Merry Christmas to All..

I so wanted to post a few beautiful pictures of my boys in their adorable matching Christmas sweaters surrounded by their Santa bounty. But, our reality did not quite make it to a Kodak moment. Unless pictures of our family beaten down by a stomach virus could make it to next years Christmas card.

So - no Christmas sweaters. No Christmas Eve Italian feast at Nana's. Just mad rushes to keep the kiddies from vomiting all over the place. I even exhibited some amazing mommy prowess and caught Aidan's vomit in a blanket to keep it from the beautiful and NEW sectional. I sure wish I had some pictures of me nursing on Christmas Eve at 3 am as I quietly vomited in a bucket next to my chair, but sometimes you just miss all the good shots. Or even a video of Brennan desperately trying to tell me that he had pooped anywhere and everywhere - and then the expression on my face as I took in the icky stinky mess. (the gift that just keeps on giving... and giving.)

Thankfully, the virus spared Griffin. He is healthy and happy - and that is the best gift our family could hope for this year.

And so they sleep...

In what can only be described as a modern miracle of nature, all three of my boys are asleep SIMULTANEOUSLY. I had to quickly debate the merits of a nap versus a shower. The shower won. And it was the best shower ever. Truly. My nirvana of joint naps lasted 45 minutes until a lone cry pierced the silence. And back to reality we go...

The Proposal

I never know what Aidan will ask - but it is always interesting and will certainly either make me laugh or often, even cry. Take yesterday for example:

Aidan: "Mom, when two people get married, does that mean that they have to move away?"

Me: "Well, sure - when two people get married, they do usually move in together into a home of their own."

Aidan then starts to cry. Big fat tears welling up in those beautiful brown eyes. He then wails, "But I don't ever want to move away from you. Ever!"

Knowing full well that I am going to make life very difficult for the little hussy who tries to steal my sweet boy away from me, I give him a huge hug and respond, "Okay, well, you can just live with me forever."

"Forever?"

"Forever."

Aidan is quiet for a second and then responds, "I have an idea. How 'bout I marry you and then we can move away and get a house of our own?"

My sweet darling little boy.

Depends anyone?

Over the weekend, Chris stopped at the store for milk and juice. (Staples when you have young kiddies.) Out of sheer desperation, I asked him if he could also pick me up some (ahem) sanitary pads. (Poor guy, I know.) Out of credit to him, he didn't even blink an eye over the request.

I opened up the package he brought home that evening. And inside were the biggest pads I had ever seen in my whole life. They were Depends - undergarments for those with bladder incontinence. I laughed so hard my shoulders were shaking and tears were in my eyes. When I showed Chris what he responded: "Huh - I must have been quite a sight in line at the grocery store with a gallon of juice, a gallon of milk and my bladder control pads." Heh.

Happy Birthday Brennan!

Brennan turned two on Saturday. Two! Although if you ask him, he continues to insist that he was turning three.

Brennan is a child that brings a smile to people's faces merely by walking into a room. It's unexplainable - but true. He is our jokester - always trying to make you laugh and giggle over some antic. Yesterday, he walked around with three rubber bands on his head just to see the reaction he would get from his mom and Aidan. His personal favorite for inspiring laughter from all of us? Brennan's infamous naked somersaults after a bath.

He loves to sing and bust a move. He sings at full volume - belting out his ABCs or more recently, Jingle Bells or he hums quietly to himself as he hugs his blankey and enjoys a quiet moment with the beloved (and addicting) binky.

Brennan so enjoys his food. Before he could talk, he would just giggle over the sight of his next meal. Now he interrupts his eating to exclaim "yum" or "good" or more often "more." He loves everything from tacos to yogurt and of course his brother's culinary favorite "mac n' cheese." Brennan was the only 16 month old I knew that could identify his favorite restaurant "Moe's Southwest Grill" by sight when we drove past it in the car. He even cried if we drove past without stopping in for his favorite chicken burrito.

