a boy's fascination

Wow, I haven't posted in over a month! And while March was extremely busy, I don't really have time to write about everything we did just yet. For now, here's a pair of poems (as it's National Poetry Month) that remind me of a certain boy I know.

The Little Boy to the Locomotive

by Benjamin R.C. Low

Big iron horse with lifted head,

Panting beneath the station shed,

You are my dearest dream come true;-

I love my Dad; I worship you!

Your noble heart is filled with fire,

For all your toil, you never tire,

And though you're saddled-up in steel,

Somewhere, inside, I know you feel.

All night in dreams when you pass by,

You breathe out stars that fill the sky,

And now, when all my dreams are true,

I hardly dare come close to you.

The Locomotive to the Little Boy

Boy, whose little, confiding hand

Your father holds, why do you stand

Staring in wonderment at me,-

Poor thing of iron that I be?

Your unsophisticated eyes

Are full of beautiful surprise;

And oh, how wonderful you are,

You little, golden morning-star!

Poor thing of iron that I be,

A mortal man imagined me;

But you- you drop of morning dew-

God and his heaven are globed in you.

tell her about it

For the past couple of weeks, various colds have infiltrated my house. Thus, I have been quite popular as both Magic Boy and Happy Girl need me. All. The. Time. This has obviously cut into my blogging time (not to mention my almost-nonexistent-anyway alone time). Hopefully they will recover soon and I will be able to return fully to my blogging duties.

In the meantime, I give you these quick anecdotes courtesy of Magic Boy (who turned three this week... while he was sick, which really should not surprise me as he has been sick every year on his birthday).

I tell people that most of my day is spent narrating my day. This is because Magic Boy constantly asks me to ask or tell the baby what's going on with us. As is, "Momma, I want cereal. Tell her about it." Then I have to respond with something like, "Happy Girl, Magic Boy wants cereal." Likewise, we have conversations that go "Momma, do you know where my choo-choo-train is?"
"No, honey."
"Ask her about it."
"Happy Girl, do you know where Magic Boy's train is?"
"What did she say?"
"She said no."

The thing about these conversations is that we have them regardless of where the baby happens to be. So if we're in the kitchen and she's upstairs napping, I still have to ask her where the train is. Last week my parents took Magic Boy to their house for a few hours and my mother said he made her narrate the day to the baby- even though Happy Girl was at home with me. Also, if he tells me to ask the baby something and I don't he can't get past it. He'll wait, repeating, "Momma, ask her about it!" louder and louder until I finally ask the four-month old whatever it is he wants me to ask her. (Trust me, it's easier just to ask her right away.) I'm not really sure why he wants me to ask and tell her things, but it seems he really believes she's communicating somehow. This week, for example, I was sitting in the kitchen finishing my lunch. Happy Girl was relaxing in her swing a few feet away, and Magic Boy asked me if he could watch a movie. I whipped out the tried-and-true "We'll see" (I really don't like to let him watch t.v. but he's been sick so I've made exceptions). He went over to the swing, leaned in and whispered "Baby, can I watch a movie?" A few seconds later, he came running up to me, crying "She said no!!" Ummm... apparently the four-month old caves less easily to the boy's demands than I do. Who knew she could be such a strict disciplinarian?

Then, at dinner this evening, my husband and I were trying to convince Magic Boy that he should eat something (he hasn't been having any stomach problems). He didn't want to (clearly the pizza we were feeding him was really liver-and-onions in disguise) and got all worked up crying and carrying on about it. I put him on my lap and tried to calm him down, but apparently I was a bit late for that, and he vomited all over the floor and a good bit of my clothes. We went to the bathroom to clean up and when he was feeling a little better he said, "Tell Happy Girl I spit up like her."
"Happy Girl, Magic Baby spit up like you do."
"Tell her if she cries a lot she'll spit up."
"Happy Girl, if you cry a lot, you'll make yourself spit up."
"Tell her when I spit up it sprayed like a fireman putting out a fire."

That's right "it sprayed like a fireman putting out a fire." Not only does my life now contain similes comparing vomit to firefighting, but I get to relay these to an immobile blob who, apparently, has better control over the three- year old than I ever will.

