, and they are all in their 20's/early 30's. And if they are over 35, they started having babies at 25
• They have a circle of family and friends the size of Texas
• They also seem to have a niche: twins, a child with special needs, adopted children, Southern families, military families, green families

Here's how I stack up:

• One toddler
• I work full time outside the home at a job that I can't say I love but don't quite hate, it's a job with a paycheck
• I can barely balance home and work...I finally folded a basket of laundry that has been sitting at the top of the stairs since Saturday...its Wednesday
• I hung out in the hospital for 4 days before having my labor induced, my water broken and then my body refused to dilate, contract and go through labor....so I was drugged, strapped to a table and Lucy entered the world in a bright white surgical room
• She was taken away before I could even kiss her little head....I didn't even get to meet her until the next morning…sometimes I feel robbed on the whole birthing experience…but then again, does it matter? I mean really, I have her….so does it matter how she got here?
• The only crafts I can do are the prepackaged ones...and only if they're for 5 and under
• I have a black thumb - one time, I killed a cactus...even fresh flowers wither if they are within 50 feet of me
• Finding the time and money to travel has been our issue
• Eat organic?!? Gourmet meals??? A gourmet meal in our house is a hot dog with vegetables
• And I'm talking frozen veggies, not even the fresh ones
• All the pictures I take are fuzzy, blurry and usually of the back of Lucy's head...and I can't figure out stupid Aperture enough to post to this blog
• I lost the baby weight, then went back to work and gained it again
• I would love to get back to regular exercise routine but as I said, have not quite figured out the whole balancing thing yet...and one time I tried yoga and got tangled up in myself
• Another time, I bought one of those big blue balancing balls...kept falling off it
• I love God and Jesus but have not made it to Church in a long time….and I miss it
• And my love for God is in the Catholic way, not the Christian way....you'd think there is no difference (because there really is not) but when you identify yourself as a Catholic living in the Boston area somehow this translates to me supporting all the actions of the Diocese of Boston (I don't think I need to elaborate on this) 
• So yeah, I'm down with The Big Guy and JC but find it hard to do in the off handed casual way other people are able to...could be my own hang up but really, it's a tough time, still, to be a Catholic in Boston
• Though I decorate for the holidays, it never quite looks the way it does in my head because I run out of steam and time
• I'm not pregnant.....but feel like I am surrounded by pregnant women on line and in life. We went to Davis Farmland the other day and I swear, every third woman I saw was in the family way
• And people keep asking me when I'll have another because "you're not getting any younger"
• Because, thanks for the reminder, I'm 39 (in a few days) and had my first child at 36
• I don't have a circle of family and friends the size of Texas…which is sort of my own fault because I've burned some bridges I wish I could rebuild
• And this might be the deal breaker: I don't have a niche

Here's what I do have:

• A husband I adore, and who I'm pretty sure adores me even if we sometimes bicker, get annoyed with one another and disagree
• A daughter who makes me love like I've never loved, laugh, and cry. She amazes me every day with her words, antics and actions…and sometimes she makes me crazy and pushes me to the edge but she is ours – and she's a keeper
• I have a job that helps to pay our bills, keep a roof over our heads and provides us with medical benefits….even though we live in a state with the highest child care rates, the highest medical insurance rates and astronomical housing costs, we somehow have managed to handle all three
• Just means we can't travel! But we take some great day trips
• I have a house we can call our own – so it's a little small, there's no garage and every nook and cranny is filled – it's ours…..Lucy's artwork hangs on the walls, her stuffed animals are in every room and you can't move without tripping over a pile of books….it's ours and its home
• And our door is always open – come and go as you please. You don't have to take your shoes off and we don't really care of you break something or knock something over…..just so long as you feel at home…and people do
• I may forget to take pictures but I'm in every moment I have with Sean and Lucy – and when you are in the moment, it does not matter if its blurry, fuzzy, there's too much light or not enough light……it only matters that at that moment, I'm paying attention, tucking it away and calling upon it on a rainy day or in a dark hour
• I may not have a circle of friends the size of Texas but the friends I do have, no matter how far away, keep me in their thoughts and prayers and are there when I need them the most
• And my family may be a bit off center and at times dysfunctional, but any one of them would be there when I called….course they may stop for Jujubes on the way but they'd be there
• And I swear, I'm not as self indulgent, bitter, jealous or self centered as this makes me sound
• Oh and I make really good cookies

Now if I could only find my niche……(this is the part when I say I'm open for suggestions but I like to try to be coy about certain things…like asking for input or advice…..reading between the lines? Anyone?)