Brennan worships his older brother and will follow him anywhere and keep up with him in anyway possible. He loves to play tackle with daddy, read books, color and build, build, build!

He is a love. He loves to cuddle, give hugs and a wet smacking kiss that he has to rub in to make sure it lasts all day long.

Happy Birthday Brennan. It is such a joy to watch you grow and live each day.

And Baby Makes Five...

We are now a family of five. Griffin arrived on December 4, weighing 8 lbs, 4 oz., and promptly caused all of us to fall head over heels in love with this little bean of a baby. He has a full head of such beautiful dark hair and the brightest blue eyes. I just can't stop loving him up.

The boys are beside themselves. Aidan is in full big brother helper mode. Our first day home, Aidan ran up to me and demanded, "Where's our baby?" And then begged to hold him and confidently popped the binky back into Griffin's little mouth at the first sign of crankiness. Aidan also had some kind words for his mom after I arrived home. After sharing a nice good night hug, Aidan tells me, "Mom, you did such a good job pushing out our baby, I am going to let you borrow one special thing from my room for the whole night." I left his room with his treasured truck pillow and tears in my eyes.

Brennan is a little more unsure of this new addition. He liked the idea of the baby, but now that it is reality, our "momma's boy" isn't sure what to do with this interloper who demands his momma's attention. I think Brennnan takes comfort in the fact that he can out momma Griffin by having the ability to follow me into the bathroom, shower and wherever else I may find myself in the house. If I do dare to leave a room without announcing it to Brennan, he has taken to screaming "Momma!!!!" at full volume until I announce my whereabouts.

Our first day home was challenging. Griffin was a little put out by his new surroundings and shared his feelings at full volume ALL DAY LONG. It was a nonstop cry fest and caused me to have many moments of "Oh Dear Lord, What Have We DONE?" Even my normally unflappable mother in law appeared a tad stressed out when absolutely nothing could quiet the boy down. Well, nursing would quiet him down. But after six straight hours on the boob, I needed a break.

(Sidenote - add to this hysteria - a husband who has to dash off to work all day for a work emergency that had kept him up until all hours the night before and then we LOSE POWER (AGAIN!) that night. I was holding it together pretty well until the power went off. Then the hormonal breakdown was released in full force. Tears, blubbering, general hysteria, no power, no heat and a baby THAT WOULD NOT STOP CRYING unless I allowed him back onto the cracked, bleeding blistering boobies.)

But then day two home brought us an adjusted and happier Griffin. No tears. Regular nursing demands and his very first normal poopie! (I think it was the poopie that did it. I really do.) Since then, it has been a dream. Well, a dream in which I (and my children) all live in pjs everyday, never leave the house, and watch wayyyyyy too much Noggin. (I heart Noggin. I really do.)

And to top it off? He sleeps! Griffin sleeps! Not the hour newborn catnaps that all new moms must endure, but he nurses at 9 pm and is good until anywhere from 2:30 until 4! 4!!!!!!! Yes, I am still emotionally and physically exhausted, but I know a good thing - and that is a gift for a new mom.

Griffin has completed us as a family - and for that we are all truly blessed.

Christmas Lights Galore...

Aidan and I were on our way back from swimming class on Monday night and we were admiring the many houses already ablaze with Christmas lights and decorations. And then we saw it. The Griswold house. It is a house that already stands out in our town - a polish villa style mansion complete with turrets lost in a sea of traditional colonials. But during the Christmas season, this house could be seen from space. It had lights blinking on every available surface, lit reindeer suspended as if in flight, spinning trees glittering with every color light of the rainbow and lots n' lots of lit up plastic figurines - from Santa to Frosty. Oh - and did I mention the plastic life size manger scene?

We had to pull over to give the decorations our full attention. After a full minute or two of silence, Aidan asks me with awe in his voice, "Mom, do you think Santa lives there?"

Aidan and Brennan all dressed up to munch on some turkey...

