Week 46: "Mommas Owies"

What's new?

Well, well, well, Week 46. You made this momma spit coffee through her nose and smile until that smile hurt. I am as proud as I am completely and totally surprised. I didn't see this one coming for a couple more years. And why not? I have encouraged my son to be observant and cognizant of the world around him; to map the beauty and the differences of his surroundings. And, regardless of my encouragement, he does these things better than I ever hoped to. For my skills as a true scientist, will always fall short of my preschooler.

The other day, as I was getting out of the shower, Henry pointed to me and said, quite in earnest: "momma's owies?" The look on his little face - The genuine concern for my well-being, priceless. Thinking that he was most likely talking about the large tattoo covering my entire back, or the medium-sized one covering my hip, or my large birthmark on my backside, I say, "no buddy, that's not an owie, that's just momma's painting." "No," he continues, "momma's OWIES." Hmmm, I think. "Come show me, little love," I say. "Show me where is owie." So over he marches, finger outstretched. And there he points. THERE. Right about at his height. "OH!" I say, "Well...(think fast), no that's not an owies, buddy, that's just momma's pee-pee." "Momma's pee-pee," he repeats, several times. He is satisfied with this. And apparently, somewhat relieved. After a time (he is playing with his trains in my room), he points again, "Momma's other owies!" This time, it's my boobs he is pointing to. "No, those are just momma's boobies." Okay. That one was easier. Either that, or he lost interest. 

Thomas and Percy and a cup full of goldfish crackers are much more interesting than my body parts. 

Just wait until Daddy comes home. Wouldn't I like to be a fly on the wall when they get to talkin':)

Week 16: Craving Comfort and Navigating Toddler Independence

Week 16 brought with it a new level of stress (can that be considered something "new"?) when I began to realize that there is no way humanly possible that I can cram all of the needed test information from every field of science into my brain before July 20. Middle Grade science teachers, I cannot believe you had to take this test! It is insane. I feel like it would be easier if I just took the one for High School biology and said to heck with it! Alas, I cannot. I am determined that I can somehow pass this. Come on, brain, you can do it (insert sound of creaky stairs, here)! :) In any case, Week 16 was all about craving comfort, be it comfort foods, comfortable clothes, yummy smells (with the exception of the downstairs pee-pee bathroom/Henry's office), good friends, good wine, hot tea, and Lego city parties.

I'll be the first one to admit that when it comes to comfort, I don't like new things. I love my rut and my old standbys. Stress comes, and I am like a donkey in mud when it comes to trying new things. That was one of the main reasons I began this blog - To force myself out of the rut I knew would come :) Having a 2-year old helps a lot with that because you start seeing the World through their eyes, which see everything new. Then, you become inspired to keep trying. Having friends also helps with that because when you don't feel like being adventurous, they are there to at least make you try a new food or suggest a new way of doing something. 

This week, my very dear friends across the street brought Henry and I an extremely good, new comfort food: Corn Chowder with Roasted Tomatillos and Poblano. I think they actually roasted the corn too, which was amazing. It is vegan, gluten-free, and soooo good with crusty bread and of course, a frothy ale.

Other Week 16 Newness:

• Overland Park Farmer's Market: The City of Overland Park is about an hour away from Fort Leavenworth. We went on opening day of the Market, so not all of the vendors from the list were there, but it was good! We walked away with carrot oatmeal raisin cookies, fresh olive oil rosemary bread, and farm-fresh eggs! I am looking forward to going again.

• First Dentist Appointment: As traumatized as Henry was (he screamed bloody murder the entire visit), he now blesses "the dentist" in our nightly prayers :) After that experience, so do I.

• Down the Stairs: Apparently, Henry has decided to start walking down the stairs front-facing, like a big boy. The first time I saw him do this, my heart leaped out of my mouth and onto the floor, but he made it the whole way, and then exclaimed, "all by myself!!" complete with one giant, sweet grin :) 

• New Running Partner: Our first running date went well! I love it when people say they don't usually talk when they run and then talk the entire run :) Or when they say they are slow and will probably have to walk and then you are sprinting to catch up with them. This new one, she's a high-energy character. I immediately liked her (before we even ran) because she was ready 15 minutes early. 

Week 15: Pure Goodness

In Week 15, my 2-1/3 year-old said bye-bye to his binky forever (pacifier). He still had been using it for naps and nighttime, but one day, it went to the play with Bambi, and it started to rain. Since binky doesn't like getting wet, he just stayed with Bambi and Thumper, warm and dry. We'll probably see him again, but he's decided to stay for a while :) In the meantime, Binky has been replaced with bedtime stories, which seemed to be a pretty smooth transition.

