Reduce, reuse, recycle...

The most wonderful day of the week: trash and recycling day in our town. We finally got a break in the weather (thank you, clouds, for coming to terms with your sadness and drying up ol' waterworks for a stint today...as for me? I am still battling back and forth with a lump in my throat from time to time - damn hormones), so I told CR that we were going to head out to find some of the city's finest service trucks. I was relieved to see that our bins were still out front when we departed the house, so there was a good chance we would run into a vehicle on it's route while we walked down toward the Square to run an errand or two. We got down three blocks from our house, and low and behold, along came the worshiped hunk of metal on wheels. CR's reaction was more elated than he was on Christmas morning.
He grabbed my hand, and pulled me down the street...and then down the next street, and down the next...until we eventually were back in front of our house. While stalking the poor workers, we got a chance to chat with them.

(in this picture, it looks like the man in charge of the machine is coming after wee-man to shove him in the hopper, when in fact he was just chatting with him as he grabbed bag after bag of papers, cans, bottles, and boxes from the side of the road)

The gentleman pictured above kept telling CR to stay in school...so he wouldn't end up like him, at the age of 41, slinging bags of material into a truck. I reassured him that what he is doing is a whole lot harder and more honest than half the jobs out there, and that CR literally idolized his work...it's the truth...his huge toy recycling truck was one of his favorite items under the tree last year...
After finally letting the men go about their business without their tag-along friend, CR and I started out again down the street to the Square to run our errands, and for a quick cup of hot chocolate at the local coffee shop.
All the way home he kept asking me where the truck went...I deferred the question by singing the whole way home...

Lots of kids grow up reiterating statements they hear from their parents..."money doesn't grow on trees...the grass is always greener...home is where the heart is..."

I can see CR holding fast to "if you can rip it, you can recycle it..."

I prefer to blame it on the rain...

The sky cried today, CR cried today, and I cried today...I swear this whole pregnancy thing is making me ill-equipped to deal with things that aren't that bad in the grand scheme of things...

First, the sky: It has been raning for the past 36 hours straight here in Boston, and it doesn't look like that is going to change anytime soon. I guess I am happy that it is not snow...I still am able to bounce the baby girl inside me around the Charles River, so snow would put a hold on that pretty quickly...nobody wants to see a pregnant woman fall while running...bad for everyone involved.

Now, jump to me: I dropped CR off at pre-school this morning. He seemed to be totally fine with the idea - he immediately started looking for the toy ambulance that he has taken a liking to in the classroom, and brought it over to one of his teachers (KT) to play with. He did make sure I was there to watch, but when I told him that Mommy was going to run a few errands, and then would be back to pick him up, he continued lining up toys on the carpet, and said "Okay, Mommy."
So with that, I left. I swung by the gym for a few minutes, only to realize that I had a lot more work that I wanted to address today than I thought, so I quickly switched gears - I unloaded my gym bag in the car, grabbed my work bag, and walked to a nearby coffee shop.

Side note: I scored 24 visits at said gym for $24 through Groupon.com - I highly recommend signing up for the service, as sometimes you can really get some great deals sent to you

The first shop I went to was packed full of laptop-toting students (free wi-fi is great and all, but it is a bear to find a seat in any establishment that offers the convenience), so I walked over to a second shop, and found a small table by the sugar and cream stand...high traffic area, but it did the trick. After working for nearly 2 hours, I ran to the grocery store next door, and headed back to my car to drive to pick up CR...

Now the sky was crying all over me, I had three bags of groceries in my hand plus my work bag over my shoulder...I depressed the unlock button on my car, and nothing happened (my car is equipped with key-sensing technology, or whatever you want to call it - basically you do not need to put a key in the keyhole to lock and unlock it - you just have to be close enough to the car for it to sense it to perform those functions). I repeated this action a few times, as a panicked feeling began to wash over me. I couldn't put anything down because there were puddles all around me, but what I could do was peer into the driver's side window at my gym bag...in the side mesh pocket I could just make out my car keys...crap, crap, crap...how did that happen?? The key-sensing system is designed to not only add the convenience of not having to rifle through your bags to find your keys to unlock your car, but also, for the car to beep at you if you are dumb enough to try to lock your keys inside of it!

At this point, the rain was coming down, I had no way of getting into my car, CR needed to be picked up from school in 10 minutes, and one of the three bags of groceries had frozen items in it...

Tears.