Aidan was determined to capture his amazing jumping skills on camera. (Great camera work by Chris!)

No Thanksgiving Turkey Baby...

I really believed that we would have a Thanksgiving baby. Really, truly believed (and was happy about it!) that I would eat my turkey and stuffing within the walls of Children's Hospital. I even packed my bag. But, no baby. Not even a smidgen of a sign (beyond my beached whale appearance), that a baby arrival is imminent.

So, two ultrasounds, a fetal stress test, two doctor's appointments - and the conclusion? Let's give it a week and see what's going on. Grrrrr.

Good news? This has allowed us to deck the halls at our family home. The lights are twinklin' outside. The wreaths are gracing our windows. The tree is up and waiting to be decorated this evening. I even wrapped gifts last night! The only catch? The sixty plus degree sunshiny weather outside. Where is my snow?

I may POP already!

I am beyond ready to have this baby. BEYOND ready. No, the clothes are not all washed. I still have Christmas shopping to do and gifts to wrap. The hospital bag is not packed. The baby's room is a mess, but I need to have this baby. NOW.

My belly has reached epic proportions. Instead of annoying people asking me if I am expecting twins (this stopped being funny three months ago), someone asked me on Friday if I was expecting triplets. After she asked, this complete stranger laughed in a good natured way that had me imagining if anyone could actually blame me if I had hauled off and smacked her. Just once.

I have outgrown 95% of my maternity clothes. If it was not for my beloved black Gap stretch pants and turtleneck sweater (that I wear every day! EVERY DAY!), I'd be taking the kids out while I was in my pjs.

My bed looks like something from Princess and the Pea. In order to get any sleep, I have slowly added padding upon padding to my side of the bed. This has included a mattress pad, a rolled up down comforter and an extra thick foam cover. My poor husband sleeps three feet below me on his "side" of the bed. (I use the term "side" in its most liberal sense - as he currently gets about two inches to park himself and must use his own blankets lest he dare disturb my carefully constructed sleeping system.)

And speaking of sleep - of which I get none - I am awake every hour. Every hour. When nursing a newborn every two to three hours starts to sound like a blissful vacation, it's time to have the baby. IT'S TIME. (An almost amusing sidenote, besides bathroom trips, baby kicks and hip pain waking me up all night long, I have also started to wake myself up with my OWN snoring. Yep. My own snoring is so loud that I can not even sleep through it. Sigh.)

I can no longer see anything beyond the belly. After an ultrasound last week, Chris informed me that I had icky gel all over the top of my pants. But no matter how I turned or contorted my body, I just couldn't see it. He finally took pity upon me and cleaned me up as best he could.

And then I rewarded him with a hormonal break down to rival all other pyscho moments where I yelled and screamed that we had to get a bed for Brennan now or else! Are we planning on moving Brennan out of the crib and into a bed in the next few weeks? Um, well, no. But it is just one thing that I had in my head that we MUST ABSOLUTELY DO OR I CAN NOT HAVE ANOTHER BABY SO JUST DO IT OR I WILL EXPLODE. And do it now. Please. (I didn't really say please, but I did say thank you when he brought the bed home several hours later.)

I have another ultrasound tomorrow and a doctor's appointment on Wednesday. If I could get down on my knees and beg for an induction, I would. But I have a feeling that I would never be able to get up off the floor again.

Life with a Two Year Old Exhibitionist

Brennan's new favorite phrase? "I git nikkid".

Translation for those without toddlers at home - "I get naked."

He usually shouts it out as he makes an attempt to undress himself at home, at the YMCA or even at Dave and Busters smack dab in front of a giant television screen during the middle of a Bills game. (That one raised quite a few guffaws along with some raised eyebrows.) The boy just wants to be naked. And in the middle of winter no less. He's a hearty soul.

COLD STONE as a personality test?

We took the boys for ice cream at Cold Stone on Sunday. As I explained to the boys that they could pick one "mix in" for their ice cream, they watched me very seriously. They both walked up and down the line examining each mix in available.

