Max, Brian, my dad and brother Steve all drove to Ohio last weekend for Tim’s birthday. We had a great time, and the boys were angels. I’m busy, but here are the photo sets:
Kevin ended up taking Brian with him, so YAY!\
Yesterday I woke up early to help Kevin gather all of the stuff he needed for the trip and to see them off. After goofing off for a couple of hours, I took a nap. An 8 hour nap. I think I have proven that I am the Olympic champion of naps! Woot. I went down at 9:15 in the morning and got up at 5:07 in the evening. It was so nice. (Duh.) After I woke up, I cleaned the sun room, living room, play room, and family room, and organized toys and books.\
Today I woke up early even though I had planned to sleep in. Since I woke up on my own, it was ok. I again goofed off for awhile then tackled the dining room and Max’s room before resting for awhile. YAY for being in charge of my own schedule.\
I should feel guilty for how much I am enjoying being by myself while I clean. But I am not! My weekend alone is now half over. Sad. At least the list of chores I NEED to get done is now half done!
Yesterday I sweet talked Kevin into agreeing with me staying home while everyone else goes to Ohio. (By sweet talk I mean that I looked pathetic since my face was throbbing from my earlier dentist appointment and simply asked if he minded.) That would mean three glorious days home alone. I was so relieved and happy that I cried.\
Today, Brian has a runny nose and a slight cough. I am way too considerate of others to send him to Ohio if he really is sick. So, I may be crying again real damn soon.
Just a couple of more weeks until my mom comes to watch the boys. Here is more Brian Speak to help her communicate with him better (some of these I have already mentioned):\
Left= Go that way (he points to indicate which way).\
Go= Thank you or the correct usage of go.\
Frossies= Muffin.\
Wawa= Water or waffles, depends on context.\
Max= Batty.\
Bank= Blanket.\
My Turn and Your Turn= the opposite, but he is getting better about this.\
Pay= Play.\
Coe (rhymes with Joe)= I want or here.\
Blu blu blu again= Let’s do that again.\
Up and down and around= Triangle.\
Doh= No.\
Mostly Brian just leaves off the second half of words:\
Ba= Bath\
Ou’ Si= Outside\
Caw= Car\
There are words he can say perfectly, which makes me laugh:\
Piece of Candy\
Juice\
Read\
Golf club\
Other funny tidbits:\
Brian still says a ton of words we don’t understand, but each day he is enunciating more clearly.\
When he hears an unusual noise, he put his hand near his ear and says, “What’s that sound?”\
When he wakes up in the morning, since he can’t open the baby-proof lock on the door, he yells out, “Mama” or “Help me.” Sometimes I worry about my neighbors calling the cops, heh.\
In the morning he doesn’t want to eat breakfast first thing, just cuddle for awhile and watch tv. He is a little couch potato in the making!\
When we count a small number of items, I say, “One, Two, Three.” After I am done, Brian points to one of the items and says, “Ten. YAY!” I guess all of the books (and toes and finger-counting) that end in ten have been burned into his brain.
The most heartbreaking thing I’ve ever seen – a photo essay of a mother and son dealing with the horrors of childhood cancer. Don’t read it or look at it if you’re not somewhere you can have a good cry (seriously, unless you have an extremely cold heart or thick skin – you will).
Kevin comes home today-YAY! The house is a mess, but don’t tell Kevin, ok? I bet he’ll be too tired to notice anyway.\
For the past few days Brian has been asking for some birthday cake. In his cute little toddler voice he asks, “Birthday cake?” Then he takes a moment and adds, “Uncle Steve? Birthday cake?” over and over again. I am not sure what Steve has to do with cake, except that Brian is very fond of both. Steve does have a tendency to say, “Caaaaake” in a Homer Simpson-like way at every birthday gathering. Maybe that is what Brian is picking up on. I told Brian I didn’t have any but we would go see Uncle Tim soon and we would have birthday cake there. Yesterday afternoon passed without a single plea for birthday cake, yay! except for one quick mention in the grocery store. Later the kids were drawing and Brian said, “Uncle Steve” and Max replied, “What about Uncle Tim?” Brian piped up, “Birthday cake!”\
Max left some dandelions for a little girl down the street today. How cute is that?\
My face is acting up again. Stupid face. So I went to the dentist and the tooth next to my recently root canaled tooth needs a root canal too! Boooo. I guess it’s been infected with the “trying to keep up with the Jones’s” disease. I can’t believe how much this is costing us.\
Kevin and I started marathoning Friday Night Lights (still available for free at NBC.com) and we love it! I promised Kev I wouldn’t watch any episodes without him, though it has been hard. The show isn’t at all like the movie, imo, though I am only through episode 6. It is more like Hoosiers meets Home Front, set now. One of the best parts is the coach’s marriage. It is a realistic portrayal of a happy, loving relationship (unlike the Camdens who talk a good game but sneak around actually don’t seem to trust each other) where they support each other instead of relying on “humorous” put-downs to show affection.\
Only 3 more weeks until Paris! YAYAYAYAY Super YAY!
I went back to the dentist for my crown but I only got the temporary one today. Booo. And they had to “cut some tissue away.” Ewwww.\
Awww, Brian blew his nose by himself. How cute is that? And…. now he is wasting the entire box of kleenex duplicating the blow. I think the high-five I gave him might have been a bit too much positive reinforcement. Ha, he is handing me a tissue and demonstrating how to blow because he wants me to blow too. At least he is putting the used tissues in the trash.\
Apparently Friday Night Lights is THE BEST THING EVER, but I haven’t seen it. (The episodes are available on NBC.com.) Anybody out there watching it?
Jen told you about the root canal, which means I’ve been home the last two days playing with the boys. We’ve had a lot of fun, and I’m exhausted. Here’s what we’ve done so far:
Cavity []{.disappointed .be .she’d .mom, .my .tell .don’t .shh,} + waiting until convenient time for an appointment = very expensive root canals. Doh!\
If you need me, I’ll be hiding in my room. Call Kevin instead.