Remind me again why I spent all that time in college?

a day in the life

January 5, 2009

Get woken up ridiculously early by Magic Boy, who insists that he needs to go to the library right now.

Nurse the baby while trying to explain to the boy that the library is closed (seeing as the sun has yet to rise) and that we'll go as soon as they open. Also, protect the baby from her brother's repeated displays of "affection."

Pop waffles in the toaster for Magic Boy and down a fortifying glass of coffee milk. (Mmmmm...)

Butter the waffles, throw a banana on the plate and give it to Magic Boy. Take the baby in the next room to change her. Discover her diaper has exploded.

Wrestle with an inhuman amount of poop. Look over to find Magic Baby next to the bassinet. Eating Girl Scout Cookies. (Where the hell did he find those? 'Cause I thought I'd looked everywhere for that box...) Tell him we are absolutely not going to the library until he finishes breakfast.

Eat breakfast. Change Magic Boy. Dress Magic Boy. Tell Magic Boy to eat so we can go to the library. Feed the baby. Change the baby. Dress the baby. Tell Magic Boy to eat so we can go to the library.

Play with the baby. Attempt to clean the house. Tell Magic Boy to eat so we can go to the library.

Change Magic Boy. (Two words, kid: potty training.) Feed the baby. Change the baby. Tell Magic Boy to eat so we can go to the library.

Consider taking a quick shower, but quickly realize how foolish that idea is, as I haven't even peed by myself in two weeks. (Why he feels the need to join me, I have no idea. It's not like it's inspiring him to use the potty or anything. Not that I'm bitter, of course.) Instead, opt for throwing on some clothes, sticking my head in the sink and brushing my teeth.

Realize Magic Boy has finished breakfast. (Finally.) Look at the clock and see that it's... noon.

Debate with self and decide that a Good Mom would feed her kids before dragging them out of the house. Debate some more and conclude that I want to be an aforementioned Good Mom (plus I'm a little lightheaded- did I eat breakfast?). Prepare lunch.

Eat lunch alone, as Magic Boy is not hungry. ("Momma, I just had WAFFLES!") Feed the baby. Change the baby. Look over to find Magic Baby next to the bassinet. Eating pretzels. (Seriously, I don't even remember buying those...)

Decide to forget the whole Good Mom thing and just get out of the house, even if it means dragging starving children, as I'm pretty much ready to scream and/or have a nervous breakdown and at least getting to the library- hell, even getting to the car at this point- would feel like a major accomplishment.

Realize Happy Baby (in a wonderful show of irony) is not at all happy, and is in fact crying. Find and put on Magic Boy's shoes and jacket while listening to the baby cry. Find and put on my boots and Jedi wrap while listening to the baby cry. Find and put on Happy Baby's Baby Surprise Snowsuit while listening to the baby cry. Realize she has outgrown it already and resolve to add a few rows to the button part. Take a picture of her in it to post on Ravelry (before it's too late) while listening to the baby cry. [That link takes you to my Rav project page for the snowsuit. Stupid Blogger won't let me add pictures right now.]

Grab the baby from the bassinet and hoist her to my shoulder. Hear a splatter. Look over to find that the baby has vomited. Spectacularly. All over her snowsuit. And the Jedi wrap. And my only clean pair of pants that fit.

Sigh in defeat. Cover my ears and tell Magic Boy we're not going to the library after all. Explain (over his wails) that I'm pretty sure they have a "pants mandatory" rule, that's why.

Sit on the couch with the two of them. Nurse the baby to sleep. Read the boy to sleep. Cuddle, and get some peace back. Some. Until they wake up, of course.

things that are really starting to get to me

Now, I know I haven't posted in a while and I have about a million (funny) things that I want to write about, but I really need to take a minute and whine. I am aware that life could be worse right now, a lot worse, but some (admittedly minor) things have really been stressing me out lately and I feel the need to vent, so please bear with me.