I called AAA, knowing that I discontinued my membership, wanted to see if they would come and help me for a one-time fee...um, "you will need to renew your membership, which is $82"...no thank you. I then called the city non-emergency line to see if police officers help out citizens in situations like this...apparently our tax dollars go to a lot of things, but fixing the pot holes on Mass Ave and paying cops to help out townspeople in distress are not among them.

Tears.

I first unloaded my groceries at the customer service desk at the store - they put my frozen goods on ice in the back. I then hopped into a cab and get to CR's school on time (yes, in a cab, without a clue as to how I was going to get us back to the car, or get into the car, or how we were going to get home, or get into our home even if we managed to get back there...I didn't know squat).

Tears.

As I was about to enter the school, another one of the teachers (PT) was walking down the street with all of CR's classmates in tow - they were returning from a rainy walk around the block, but CR was not with them.

I never imagined CR would be in a situation where he was one of those kids we always saw while out and about hanging onto a rope with a bunch of other kids, but heck, things change, and I love the idea now - however, on this particular day, in fact, he wasn't one of them.

PT said he was inside...

CR's turn: I walked into the little kitchen, and there he was, sitting on KT's lap. When he saw me it was like someone stuck him with a tack. He jumped up, crying, and he gave me the largest bear-hug - not an endearing bear hug, but an "I need you" bear hug.

Held back tears from me, tears from him.

Once he calmed down, he was fine - I asked him about what had happened, and he said "I was crying for Mommy," and that was about all I could get out of him. The little bugger actually didn't want to leave once I got there...grrrr....

I called B. He was baffled about why I hadn't called him sooner. He saved us. By chance he had a copy of my keys in his car, so he came right from work, grabbed my car, drove to the school to rescue us, and drove us back so that I could get the groceries, and off he went back to work.

My knight in the shining Acura.

So here we are, back home. CR is sleeping, and I am going to continue with work and cleaning the house. I am quite the emotional mess today. I truly hope tomorrow, at the very least, the sky bucks-up and stops shedding all the tears - that should in turn get some vitamin D into our systems, and things will be a whole lot better in our world.

(image from here)

That's not Kosher...

Conversation I just had with CR as I put on a diaper before his nap:

Scene: CR grabs one of two thermometers we have above his changing table; they look basically the same, except for different bases; one is new but opened, and the other has been used to take his temperature for as long as I can remember through a portal in his body that adults do not need to resort to in order to get an accurate reading...

When B and I were on vacation, leaving behind a sick little boy, Mimi phoned us to tell us she tried and tried to take his temp, but he wouldn't cooperate by opening his mouth...B and I were a little disturbed, knowing where in CR's body one of the two devices had received frequent flier miles...CR shed a little light on the situation today...

CR: Is this Mimi's?
Mommy: No, it's ours, why?
CR: Mimi put this in my mouth...
Mommy: Wait, did she put this one in your mouth? Or did she put this one in your mouth (grabbing the one that is used to take his temp jailhouse-style)?
CR: No, that one goes in my penis. This one went in my mouth...

Poor confused little man. We really need him to understand the difference between the two areas of his body. That will come, for now? He re-confirmed that old reliable was not used in places that talk in addition to places that toot...

(image from here)

The wheels on the bus...

Mommy: CR, you start school today!

CR: I get to ride the bus??!!
Mommy: No, not the bus, Mommy will drive you, but the point is you're going to SCHOOL!
CR: I'm going to AW's house?
(In order to pump him up for the idea of going to school, we have been referring to CR's cousin AW and telling CR that he is such a big boy like AW to go to school)
Apparently he missed the point of our "Big Boy" analogy, and thought AW's house was where big boys go to school, but boy did he do great today on his first day.

I have to admit, I think I had a lot more reservations about how he would react to being in a class with 10-14 other kids, most of them older and bigger than him (at under 3 years old, he is the youngest, and not shockingly, the most petite pupil in the group). I drove him to school at 8:30am, and hung out for the first hour and a half to make sure he felt comfortable. I planned on staying the whole time he was there, but he quickly warmed up to his teachers, and to all the other little people around him.

He participated in "circle time," and volunteered to put the weather sticker on the calendar - he looked out the window when the teacher called him up, and he told her it wasn't snowing, and that it was cold outside.

At snack time, CR sat at the table in the kitchen (the little bugger chose the seat at the head of the table, of course), and gulped down water and graham crackers with his new buddies. At that point, I told him I was leaving for a bit, and would be back later, and he said "okay, Mommy." And with that, I was off to run a few errands and do work until it was time to grab him at noon.
This is going to be great for both of us - he gets to play with kids his own size and around the same age, and I get to actually get some things done without having CR in tow...a win-win.
I hope this positive acceptance of change continues, and that he stays excited about school. I am going to enjoy the next 10 or so weeks of my new-found freedom...it's only a few hours a couple of mornings a week, but it is something I really haven't had since CR was born. My life will again be run on someone else's schedule once the bean arrives, but until then, I will use my free time wisely.

