Terrific Twos

Tomorrow (March 1) my son turns 2. They call it the terrible twos, but I am determined for it to be terrific instead.

Two years ago tomorrow, I became a mama. On this night, two years ago, I had no clue what my life would become. How little of me would be left. Yet how much I would love my child and do nearly anything to keep him safe and healthy and happy.

I am tired. He was up this morning at 5:30 am. I was up at 4ish anticipating his early morning alarm.

I must go wrap his gifts now and get some rest so I can party with him in the wee hours of his birthday.

Happy Birthday, dear Lucas. My little early bird. I'll never forget how amazed I was with your eyes the first time you looked at me. You are my sweet little butter bean. My big boy. Mama loves you so much, even though I don't seem too excited when you burst in my room when it is still black out. You make me smile even then with your overly chipper greeting.

Hmmm...Maybe I will wake him up in the morning;-).

Potty Humor

I often wonder what it is that I am eating that causes my daughter to poop like she is launching a rocket. It explodes straight up the back of her diaper and out onto her clothes all the time. I've even gone up in diaper size (she is only one size below her brother now) thinking that that was the problem. Nope, she still takes colossal craps even in her roomy size 3's.

Speaking of her brother...today he pooped for the first time in a couple days and boy was that fun. He literally frosted his entire leg with the stuff. It took me about 20 wipes to get him clean enough to stick in the bathtub.

The other day, he pooped while sitting on the potty. He felt it come out and excitedly stood and spun around to see his glorious accomplishment. Unfortunately, this caused it to fling to the floor instead of landing in his potty. And lucky me got to pick it up.

It stinks to be a mom sometimes.

Back in the Saddle

Well, I am finally a runner again. I just got back from a 3 miler with my new partner, Sharon (note that her name rhymes with Karin, my precious running pal for several years in Orlando).

We also bought a treadmill this week so that I will have no excuses anymore, valid as they were. It has been tough to get out there with sick kids, nasty weather (though we have gone in the rain several times--so hardcore;-), my partner canceling and it is too late at night or early in the morning to go by myself safely, etc.

I was beginning to doubt that I could pull off the California International Marathon (CIM) this year. But now I am feeling like it is a very reachable goal. I am also really excited to have something to challenge me and to shoot for besides taming a testy toddler whose new favorite words are "NO" and "MINE."

Anyone want to join me? Karin, Jen, Katie, Lina...you know you wanna.

It's good to be up and running again.

What the Hay??

Last weekend started off on a bad note. Friday was Mike's off day and I made plans in my head to have another perfect family day--a trip to the zoo. The plans were shattered unfortunately when he had to make up 2 hours and forgot his laptop at the office.

I tried to convince him to just take the time as vacation. Why drive to and from work (40 minutes round-trip) just for a couple measly hours of work? On an off day even. What a waste! He was insistent, though. He had to go in. And to make matters worse, he wanted to take my car claiming that he was going to get it washed on the way in. This would have left me homebound and I was itching to get out, so I wouldn't let him. Let my car be dirty. Who cares?

Michael said that he would be home at 11:30 no matter what. That time came and went with no phone call and when he finally cruised in sometime after 1, I was more than a little annoyed. I had just fed Emily and walked out of our bedroom burping her. He stood in the hallway with a camera aimed at me. I asked him why he was taking my picture and to please stop. He kept pointing it at me. Then I noticed a shadow in Emily's doorway and out pops Christa, my longtime best friend from Orlando. WHAT?!

My much anticipated reaction (they had been planning this surprise since November): What the HELL are you doing here?

Nice. Needless to say, she will probably never surprise me again.

We did have a super visit which included shopping, facials, a trip to the zoo and filet mignon.

Thanks for coming, my friend!! I really miss you.

Too Bogged to Blog

There has been no time for me to sit down to blog or do much of anything for myself lately. I have two sick kids. They have a pretty serious virus that has them congested, coughing, wheezing and in Lucas' case with bronchitis and a lung infection.

Emily has been pretty chipper, despite her fits of hacking and excessive snot which joyfully I have to suck out with a nose bulb. Her breathing is so restricted that she sounds like a purring kitten.

Lucas has been miserable--whiny, clingy and sleeping pretty badly to boot. His early morning rising continues and he has been crying a bit at night, too. The other morning he was up at 4am and the only thing that I could do to keep him in bed (he wanted to color in the middle of the night!!) was lay there and rub him until he fell back asleep. If I tried to leave, he would sit up and cry. So I lay there with him awake in his cramped bed for three hours. I guess that he needed his sleep more than me. He did sleep in until after 7 that day (sleeping in has a whole new meaning as a parent). 5:30am has been the torturous wake up time almost every day for a month or so. Waking up at 6 would be considered sleeping in.

Anyway, here's my excuse for not blogging, responding to emails or bathing regularly;-).