First, I have been trying to get everyone in the family on a schedule. (Normally, this would be difficult with a newborn, but all Happy Girl does is sleep, so that's not the issue.) Actually, I've been trying for months now, with little luck. We go through the whining and crying that goes with establishing a set bed time and routine, we're good for a few days and then... not so much. Why? Because Magic Boy really loves his big sister. (See? I told you it could be worse.) How is that a problem? He loves her so much that he wants to go on visitation with my husband every week (not to mention, for the ride to drop her off every other weekend). Still not seeing a problem, are you? Well, Big Sister lives 45 minutes away, and Hubby has been working (relatively) late, so by the time he gets out of work, picks up the boy, drives to Big Sister's and picks her up, it's already 5:00. Then they get dinner and hang out for awhile and the next thing you know, it's 7:30-8:00 and they're still 45 minutes from home. This means that Magic Boy will either fall asleep on the way home and stay asleep (which isn't too bad, although it's also not the most common outcome), or he'll fall asleep but wake up when he gets home, in which case he's just had a nice nap at 8:00 and is ready to play for another four hours OR he won't fall asleep at all and will be whiny and exhausted when he finally gets home, over an hour after his bedtime. (FYI- Whiny and exhausted means he'll fight us about going to bed. Loudly and for quite some time.)

Until recently this wasn't a problem; if Magic Boy went to bed late, he'd just sleep later in the morning (which I don't mind, as I am really a night owl). Lately, though, he has decided that he needs to be up when Daddy goes to work- at 5:45. Then, he's cranky all day and still doesn't want to go to bed at night. (Why should he? He was up late last night? Why can't he stay up late again?) (This is basically what happens on weekends we have Big Sister, too. They get really excited to see each other and stay up way past bedtime.)

The real problem, I think, is that I feel guilty denying them time together. He is heartbroken enough when she leaves; how can I not let them see each other as much as possible? I feel like a terrible person for even complaining about this, but the constant whining and sense of chaos that results when Magic Boy doesn't get enough sleep is really taking its toll on me- and him.


Second, Big Sister is having problems in school. She's not paying attention, talking when she's not supposed to and just generally not putting in the effort. Apparently third grade is when kids are expected to really start taking responsibility for their own schoolwork and she's not doing it. If she lived here, I would be meeting with the teacher and working with Big Sister as much as possible to fix this; as it is we've asked the teacher to keep us informed and let us know what we can do to help, but I feel like it's not enough. Actually, I know it's not enough. Hubby helps her with her homework during visitation and we do extra work on weekends, but she needs more. I just don't know how to give it. In addition to the fact that she lives so far away, there's also her mother. She and I (and, to their immense credit, my parents) get along fine. We're friendly when we need to be, at soccer games and holidays and such (and she has been nothing but nice to Magic Boy and Happy Girl), but a lot of our values are different. In the past I've gritted my teeth and put up with it, for everyone's sake, because I knew there was nothing I could do. It hasn't been easy, but I've been able to let it go. This, in addition to some other things that have happened with her lately, seems to be too much for me to keep my mouth shut. On the other hand, should I say something and risk the relationship we have? I honestly doubt anything I say will change her approach to this situation, and if I stir up trouble, won't that just make it worse for Big Sister? I really don't know what's the best thing to do here, and neither does Hubby (although, he's usually a proponent of the "Keep Quiet" response). It's really bothering me that Big Sister is missing so much education because she doesn't seem to care enough to pay attention... but I don't see how we can change that in four days a month. In the past, she had problems with reading and math (again, due to lack of effort) and we tried to emphasize those things when she was here, but it never really worked. Yes, she'd practice sight words or addition- and we'd give her plenty of interesting, challenging (but not overly so) books to read, but in the end she'd go home all the work we'd done would be forgotten. Plus, who wants to go to their Dad's house and do schoolwork all weekend, even if it's a game? I don't want her to think we're tyrants... I'm so frustrated!
(I just reread that part, and I don't mean to give the impression that we're not willing to work with her- we are, I just don't know the best way to go about it.)


Third, my house cannot stay clean. I know this problem is hardly unique to me, but it really makes me feel better to hear there are other people out there who can spend hours straightening up one room, only to have it destroyed ten minutes later. So, if you could, let me know you're out there, okay?