Family Ties

CR got a hold of my phone this weekend, and decided to snap a few shots - these are just a couple of them that I needed to delete off my camera roll...

We had a really nice and relaxing visit to CT this past weekend. Without a real agenda, we spent lots of QT with both sets of grandparents and B's great grandparents. CR painted with Ga, and Gee took him out to feed the birds and for a walk in the back. He even got Uncle J to read him "Are You My Mother" when he went to bed.

He played driveway hockey with Pop-pops, and he got plenty of hugs and kisses from Mimi. It was truly a great family weekend. We all left CT feeling relaxed and semi-refreshed (although B and I are convinced we will never really catch up on sleep again...or at least not until the kids graduate from school and are out of the house).
CR even looked a little laid back on the trip back to Boston...

Thank you, family, for the great company, laughs, and delicious food - we love you.

It's like he was following a trail of breadcrumbs or something...

I have been thoroughly impressed with wee-man's ability to recall things from the past these days. He is becoming more and more aware, which is making B and I much more aware of what we say around him - his memory for the pizza event was funny, but a little reminder that we cannot use "adult language" in his presence.
We are visiting the grandparents in CT this weekend. Tonight it's Ga and Gee's house (Uncle J is here, too - an added bonus), and tomorrow we are off to Mimi and Pop-pops (with the hope of seeing [Great] Grammy M and [Great] Pop-pops J). Our trip down here was pretty smooth; traffic was minimal, and other than a few gusts of wind that shook the family truckster on the Pike, we arrived without breaking a sweat. As we entered town, we started asking CR which way to go to get to Ga and Gee's house..."Is that their street?..Should we turn down this road?...Is that their house?" And crazily, he was able to navigate us to their farm house without guiding us astray.
I am just happy that he knows his way around...not that I would expect him to drive here if B and I wanted to snooze on the repeated one and a half hour trek to our home state, but at least we know that he is capable of recognizing where he is outside of the block around our house.

(image from here)

Throwback toys...why don't they make 'em like they used to?

We had to take advantage of the "warm" weather this morning, so before I handed him off to EB (a friend of SM's who has been helping out with taking care of wee-man while SM starts a new job), CR and I went outside to play for a bit. After a couple of laps around the block, intermittently stopping and going for "red light, green light," I decided to break out a mini box of fun for the little guy.
Flashback: For our anniversary last August, B and I took a trip to P-town. Of course I had to hit up the penny candy store, and I happened upon a childhood favorite - snap crackers. The ones I found were called Party Snaps, but they are the same that I had as a kid...little paper balls filled with explosive powder, that when hurled at the ground, make a loud POP.

CR loves the things - we went through the entire package this morning, running after the "duds" and trying them over and over again

This got me thinking about my childhood toys and amusements in general. I compare the toys that are on store shelves today, to those I found in my closet in the 70s and 80s. I never had an abundance of tangible pieces...much of the playtime that I recall stemmed from my own imagination. I stuck slips of lined of paper inside of my books, and played library using my parents' teacher stamps. Making something out of nothing was a common method of entertainment, but there were a few favorites that I remember that today's toys don't stand up to. Not because they were intricate pieces of machinery, or because they were expensive items...they were just practical toys that served their intended purpose. Period. Here are a few from my childhood memory bank:

Fisher Price Airplane

(image from here)
Tonka Pound Puppies

(image from here)
Ollie the riding banana toy

(image from here)

Fisher Price Record Player

(image from here)

There are so many more to list - I may even come back to this excerpt and add a few others after I am through. The point is that often a toy is not just a toy today. It requires batteries, assembly, detailed instructions...what happened to 1) open box 2) play?

The Cambridge 500

We know about CR's obsession with Cars. He loves the books, the movie, and the cars themselves. He also loves the Piston Cup race...today, we recreated it in our backyard.
He wanted a racetrack, so we shoveled out a path in the snow.

He wanted someone to watch us running around the track, so we built a small snowman to serve as a one-man audience.

Then, he wanted to end the life of said spectator...

And so the story ends. Not exactly how I remember the Pixar tale coming to a close, but if it made wee-man smile, that's all that counts...

Weeble Wobbles wobble but they don't fall down...

