A Return From a Long Hiatus

A lot has happened since the last post. We moved into our new house on May 14, 2005, which is gorge. It was a no brainer when we saw this house and I immediately became disinterested in seeing anymore houses after we looked at this one. It just fits us.

Maddy is saying a lot of words and running around like crazy. When she says dog, it sounds like dock. When she says fox, it sounds like fu**s. Surprisingly, when she says duck, it sounds more like dog than dock. She has an amazing memory and can recognize hundreds of household items like, couch, clock, and chair. She knows what a good girl is, yet still points to herself whenever I say it. She'll learn one of these days. :)

On July 21, 2005, we found out that Christian has juvenile diabetes. He's a hero in our household because of how he handled the whole thing. He's been stronger than we've been and has given some validity to the saying (that I've heard hundreds of times in the last two months) "Children are resiliant."

I'm really looking forward to our trip to Alaska. I'd like to see some big cold things that float and sink ships. They're really beautiful in pictures.

I love you.

There's No Place Like Home

So, we've made it past the birthday rush consisting of Richie's thirty-fifth and Maddy's first. Richie's, as always, was low key. Dinner and dessert. UM brought over cheesecake and we all over indulged for a week. Maddy's party was immense to us because we're not used being around so many people. It was friends and family totaling close to forty people and we felt like neglectful hosts because of the large number and the multitude of duties we had to do. Richie and I both got all dear-in-the-headlights because we were so overwhelmed. It wasn't even a huge party-no pinatas or pinning things onto other things. It was just a glorified barbecue in the name of our daughter's birth. But that's how we like it. The simpler the better. I'm not looking forward to when she wants to invite half the class list from her school and we have to do the stop and chat. We're not those kinds of people.

Aside from that, we've been looking at houses. Tonight, we're looking at three, maybe four and three out of four have pools. One thing we haven't considered thoroughly is the upkeep (is that two words?)of a pool. It's seriously exciting and scary because it's an investment. What we choose now will affect our lives later. That's a lot to take in.

I have to go, but I just wanted to keep this semi-up-to-date. It's hard since Maddy's teething and hasn't been enjoying her naps like she used to. I love her nonetheless. As well as Sasa and Daddy.

The Dreaded Omega-3

This is just a quick post to tell Richie how proud I am of him to take those sick pills three times a day just so he can stay on this earth with us longer. He even tried to trick himself into believing they smell like tic tacs. I feel kind of bad for the guy that he is punished twice. He must be some sort of masochist to want to stick it out with us. Well, at least me.

We've been enveloped in Napoleon Dynamite quoting, Curb Your Enthusiasm (after we ran out of Arrested Developments) and meaningful exchanges on existentialism. Maddy's almost walking and doing her best with the consonant/a formations to date, including Mama and Nana. In other words, life's been great.

Coming soon...Christian's baby bathtub picture for all of TOES to see.

Here's Maddy in the tub. This blog is really turning out to be a Maddy photo album. I need to take some new pictures of Sasa. 

"What you talkin' bout, Willis?" 

Sleater-Baby. Here's Maddy rockin' out to Sleater-Kinney, her mom's favorite group. 

Here's our sunflower, Madeline Jayne. 

Yo Estoy Inferno

I haven't felt much like doing anything lately, thanks to Christmas and this sickness. We all have it. Hopefully it won't last much longer. I can't stand hearing Maddy bark like a dog. How long does this stuff last, anyway?

Christmas was wonderfully busy. It was great to see everybody, but like every year, it went by too fast. I don't have the post-Christmas blues yet. Why does anyone get that anyway? I mean, the season's really tiring and stressful. I guess it's just the post-climactic feeling. All the presents are gone, relatives are traveling back to their homes, but at least there's always something to eat. I can't tell you how many varieties of pie we have.

I need to take down the Christmas tree. It's a zombie, it's so beyond dead. I'm afraid to turn on the lights anymore. I fear it will ignite. I guess that's one way of getting rid of it.

Gotta go. I love you, though.

What you don't use...

Here's a random post about nothing, really. I know every blog has one of these posts every once in a while. It seems pointless to write about nothing, but as a writer, I know that sometimes writing nothing can turn into something. It's just the process of getting your brain out of sludge mode. The holiday season can be an introspective time of year, but this year with the baby, I find little time to even sit down on the couch and catch up on my reading. Here I am right now with her next to me, my trusty sidekick and honestly, I'd have it no other way. Spending time with her is better than writing or reading. Again, like a broken record, my family is everything to me.

Every year, it gets harder to buy things for people. That's how blessed we are. We have so much stuff that nobody knows what to get. We've resorted to the gift card for the kids because they are running out of room for presents. What an overindulgent life! I feel simultaneously blessed and guilty. 'Tis the time of year for that good ol' guilty feeling.

Ok, ultimately, it appears that my typing nothing really amounted to nothing. Did it spawn introspection? Did it get the sludge moving? I'll tell you after my morning coffee.

Thankful for Everyday

It's that time of year when people realize that they have it pretty good, but then, after the holidays, they resume their everyday routines and forget they have anything to be thankful for. I'm not saying everyone is like this, but it appears to be the majority of people.