I think that's about it right now. The lack of schedule for Magic Boy, the lack of interest in school for Big Sister and the lack of cleanliness in my house. There was a brief foray into potty training, but that's actually kind of funny (at least, it's probably funny if you didn't live through it), so I'll make that a post in itself. Plus, I've already written quite a bit and it's getting late... and we all know the boy will be waking me up soon enough!

Thanks for listening.

what to say about the big event?

There were visitors,

handknits,




Baby Mittens, made by me during the Ravelympics

Saartje's Booties, made by Jen

Baby Surprise Snowsuit, made by me and nearly completed in time (stupid snaps).

Also, alpaca hat, made by me.












and of course pain. Lots of pain.

But would I do it all again, for my beautiful Happy Girl?

In a heartbeat.

happy birthday!

"Happy Girl" was born Sunday, October 26, 2008 at 1:32 pm. (The doctor wanted me to be done in time for the 1:00 football games. I'd say we were close enough.) She weighed 9 pounds, 2 1/2 ounces (a bit more than the estimated 7 pounds 7 ounces of five days before), and she is already living up to her name- being quite happy (or at least content) most of the time.

She has been nursing almost constantly, but that's my arm, I swear.

I'll try to give some more details soon, but in the meantime, I'm going to get some rest! I'm so glad to be home- and so grateful for my three wonderful, healthy children!

a little boy's paradise

Our town had Touch-A-Truck day today. Kids were allowed to sit in and climb on over 30 trucks (not to mention play with buttons and levers and of course, blow horns). There were all kinds of different vehicles just waiting to be explored- fire trucks (new and old), bulldozers, line trucks, plows, car carriers, tractors, an ambulance, a giant dump truck, even a ride-on lawnmower. Let's just say Magic Baby enjoyed himself a bit.

Hubby's cousins own that last one, and they gave Magic Baby a hat, which makes him look like less of a dork than the sun hat does (although personally, I think it makes him look way too grown up, too).

Then, on the way out, there was a baby snapping turtle just sitting on the path. (Somehow my husband can find animals wherever we go- even if he's not looking for them.)

The turtle was cool, but not nearly as exciting as all the trucks (in Magic Baby's opinion, anyway).

Overall, another great day- and I'm even blogging about it in a timely way! Go me!

these are days

Not to make anyone who has a job or kids that are in school or any other responsibilities feel bad, but want to hear how Magic Baby and I spent the day?



Running errands? No... (although he did tell me that he wanted to go shopping this morning instead of going "someplace special." If only he'd behave in a yarn store).



Doing housework? Clearly, you're new to this blog.



Sleeping? Only 'til 8:30 (what can I say, the kid rocks sometimes).








Give up? Here's a clue:


That's right, we hit the beach. And don't let the picture fool you (it was actually taken the last time we were there; I forgot the camera today) there was nobody there. (In case you're wondering though, yes I do dress him like that whenever we're in the sun- I have an irrational fear of sunburn.) It was a great day- not too sunny, a nice breeze off the ocean... and if the dern seagulls hadn't stolen our entire plastic bag full of food, right from under our umbrella, while we were swimming and the rude guys behind us just watched the rats and did nothing to help out the fat, extremely pregnant woman all alone with her toddler (I'm guessing on this part, but trust me- they seemed like the type), it would have been an absolutely perfect day. As it was, it was pretty sweet. And oh, did I mention that I was at the beach today? Just checking.

Randomly, as I was telling Magic Baby how we got to go to the beach while everyone else we knew had to work or go to school- I'm nice like that- my aunt and uncle walked up to us. Although I had to amend our discussion ("Apparently, not everyone had to work today..."), it was really nice to see them and Magic Baby had a great time finding shells and rocks with them, getting buried in the sand, making sand castles and splashing in the waves. Only in the smallest state, though, are you pretty much guaranteed to run into at least one person you know every time you leave the house. But I digress- the main point of this post is to say that I had fun at the beach while you were all working. Take that all you paycheck-getters!

vacation, have to get away

So much to blog about, so little time.