Aidan was overwhelmed and immediately began his deliberations. Should he go for the white chocolate chips? The marshmallows? Chocolate chunks? Lots of choices, lots of choices.

Brennan walked by each mix in once. He stopped at the jar of m&ms , looked up at me and declared: "I want that." After the ice cream server mixed it all up and handed it to me, Brennan looked around the shop, pointed to an empty table and said: "And I go sit."

And off he went to get himself comfortable at a table where he could dive right into his ice cream. Aidan? Still deliberating.

Love, Lots of Love...

I love Buffalo. I love living here and I just wouldn't want to live anywhere else. I love the city and its quirky neighborhoods. I love the hockey (GO SABRES!) and even the football. I love the theater and museums. And the restaurants - mmm, the restaurants! We like to eat in Buffalo and it shows. From the eclectic gourmet of Left Bank to a good ol' fashioned chicken finger sub - you just can't beat it.

I love my little slice of suburbia that my husband has dubbed "whoville" just twenty minutes away from well, anything. I love the town dance, the ice cream social, toddler times and even holiday caroling.

I love the four seasons here. The damp smell of spring with blossoming trees. The euphoria that summer brings - trips to the beach or pool, outdoor concerts and a new festival every weekend. The crispness of fall surrounded by autumn colors. And the winters. I even love the snow.

I love the people. The genuine kindness of Buffalonians combined with a sense that we are all merely separated by one or two degrees. A city with a small town heart.

I have lived from coast to coast - from Oregon to Connecticut with a few stops in between. I live in Buffalo because I chose to live here. It is and always will be, home. I truly believe Buffalo is one of the best kept secrets and I like it that way.

But what I love most about living here - is that I am blessed to live among my family, surrounded by a bevy of cousins, aunts, uncles, parents and grandparents.

Last night, we all came together to celebrate my grandmother's birthday. As I watched my family laugh together, revel in each other, I felt blessed. And as my cousins, age ten through sixteen, took turns pressing their hands up against my belly to feel the baby move and those hands were joined by that of my mother, and lastly my grandmother, I gave a silent prayer of thanks for living here and for loving Buffalo.

Maternity Leave, Maternity Leave, Oh How I Love Thee...

Yesterday was my official last day at work for six whole months. SIX MONTHS! I love me some maternity leave. While the actual extraction from work was certainly not easy - and led to lots of stress, a few contractions and even a nice migraine, my first day of maternity leave and the sigh of relief it provides with the promise of some actual relaxation makes it all worth it.

Big Sigh. Now I just need to have this baby. But not until I get all my Christmas shopping done, my gifts wrapped, a few things baked, my house clean and organized, baby clothes put away and my hair highlighted. Hmmm - did I just say something about relief and relaxation? Yeah, sure.

Oh Baby...

Random baby on the way moments with my two adorable little boys.

Brennan has taken to lifting my shirt to gaze at my rather large pregnant belly. After a moment, he gives the belly a nice pat and says "Ha ma baby" (toddlerease for "Hi My Baby.") He then puts my shirt down and gives the belly another nice little pat. I have also caught him pulling up his own shirt and gazing at his own cute lil' pot belly while he gives it a poke and says "Baby?"

Chris and I think we may have a name for our third little boy. But as we are still not a hundred percent certain, we decided to keep the name to ourselves for now. We ran the entire list of names currently under consideration by Aidan and he enthusiastically picked the same name that was the front runner. The next day, we found out Aidan shared our name selection with both Chris's parents and my mom. When, laughing, I asked him about keeping the name a secret, he grudgingly admitted that he also told all his friends at school, his teachers and one of his cousins. And that is what a preschooler can do with information in a 24 hour span of time. It also reminds me that within 24 hours of my taking the pregnancy test with this baby number three, Aidan's entire school knew the results. Apparently, Aidan even walked his teacher through how the "two lines on the stick means my mom is having a baby". There is no such thing as privacy when you are the parent to a preschooler.