Today isn't even Thanksgiving, and already I know I'm thankful that in about twenty minutes or less, I get to rescue my daughter from the prison of her crib and she will hold on to me and I will believe that her arms resting on my shoulders is a hug. I'm thankful that today is my sister's thirty-sixth birthday and that I get to see her laugh. I'm thankful that my son will be with me in three hours and we can go get a hot drink together and make jokes about how much money we have to buy ridiculously priced drinks (Thank you, Starbucks!). We know we're fortunate. We have the extras right now. We realize there might be a time when we don't have the extras. We made it through those times before and kept the smiles on our faces because we knew what it was about.

I know even more now than ever. I have my husband who values me more than anything or person. He would give me his heart if I needed it and metaphorically, he has done nothing but that. He's amazing and we have created a family together. And I've never been more thankful for anything than this.

This one's for Daddy. We love you. 

You Can't Pick Your Friend's Nose

Allergy season is here and our daughter, Madeline, is just as susceptible to being irritated by molds and pollen as the rest of us. She's been coughing at night and sneezing during the day. She wakes up with her nostrils sealed shut by mucous. It's not only not pleasant to look at, but I would imagine that it impedes her breathing. So, I took it upon myself to dislodge the boogers with my own bare hands.

This, of course, wasn't received well by my daughter, who shook her head profusely in order to derail my attempts. I tell her it will be ok, but she doesn't understand me or what I'm doing. I've been trying to catch her by surprise, but she's so intuitive. It's like she has the force. She knows when I'm heading for her nose regardless of my tactics. I'm one step away from the hot washcloth trick. Then she'll see who's the boss. That's right, it's Tony Danza.

I miss you and the Dawg.

Richie and Christian. Of course, Rich is wearing shorts even though there is snow on the ground.  

Four More Years...

Of incompetence. I can't believe that the majority of people who voted for the incumbent told pollers that the most important issue to them was morality. I'm sorry if I've never seen him as a moral president. I kind of think that's an oxymoron. I guess, just like anything, morals are subjective. What are morals to one may be vices to another. I'm just venting and making little sense.

Although this whole thing is disappointing, I still have my family and my health. I've been very fortunate in that respect. Madeline's taking her morning nap in the quiet darkness that this rainy day's provided. She looks beautiful in the soft, blue light. I get my Richie back today after his excursion to the nether lands, and Christian will be with me. I really am lucky.

I love you and I can't wait for nine o'clock in the p.m..

Richie, remember this moment? I will never forget. I love you and will miss you while you're away. 

The Day of the Ladybug

Last night, my son asked me to help him clean out his back pack. I do this occasionally anyway, so I was pleased that he was the one suggesting it for a change. There were lots of scratch paper to throw away and three days of sack lunches he had failed to finish. I was reproaching him about eating all of his lunch when I came across something that was a bit disconcerting.

In his blue folder, the "folder of secrets" apparently, I discovered a sheet that contained more than twenty names for common street drugs. Rock, ganja, and windowpane were just a few of the words that I read aloud. After reading each, my son told me the corresponding drugs: "Crack...marijuana...LSD."

At first, I admit, my heart was pounding. What was my eleven-year-old up to at school? How did my kid know these words; words I've tried to shelter him from for years. The answer is D.A.R.E..

I guess it's a good thing that he knows the different names of drugs so the next time someone asks him, "Hey man, you want some ice?" He can say, "No thanks," and possibly suffer from the ambiguity of the names of today's drugs and pass out from the sweltering, August heat. (thanks Richie)

I miss the day of the ladybug. When my son was four, he was obsessed with ladybugs. He would scream like a swooning girl in the front row of a Beetles' concert everytime he saw one of those little red specks on a blade of grass. I bought him everything ladybug: beanie babies, puppets and books. He couldn't get enough ladybug. Now it's: here a crank, there a crank everywhere a crank crank. They grow up fast, don't they?

I love you, Boots.

This is Richie's song for me

THE GIFTS THAT SHE GAVE ME

She sits all alone, with her feet in the water
Trying so hard not to smile
She knew I was watching, and desperately wanting
For her to sit with me for a while

It took 15 years, or shyness and fears
For us to finally go on that date
Little did we know, how well it would go
It was the night that sealed our fate

CHORUS:

The gifts that she gave me
She's so amazing
She's the best thing in my life
The gifts that she gave me
She's having my baby
I'm proud to have her as my wife


I've watched her become even more beautiful
I've loved her for so many years
Now she's my bumble, she makes me humble
One look at her brings me to tears

We went to the ocean, exchanged our emotions
I vowed to always love you
So I thank you baby, for all the gifts that you gave me
A chance to be the father of two

Richie and I. 

This is a song I wrote for Richie

FOR LIFE

These bands on our fingers
Stand for something bigger
That neither of us
Expected to find.

This bond between us
Means more than a name
Of husband or wife.
This love's for life.

Can you take out the trash, Dear,
After I cut your hair?
Doesn't matter what we do
As long as I'm with you.
When we're holding our child's hand
Or playing in the sand.

Wherever life takes us,
I know we can make it.
No matter the weather,
Let's stay together.

Our Family