Thanks for Clarifying

Today when I picked Evan up from daycare, he was with a group of kids and was just sort of walking around. His back was to me, and I wanted to watch for a few minutes to see how he was doing and if he was interacting with the other kids. He is still adjusting to the daycare and spends a lot of time crying, so I was hoping that he would actually play with something or someone.

One of the workers walked up to me. "You're Evan's mom, right?"

"Yes, I am," I answered and then turned back and looked RIGHT AT Evan (his back was still to me).

She actually pointed at Evan and said to me, "He is the one right there, in the hat, walking around."

Ummm...yes...thank you for clarifying. I thought that was him, but I just wasn't quite sure. Now that I'm confident that one is mine, I'll go ahead and take him home. I mean, I would have hated to get all the way home with another little boy only to have to bring him back later and exchange him for the right one.

B Without the L or T

I have been trying to use up things we have in our freezer, so I did a quick inventory before going to the grocery store this weekend. I saw a pound of bacon—BLTs it is, I decided. Last night was BLT night, but I was frantically trying to get some work done, so Bryan offered to make dinner. He fried the bacon. Then asked me where the lettuce and tomato were. Hmm…those are integral parts of the BLT, aren’t they? At least I remembered to pick up the bread! Neither one of us wanted to go to the store, so we settled for B sandwiches. Bryan brought mine to me and I ate in front of the computer. I didn’t even miss the lettuce or the tomato on my sandwich and I realized why later. After I finished up my project, I went into the kitchen to do the dishes and put away the extra bacon. There was no extra bacon. That means Bryan and I each had a half pound of bacon on our sandwiches!!! No wonder I didn’t miss the veggies!

And--all that talk about bacon reminded me of this clip.

A Well-Rounded Weekend

Heading into the weekend, I usually have a ridiculously long to-do list that I never finish. This weekend was no different. I was a little upset with myself as the weekend came to an end since I still hadn't organized my magazines, finished my ironing or cleaned out my car. But just because I didn't finish my to-do list doesn't mean I didn't keep busy. I was thinking of some of the things I DID do this weekend. Here are the things that stand out...both the good and the bad.

I fished a little boy's toy truck out of a public fountain after Evan tossed it in. Maybe letting Evan throw rocks into the lakes in Canada for hours on end during our recent vacation wasn't such a good idea after all. I followed up the truck retrieval with several apologies to the parents of the truck's rightful owner. (The picture below is us in front of the fountain shortly after I rescued the truck).


I went for a run and decided I was nuts for signing up for the Rock 'n Roll half marathon, which takes place in about a month. I also decided there is no way I am going to actually run in the race.

I pledged that by this time next week I will break my addiction to Diet Coke. To prove my commitment, I completed my grocery shopping without buying a 12 pack (okay--so I did get a 2 liter, but it was on sale and I can't go cold turkey. The bad news is, it is already more than halfway empty).

I learned how to say ball in Polish (pilka).

I taught Evan how to buzz like a bee and hoot like an owl. We played trucks, and I read "Five Little Ducks" more times than I can count.

I rocked Evan back to sleep after a 2:30 a.m. wake up on Friday night.

I retrieved Evan's blue hat (size 4T!) from the lost and found at the pool.

I shot hoops with Bryan and actually made a basket (playing basketball also gave me awful flashbacks of junior high gym class and the red shorts and white t-shirts we had to wear).

I polished off a whole box of reduced fat Nilla Wafers all by myself (I'm not proud of that, but I still think it was an accomplishment).

So--overall, I decided to give myself a break. My to-do list will still be there next weekend. Along with all the other things that come up along the way!

The Lengths We Go To

For some reason Evan has developed a sudden fear of the bathtub. He used to love the tub and would fuss when we took him out. But, beginning on Monday, he would only get in after some coaxing (i.e. throwing a handful of balls in the tub and yelling, "Splash, splash, splash.") and he refused to sit down. It isn't just that he wouldn't sit, but he really seemed scared and would try to climb back out of the tub.

Normally Bryan does Evan's bath with him, but he was working late for the first half of the week, so I was in charge. I tried to convince Evan to sit, but nothing worked. So, he'd stand, I'd lather him up, then I'd rinse him down.