Batman and Superman Trick or Treat and Live to Tell the Tale...




While Aidan could barely contain his joy over the unlimited candy promised by trick or treating, Brennan was not convinced. His foray into trick or treating lasted for all of one house after which he started yelling at his father in broken toddler english "I wanna ma momma" repeatedly until Chris brought him home. He perked right up, though, when he realized that he could have candy, his mom, and an adoring public who came right to his very own door. Why deal with that whole trick or treating thing anyway?




Despite a little rain, soggy feet and lots of mud, Aidan pronounced the night a success. He is adamant that his secret identity is secure because no one recognized him behind his mask.





My Little Superheros...

Ah the times, they are a changin...

The boys were settled in for their hundredth screening of Toy Story 2. As they giggled over Woody, Jesse and Bulls Eye's antics on a record player, Aidan turned to me and asked:

"What does a record player do?"

I think Chris and I were both a little stunned by the question. We realized that beyond his little Toy Story addiction, there was a chance that Aidan would never, in his lifetime, encounter a record player. He is a four year old who regularly requests "his" playlist from my IPOD. But a record player? Ancient, baby, ancient!

And all I could remember was my memory of dancing around my mom's living room as a preschooler, grooving to "Cookie Monster at the Disco" as it spun on the turnstile of an ancient record player. Today, it's Laurie Berkner downloaded from ITunes. The times really are a changin...

Over the summer, Aidan created what he dubbed "no pants day." In his mind, what better way to enjoy the warm summer weather than to shed his pants and show off his dapper Batman underwear. As time went on, "no pants" day became an almost daily request and he even cajoled some friends on playdates to join in the fun. (Thankfully, their parents were quite understanding at picking up their son as he ran around the house in his undies.)

But, alas, now the cool weather is upon us in Buffalo. And I had to regretfully tell Aidan that we must take a break from his "no pants" day. He only agreed after I promised him, really promised him, that we will have warm weather here again - and thus the return of "no pants" day. We may have to come up with a special celebration to mark its return in the Spring.

Got Cake?

I went to Target yesterday because I told myself we needed dog food and toilet paper. And we did. Really. But I knew deep down inside, that we also really needed new rugs for our entry way, new throw rugs for our kitchen and lots n' lots of boots and shoes for the boys. So I got all of that and then some. I also bought halloween candy. And flannel sheets. I seriously have a Target problem.

Part of the problem is my belief during the advanced stages of all of my three pregnancies that I will be completely confined to the house after the birth of my child. Therefore, I must make sure I have purchased, stocked, and tallied every little thing that anyone may need prior to giving birth. This fear is only compounded when we talk about giving birth within weeks of Christmas. I must organize! I must shop! I must stock up!

All this from a woman who managed to still attend and party at Octoberfest in Ellicottville with a five week baby snuggled to her chest in a Bjorn. And travel to Florida (ALONE!) with a newborn and a two year old. But despite a historical evidence to the contrary, I am convinced the birth of my third will REALLY be the defining moment that requires I never leave the home ever, ever again. Even to get to Target. Do you think Target will miss me?

The Surprise Storm of October 2006 and How We All Lived to Tell the Tale...

Where does it snow in October? I'll give you three guesses! I think I may have to start stocking my boys with boots, hats and gloves in August just to be safe for next year. As it was, Brennan and Aidan embraced the new snow Friday morning with glee and romped with their cousins while outfitted in sneakers, sweatpants and barely fitting winter coats. Snow angels, snow balls and even a little snow snack for Brennan - but that was the fun part.

The not so fun part? The fact that our, along with 200,000+ Buffalonians, electricity went out Thursday night - leaving us with no heat or sump pump, no lights, and no ability to woo my children with a (cough, cough) educational DVD so Mommy can recover from the two hours of sleep she had last night. The city and surrounding environs were clobbered by the abundance of wet, heavy snow clinging to the trees. Phoeby has great pictures at her blog that capture the storm's aftermath.