Other new goodness for Week 15:

• Poop on the Potty: We had several days in a row of him telling me he had to go, me listening, and then him going. We also had a couple of him not telling me until after he had gone, or him telling me and me not listening, or him telling me and then not going until I put his pullup back on. But progress!!

• Roasting sticks: Our amazing friends who happen to live across the street came over for dinner and brought one of the best presents, ever, and they had them handmade by prisoners! They are amazing and so well-crafted, and I have always wanted fancy roasting sticks! The memories I have of camping and roasting marshmallows with my family as a kid are not only some of my favorite; they have become somewhat sacred because they include my sister when she was still innocent - Long before the vicious cycle of addiction became her. It is amazing how you preserve the people you love. Everyone does it differently. In my preservation of her, we happen to be camping, and she has a face covered in sticky marshmallows and dirt.

• The BOB: I have been running with Henry for almost 2 years in the JEEP. The JEEP has served us well for $175. We have logged many, many miles, both on and off-road on that thing. But, after 6 miles the other day, we blew a flat. The following day, I borrowed our friends' BOB Revolution. It was like nothing I had ever experienced running with Henry. First of all, he was completely weightless (vs. the Jeep where it feels like I am pushing 50 lbs). Second, the shock absorption? OH MY GOSH: phenomenal. I felt nothing. And finally, the turning capabilities - This thing turns on a dime. Now, ideally, for running 5-6 miles, you would want a fixed wheel (and a 16" rather than the 12" front wheel), so after much research and emailing random marathoners, we decided to purchase the BOB SUS. Apparently, this model has even better shock absorption than the Revolution (which is insane to even imagine), and is truly off-road capable and durable. We found a pretty good deal (about $100 less than the sticker price) from a dealer on Amazon. Extremely excited! I honestly did not think that by this age, Henry would still like running with me! If anything, he likes it even more, and we are able to go longer distances, which is great! My sweet buddy bee. He has probably figured out that Momma is a lot less grouchy when she runs, haha.

• Lab Safety Procedures: I know you are all at the edge of your seats with the excitement of our lives right now, so you will be even more excited when I tell you that this week, I memorized the Lab Safety Procedures manual for teaching science labs to Jr High and High-schoolers. Someone gets HCl on their skin? I can handle that. A fire in the lab? No problemo. A funny smell? Evacuate. Oh yes. Your children will be safe with me. And they will map recessive alleles in fruit flies like there is no tomorrow.

• Five Guys Burgers and Fries: There is a first time for everything, but few are as memorable as this cheeseburger. Danger, danger, danger. Hands-down, best burger and fries I have ever had. Unbelievable.

Week 11: Marshmallows on the Potty and a New Running Partner

What's new for Week 11? What? Where? How am I supposed to keep track of the weeks when I don't even know what day of the week it is? Well, friends, that is what happens when you spend 85% of your time in the bathroom and/or talking about the bathroom and/or making the bathroom the place to be. We have books...stacks and stacks of glorious books. We have marshmallows for a successful potty, and we have the portable DVD player, complete with Blues Clues and stacks of clean undies. Who wouldn't want to hang out in this bathroom, I ask you? Is it working? Well, kind of. I have noticed he is dry a lot more when I go to check him, and he seems to like going in there. My gut tells me he may be on the early end of the spectrum for all of this right now because he doesn't always wake up dry, but we have time, and he is willing, so we're headed down the path at least. 

Other new things for Week 11:

• A new running partner! I prefer to run solo 99% of the time, but my friend, Meghan and I went for a short running date together early on in the week. We did good! That particular day, I don't think I would have run had we not been meeting. It was cold, rainy, windy, and it was my first real run after being sick for so long. I would have bagged that run for a mug of hot tea and building Duplo houses in a heartbeat. And thus, the reason we need running partners from time to time. I think M will be a good running partner because she has that quality about her where she will try anything, and she's fun. The thing with Meghan is that she is built like a super model, so one of her legs literally comes up to my head, and one of her steps is 3 of my hobbit steps :) 

• First lot box of used children's books from eBay: $6 for 30 awesome books!!! So fantastic.

• Memory! Remember that game? Henry and I have been playing it a while now, and he finally gets what a match is. Super cute, and probably my favorite game besides I-Spy. Kid games are so fun! 

• Henry's first chest cold: Terrifying experience, in general, and yes, I woke up every 2 hours for 3 days straight to check on his breathing. And yes, he's getting better. And yes, I am beyond tired and beyond thankful for my healthy little chubby-cheeked boy. Words will never express my gratitude for his health or for the listening ears of family and friends who kept me sane this week.