A few weeks ago, my family and I took a trip to New Hampshire. I suppose I should qualify that statement by mentioning that my entire family went. Aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents. We were all there. More than 40 of us in 4 condos. Yup, 40. For an entire week. And honestly, it was great. Really.

We took the kids to Storyland, an amusement park geared at little ones. (Only 10 of us went that day- it was a small trip by our standards.)

Magic Baby loved the train ride through the park, which is good since that was practically the only ride pregnant women were allowed on. Yup, that means I spent $24 to ride a train, a mini-Ferris Wheel and a carousel (where I didn't even get to sit on a horse). Not to mention walk approximately 800 miles. Oh, and to see the joy on my kids' faces. That made it all worth it. Totally.

Okay, so he was really cute on the carousel. See the shirt he's wearing, though? It's an official Storyland one. Wanna know why he's wearing it? Come on, I bet you do... It's because he got carsick and puked all over himself on the way there. Of course, I, being the uber-prepared Mommy that I am, had nothing for him to change into except long pants (which my aunt had convinced me to bring). This means that Magic Baby was carried into the park wearing khakis and a Patriots sweatshirt that's at least four sizes too big... and we had to buy him a new shirt when we got inside. It has a train on it, though, and it was less than $10 (which is surprising), so I guess it could have been worse. Still, pulling over on the Kacamagus Highway was the highlight of my day, although riding home in the wonderful smelling car after all that hiking was great, too.

We learned our lesson, though. This is how Big Sister and Magic Baby kept themselves occupied on the three-hour drive home from NH. They covered themselves with pen. It wasn't pretty (or easy to get off), but it was a lot better than dealing with vomit.

About 20 of us also invaded Clark's Trading Post, where we saw the trained bears and I watched everyone else go on the bumper boats and go rock climbing and do other fun things that are not for pregnant people. Magic Baby spent much of the day shaking his fist and yelling "Scat, you old goat!" which is what you say to Wolfman, the old mountain man who chases and tries to board the train. If you've never been, don't ask.

It's a Clark's Trading Post rule that when the train goes through the tunnel (yup, another train ride), you have to cover your ears and yell as loud as you can. Magic Baby enjoyed this, but not as much as Big Sister did.

That's her standing behind me on the train, screaming her lungs out. At least she had the decency to cover my ears.

This fabulous teddy bear is handknit from real bear fur! How cool is that?! (I tried to get a better picture of it, but it's behind glass and the glare was horrid. Plus, people were giving me funny looks. Clearly, they were non-knitters.) There's a lady from Clark's who collects the bears' fur when they shed, spins it and knits it into teddy bears that are then raffled off. (The money goes to a local shelter.) There are only six of these bears in existence. Obviously, I think this is amazing, and I would have spent the whole day looking at the bears (there's a boy one too, but the glare was even worse on that one) but my family insisted we move on. Considering I had just spent all day not doing anything fun, you think they would have indulged me a little, but no.

And we hung out at the pool. A lot.

My husband, dad and some of the teenagers also played this Assassination game we made up. It involves drawing someone's name from a hat and using a water gun, well, to assassinate them. There are lot of other rules, too, but basically they all have to shoot each other as stealthily as possible (other players can't see you do it or it doesn't count). I know it sounds weird, but the game is actually a lot of fun (although you get really paranoid, since anyone could be out to get you... I'm not even going to tell you about what happened when someone had to use the bathroom), but I chose not to play because, honestly, there's not much about me that can be described as "stealthy" right now. (For the record, I won the last time we played.)

New Hampshire Assassins

Overall, my kids loved vacation this year, and while Hubby and I didn't get much rest, it was worth it. Magic Baby's favorite part was waking up to a condo full of people every morning, while Big Sister enjoyed the pool, and while I didn't get much knitting done, I was able to squeeze in a baby mitten (cast on during the Olympics and knit for the Ravelympics) and I got to teach my (also-pregnant) sister-in-law how to knit.

Overall, a great (if exhausting) time. And honestly, I can't wait to do it again... in a year... after we've all had a chance to recover.