I packed up the kiddies and set up camp as a "basement dweller" (tm Dr. Dylan) at our gracious friends' home of Dylan and Christine. Chris, as the man of the house, held down the fort by emptying our basement of all items, bailing water and transforming himself into the reincarnation of Macgyver by hooking up our sump pump to his car battery to keep the water at bay. He did all this in an unheated home, in the dark, and caught about an hour of sleep here and there. He is a saint. Truly.

The boys loved the sleepover and the opportunity for unlimited play with their pals Ellie and Casey. We had heat, electricity and television - but (and isn't there always a but?) we lost water around 5 pm. Yes, water. Because the generator that distributes the water for our area apparently also lost power and that means NO RUNNING WATER. It was at this point I felt like we were indeed in the midst of surreal situation.

On Saturday, Chris found a generator by outrunning two hundred desperate shoppers at our local Sears. (All that marathon training really did come in handy, didn't it?) My Macgyver got our sump pump all hooked up and pumping and joined us as a basement dweller. We also got running water back. We all celebrated by having dinner out with the kiddies at the illustrious gourmet bistro that is Wegmans.

Sunday? Yep - still no power. We decided to give our friends' a little break and moved in to my grandparents' home. They were the only ones in my extended family with heat and water. This meant a warm home full of cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents.... a very full home indeed. (My grandfather commented that "this is a true test as to how our family really does get along.") But strangely enough - it was fun. My aunt cooked a big dinner. The kids played and had a great time. Aidan and Brennan loved having even more time with their cousins. The adults laughed and chatted while watching the Bills go down in flames. Family is a truly wonderful thing.

And on Sunday afternoon, my own personal Macgyver rigged our heat to our generator, which meant that we could move back home. Home. We had one light, a fridge and heat, but we were home.

Monday afternoon? WE GOT THE POWER! I was never so happy as I loaded that dishwasher and pressed the start button.

Unfortunately, after Monday and even today, there are still people here without power. Still. It is disconcerting to realize how dependent we are on comforts we take for granted every day.

Everyone in Buffalo looks a bit shell shocked and so tired, so very tired. I think we need a group vacation as a city to recover from the ordeal. Oh - and the snow? Gone. Let's hope it stays away until at least November. Although my boys are wishing otherwise...

Open House!

We had open house at the boys' school last night. Chris and I split duties and he put Brennan to bed while Aidan took me on a tour of his preschool classroom.

As part of Aidan's tour, I got to read his "journal". (Yes, my four year old journals as part of his daily school routine. Scary, isn't it?) We visited the classroom hamster "Lola". And I learned that Aidan's favorite foods consist entirely of cheetos, cheese crackers and cookies. (This in a sea of children who claimed to just love yogurt, milk and fruit! Sigh. Why is it always my child? Why?) We also got to read the special books prepared by Aidan's classmates in which Aidan's contribution consisted of:

Things I Like to Do With My Family: Aidan: "I like to play on my swingset with my family."

Things I Would Like to Do With My Friends: Aidan: "I would like to go in a spaceship into outer space with my friends Liam and Nicole. And My Mommy and Daddy."

Things I See in the Mirror: Aidan: "Two brown eyes."

We stopped by Brennan's classroom to say hello to his teacher "Miss Judy." Miss Judy told us that Brennan has become quite the class nurturer. Anytime any of the other children in the class cry or get upset, Brennan runs to find their blankie or special stuffed animal to calm then down.

On our way out of the open house, Aidan managed to leave with two chocolate chip cookies. My little junk food junkie. I have to start pushing that yogurt and fruit!

Chris and I took the boys to a playground over the weekend to romp around in the beautiful weather. While most 21 month old children are content to ride in the baby swing with a lazy, easy glide, Brennan had to have the "big boy" swing right next to his brother. Chris compensated by pushing Brennan gently to ensure that he didn't get too high. Brennan was not, to say the least, pleased by the gentle swing maneuvers.