Maria, the Mum

Hunger Strike, RIF

Hunger Strike
When we talk to other Mums and Dads we know, we've all come to realize and accept that kids are generally either a good sleeper or a good eater......its the rare and lucky parent (in our circle anyway) whose kid is both a good eater and sleeper.

Calin, our neighbor, is asleep by 7:15 EVERY NIGHT! Her Mum and Dad have nights all to themselves! But, Calin won't eat....she is the most finicky little peanut I've ever met.

Caiti is THE BEST SLEEPER IN THE WORLD!!!! When we first started hanging out with the Hayes Family, and I did not know them as well as I do know, I totally wanted to punch Lori in the face when she said they often times have to wake Caiti up in the morning (at 9!) and that she was in bed no later than 8 and that she naps like a champ for 2-3 hours...seriously, I wanted to punch her in the head. But now that I have come to know and love the Hayes Family, I'll let it go...but I'm still jealous

Ben is a great eater, so so sleeper
Chase is a good sleeper, so so eater
Catherine, better eater than sleeper
See the trend?

Lucy has always been a good eater - she comes by it rightly mind you
But she's never been a good sleeper

On a good day, we might get Lucy to sleep in until 6....but usually, by 5:30, she is awake. Yes, that's right, even on the weekend....even on days off....even when she went to bed late the night before.....even if she was awake three times during the night.......Lucy is almost always awake at 5am...sometimes 5:30, but usually 5.

We took to bringing her in bed with us trying to get her to snuggle and doze for another 30 minutes or so.......rarely worked though Sean and I could always sneak in a few extra minutes....and on the weekends we resort to giving jher the iPad and an episode (or 2) of Scooby Doo or Yo Gabba Gabba

But the past few mornings, something strange has been happening....

LUCY HAS BEEN SLEEPING UNTIL WE WAKE HER UP AT 6:15

We've had to wake her up.....we have had to wake up Lucy.....Lucy was still asleep after we were awake....and showered....and dressed....Lucy has slept beyond 5am, past 5:30am......She's not sick, and I'm pretty sure I'm bringing the right kid home from Day Care each day......we've had to wake her up....

We don't know how to take showers, brush our teeth or get dressed without Lucy running from room to room or rolling around on the ground with her animals....she has totally thrown our routine off....and we've been late the past three morning because of it! Not because she's been "sleeping in" but because our routine is out of whack...our timing is off...our senses are in shock....

I've probably just jinxed it but its like a Christmas Miracle and had to be shared.......

Did I mention Lucy is on a hunger strike?

Reading is Fundamental
On Saturday, Lucy and I spent some time at the used bookstore not far from the house and came home with 17 new (used) books.....yes, 1*7, 17, seventeen, diecisiete, dix-sept, семнадцать, dezessete, books.
 And no, I have not purged any of her old ones out. In our world, you can never ever have too many books (or stuffed animals).

And here's the thing, Lucy, much like with her animals, is pretty fair in her love and admiration for all her books.

We go through phases where we read the same stack of book every night before bed
Right now, its Best Friends, Finding Nemo, Pooh and Eeyore, Pooh and Piglet, and Blues Clues (the last 4 being new purchases Saturday, Best Friends being a book she got at Christmas of 2009)

And much like with her animals, we leave the house with no fewer than 3 books and I usually have a book or two stashed in my bag and Sean always has a pile of books in his car.

I love that she loves book.
I love even more that she can identify with and identify the books (if that makes any sense)
I love that she gets excited in all the right places, gets sad, gets "scared, " and claps when the story ends
I love how she remembers the characters and when they turn up in other books (like Beatrix Potter did with her characters) Lucy identifies them (Mama! That Peter Rabbit! He in the garden again?)
I love how when we're trying to teach her something or get her to do something, she connects it with a story 
I love it that when one book ends, she shouts How about another one?!?!?

I can't wait to introduce her to EB White, Shel Silverstein's poems (she loves The Giving Tree), Laura Ingalls Wilder, Nancy Drew, Junie B Jones, Charlie and Willie Wonka, James and the Giant Peach, The Magic Tree House, Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, Anastasia Krupnik, Ramona Quimby, Ralph the Mouse.....I could go on and on and on.....

I already have a list of all the books and characters I want her to meet - and I can only hope she loves them as dearly as I did

And I look forward to all the new characters and authors we'll meet together.....

Maria, the Mum

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