On Thursday Bryan was home in time to give Evan his bath. I explained the new turn of events and told him I'd just been letting Evan stand. We both wanted to show Evan everything was "okay," so Bryan WILLINGLY VOLUNTEERED to get in the bathtub with Evan. This from the man who for the past seven years of our marriage has referred to any bath I've ever taken as "wallowing in my own filth." I've never seen Bryan take a bath and the two times I foolishly suggested he take a bath to ease an aching back, he looked at me like I was crazy and reminded me of how disgusting baths are. Apparently even a shower before a bath can't remove enough of one's own filth to make a bath tolerable.

But on Thursday night, Bryan put all this aside to help ensure Evan would enjoy his bath again. The good news is, IT WORKED! Bryan got in and started playing with the toys. Evan stood for a while, then sat down. He played and played and Bryan ended up spending far more time than he would have liked in the tub. Evan still wasn't ready to get out, but the water was getting cloudier by the minute and Bryan couldn't take it anymore. Not only was Evan upset he had to get out, he kept trying to get back in. Success!

I have to hand it to Bryan--I know how hard it was for him to hop in the tub with Evan. Good job! By the way--it only took me two days of begging to finally get Bryan's permission to post this story on my blog!

Guilty Pleasures

I'll admit it. I love McDonald's. I enjoy everything on the menu and have been known to hit the Golden Arches three times in one day. While I may be willing to eat anything on the menu, I don't necessarily want to start Evan on this path. A few weeks ago, I had locked myself out of the house, so Evan and I had some time to kill. I could have gone to the library, but I decided we needed a snack (more like mommy needs some caffeine and grease).

I ordered Evan apple slices and water, but treated myself to a large order of fries and a Diet Coke. Evan wasn't fooled. He had about two apple slices before he determined the fries looked appealing. I don't know when or how I became the type of mom that let's her toddler have fries, but it happened. I let him have one fry, then gave him his apple slice. From that point on, he quickly tried to give me the apples while reaching for the fries. Like any mom committed to good nutrition, I decided I needed to down the fries so Evan wouldn't be tempted. But the whole McDonald's trip made me realize I am going to have to re-think my own eating habits. When Evan was an infant, I could hit the drive through and he was none the wiser. Now he wants to share. I'm afraid I am going to have to turn into a closet fast food junkie! I have visions of sneaking out after Evan is in bed ordering my favorites. I think I'm going to need a 12-step program to get to the root of the problem.

Hide and Seek

I think Evan has entered a new stage of development. Today alone I fished a cell phone out of the toilet, Bryan's Deloitte access badge out of the kitchen garbage can and a harmonica out of the diaper pail. It recently occurred to me that these are the things I've actually seen being disposed of. There is no telling how many treasures we've lost. I'm going to have to start taking a daily inventory! And stash Clorox wipes in every room of the house.

Major Changes Underway

A few weeks ago I posted that I had decided I needed to make some changes. I wasn't ready to post about them until I had a plan underway, but now that I have the ball rolling, I'll spill the beans--I'm leaving my job beginning in September. It is a major change and I'm not quite sure that we'll be able to pay all of our bills, but we've decided to make a leap of faith.

I am going to continue to write articles for the magazine I currently edit and I plan to hang a shingle and freelance where I can.

As everyone knows, I have felt torn ever since I went back to work after maternity leave. Leaving Evan every day is awful and I just can't wait to get back to him at night. I've worked to pay our bills and I've been lucky enough to enjoy my job. But the stress has been getting to me, and, after our childcare fiascos over the past few months, I decided I need to have more flexibility. Bryan's job isn't flexible and he works quite a few hours. So, after the second day of dropping Evan off at daycare, I walked into my boss's office, handed her a proposal I had drafted up and told her I needed to make some changes. My boss didn't accept my proposal exactly as I had presented it, but she did say she wants me to continue writing for her. We're working out all the details next week.

In the meantime, the clock is ticking and I'll be out of there within six weeks. A woman within the company is going to move into my job, which is great for her. I think she'll do a wonderful job and, since we already have my replacement, it will make the transition easier.

I think this is going to be better for all of us, but I am nervous about not having a paycheck! I just hope Evan and Bryan will enjoy dining on peanut butter sandwiches if we can't afford groceries!