"No, No, No!" he yelled emphatically, kicking his legs in frustration.

"Brennan, do you want to get off the swing?" asked Chris, confused.

"No. Daddy. Up, Up, UPPPPPP!" Brennan yelled with force.

He kept on yelling "up" until the swing was flying back and forth in wild abandon and it looked like his toes could touch the leaves on a nearby treetop. Only then, did he stop and just grin with pure joy. He even let loose a few giggles too.

We are so going to have our hands full with this child.

It Seemed Like a Hallmark Mommy Moment...

Aidan and I were sharing some cuddle mommy time before bed last night when he started to pepper me with questions about the new baby. He even talked to the baby as he patted my belly to say hello.

"How big will the baby get Mommy?" he asked, as he whispered words to my belly.

"A little bigger", I replied.

"And will your belly get bigger too?" He asked.

"My belly will get bigger. Each time the baby grows, my belly will get a little bigger."

He gazed at my belly thoughtfully for a moment or two and then asked with the innocence of a preschooler: "And why does your bottom keep getting bigger too?"

OUCH! I just wish I could have told him that I was about to give birth to a second baby straight out of my big, growing butt, but that just wasn't something I wanted repeated to his preschool teacher this week.

HOCKEY IS FUN...even without the ability to consume beer! Chris and I went to the home opener of the Sabres last night. It was an unbelievably exciting game, a real nail biter that went into overtime and a shoot out to determine the winner. At the end of it all, Sabres prevailed and the fans went crazy. Quite the night.

On a sidenote, one of the things I love about Buffalo is while it is a city, it often feels like a small town where you can run into people you know, knew or are even related to, in the unlikeliest places. Last night, amid 20,000 people, almost every third person we saw, Chris and I knew - some of whom we haven't seen for over eight years. It creates an atmosphere of the familiar and well, of being home.

AND YET ANOTHER MILESTONE...

Aidan, my big boy preschooler, is going on a field trip. A field trip! His preschool class is traveling to a country farm to pick pumpkins, drink cider and indulge in hay rides. He gets to ride a bus to the farm - something he has never done before.

His teacher asked me to sign the permission slip when I picked him up from school yesterday. As I read the slip, tears clouded my eyes. Yes, I cried over my son's first official school field trip. I even cried a bit for my first permission slip signature. And I cried because the thought of Aidan riding a school bus reminded me that kindergarten is only a year away.

The teacher assured me that other moms had also shed a tear or two over the permission slip, but I have a sneaking suspicion that she may have just been trying to make feel better.

LONGEST DAY EVAH!

I am 32 weeks pregnant and I am tired, so very tired. I don't sleep at night, I just merely nap in between frequent bathroom trips and hip/leg spasms. This whole not sleeping thing, combined with the hormonal wonders of pregnancy, has led to even more tearful moments than usual.

And this morning saw me weeping as I drove around downtown Buffalo desperately looking for a parking spot, any old place to put my car, so I could get to work. My normal parking ramp was full. And my lovely friends who attend the parking garage who usually sneak me in anyway - waved me off - when I gave them my desperate drive by. And did I mention that it was a torrential downpour? And I had no umbrella?

I finally found a spot across the street from my parking ramp in a gravel lot that requires you pay the meter five dollars. In singles or quarters. And all I had was my fresh from the ATM twenty dollar bill. So, there I am, in the downpour, with rain and tears streaking down my face, stopping Canadian tourists asking them for change for a twenty. Sigh. It was not one of my best moments.

But then! My parking attendant hero saved me! He did! He did! The unbelievably nice parking lot attendant from my daily ramp RAN ACROSS THE STREET IN THE DOWNPOUR to tell me that I could park in their lot. He told me that he hadn't recognized me, and of course I could park there! It was easily one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me.

And then off to work. Wet, tearful and tired, but off to work. Work that required I stay an extra two hours to be trained on our newfangled email system called Microsoft Outlook. Yes, two hours people! On outlook. Really. I can not even begin to describe the sad humor that was the outlook training.

When I finally made it home from my twelve hour day, both boys were already fed, bathed and fast asleep courtesy of my husband, uber daddy. But to my delight when I tiptoed into Aidan's room to do my last bedtime check, he sleepily and delightedly called out "Mommy!" and pulled me close for a tight hug. And that was enough to wipe away the rest of my day and allowed me to go to bed for my nighttime nap with a smile.

When Aidan was two, I took a picture of him strolling by himself along a path lined with trees just showing the first autumn colors. It is one of my most favorite pictures of Aidan, even though it only shows him from behind. But to see his confident stride on legs with melting baby chubb, surrounded by trees bursting with fall colors captures so much - a memory, a perfect day, and Aidan as he left babyhood fully behind as a full fledged toddler.

Today, I took a picture at the same park with both my boys. Aidan is now four and Brennan almost two. It was the same path, same season, almost two years to the day of the first picture. It reminded me that life truly does go so fast. They grow before your eyes and sometimes we forget to stop and just watch in awe. They held hands as they walked the park path - and soon, there will be a third set of hands for all of us to hold.

Aidan just had his first homework assignment - ever! - as a preschooler. I was more nervous than he was and read the instructions posted by the teacher at least three times to ensure that we didn't miss anything important. We had to create a "family quilt." The teacher gave each child a large piece of paper on which he or she was to depict their family.

Aidan and I spent time going through family pictures to capture each member of our family. (Of course, the only updated family picture of all of us is from our spring trip to Florida. The wind is blowing so hard my hair is standing straight up - almost giving it a mohawkish like appearance. But hey - the kiddies look cute!) After picking out the pictures, I did the cutting and he did all the captions. It was a paintaking long process - letter, by letter for him. But we did it. Together. (And if Brennan sucked on a few markers or so in order to amuse himself while we toiled at this project so be it.)

We were proud of our quilt. And I even felt a small pang of mommy accomplishment in surviving the whole experience.

But then we brought it to school. The teachers display every student's family quilt along a long wall in the classroom. Our joint child friendly effort of a quilt was dwarfed in comparision to the other familes' masterpieces. I think we have some serious professional scrapbookers in our midst! They had calligraphy and black and white photos! They had pictures cut out with those oh so fancy scrapbooking scissors that make really neat edges! And do not even get me started on the family with the family credo from Ralph Waldo Emerson. Really.

The teacher hung Aidan's quilt next to his friend Ellie's - whose mommy (my dear friend Christine) let her paste Disney stickers all over it. I think the teacher felt our quilts would stand out less in each other's company. And they do look cute. They look like the work of a four year old. No one told us that they were supposed to be the work of a thirty something.

Life and Random Thoughts

This is it. My little slice of the world to incessantly babble about my life, random musings and my two (and 1/2) beautiful boys. As if I needed another excuse to share with the world. And here we go....

Brennan, my fearless adventurer twenty one month old, has officially entered the terrible twos. It truly happened overnight and began with his flinging an entire bowl of chicken noodle soup, spoonful by spoonful, over my so beautifully clean kitchen floor. (Um - I didn't clean the kitchen floor - our amazing Julianna did - but it still hurt the same. ) And so began a series of "time outs" with our little boy, culminating in a really great time out at Friendly's where Brennan hid under the table and refused to come out. I had to drag him out from under the table, muttering to him under my breath, all the time struggling to keep these damn old navy low rise maternity pants from falling down all around my ankles thereby exposing my white granny maternity panties that go almost up to my chest.

The interesting thing about Brennan is that he always goes willingly into the time out. Truly takes his punishment like a little man. No complaining, no crying and no begging to be removed from the chair pushed into the corner. It is almost like, gasp!, he likes it. And that is enough to strike fear into the heart of every mom everywhere. Because if he likes time out - where do we go from here? Anyone? Anyone?