Maybe it's the brewing thoughts about the arrival of CR's little sister, or just the fact that CR seems to be growing up right in front of our eyes, but whatever the case, I have been really nostalgic for baby pictures and videos of our little man. Here is one of my favorites:

He still falls down, but now it's because he's capping off a verse of Ring Around the Rosie...or if he is imitating Olympic figure skaters going for the gold...

Yikes. Uncle D and Uncle J, fire up your best comments now - I secretly take pleasure in watching B squirm in his seat as he watches his son do a pirouette move just as much as you do...

I know about lying, but if Pinocchio swears, does his nose grow too?

Scene:

B, CR, and I were walking through Harvard Square over the weekend. After dining at IHOP (go ahead, feel free to chuckle...B got the Rooty Tooty Fresh n' Fruity, and it was as horrible as I remember it from years ago), we passed by our favorite pizza place, affectionately named after Mister Geppetto's little wooden boy.
Flash back to about a month ago:
B and CR went to Pinocchio's for a slice, and in an unfortunate series of events, CR dropped a fresh slice of Sicilian on the ground outside the shop. B was pissed, CR was crying, and profanities and phrases were uttered...

Back to our walk this past weekend:
B asked CR what happened at the pizza place the last time we were there...without skipping a beat, CR blurted out "Daddy got screwed..."
Excuse me??!! Stifling our laughs, we asked him again what happened/what he said..."Daddy got screwed...CR was crying, Daddy was crying, CR wanted the old pizza, not the new pizza..."
Since I was getting my eyebrows done at the time, I did not witness the epic pizza fail, so CR gave me some insight this weekend as to what actually transpired...
It's amazing the things CR remembers these days and can recount at a moment's notice...note to self, we might want to cut back on showering with the little man...we don't need him remembering us as being the naked family while he was growing up...

(image from here)

Walt - Back to Basics

Yes. We all love Finding Nemo, Monster's Inc., and we know how CR feels about Cars. But in looking back to my childhood, I fondly remember trips I took with my family to Disney World and Disney Land. There were not any futuristic characters wandering around the Magic Kingdom. When you entered the gates, Micky and Minnie greeted you with big ears and freakishly large gloved hands - we loved it. So when I heard there was going to be a free performance of Disney on Ice at the Frog Pond on the Common this afternoon, I bundled up wee-man, and headed to the train. Riding the T is an event in and of itself for him, so hyping him up to go out in the chilly air to get on the choo-choo was the easy part. The more difficult part of the afternoon was when he decided he didn't want to walk anymore, and I had to carry him...note to self...next time he says he doesn't want to bring the stroller and that he wants to walk instead, ignore him.

We walked down Charles Street, consumed a packed lunch at Starbucks (I paid for a coffee, so I felt entitled to enjoy a few snacks in the warmth of their store even though I had not purchased them from the beverage mogul itself)...

...and crossed over to the Common.

(CR was actually watching a homeless woman getting sick in this picture, and he kept asking me "What's she doin' over there?" as I tried to urge him to walk faster...lovely)

We arrived at the skating rink right at 2pm, and figuring we would be there for awhile, we cozied up to the rink edge, and waited for the show to begin. First up was a group from Louisiana dressed in Mardi Gras garb - CR even got a set of beads (no, neither of us had to raise our shirts to get them...and if I did, they would have thought twice about donning us with a necklace at first sight of the prenatal mole).

Next up were Micky and Minnie - CR asked about who the big mouse was...bad parent...we haven't really gotten to the education of the Disney's large rodents, but some day, he will know, and he will love them as much as he loves McQueen and Sally.

After they skated around the rink to greet all the half-pint spectators, we expected to see a grand skating display....[loud sound that you hear when "Xs" appear across the TV screen for a wrong answer on a game show]...we were gypped. The mice skated off the ice, and the announcer reiterated the dates when Disney on Ice would be appearing at TD Garden...so much for an hour of entertainment.
Luckily there is a park right next to the pond, so CR and a hundred of his disappointed buddies rushed the slides and monkey bars.

We grabbed the train home at Park Street, and made our way back to the house. J and D, if you read this, we got your drycleaning - it's been there since August of '08 - very impressive :)
It was a fun but tiring outing today. It was the hauling of the child, the unborn child, and the backpack that got me. Next time, it's either the car or the jogging stroller to lessen the load...maybe I can get CR to swap "pushing ourchothers" (a reference to my childhood description of sharing pushing duties on the swings with my young playmate J) in the stroller...

A Mother's Love

CR is going through a phase right now, and I can't get enough of it. It could be carryover from us being away in FL on our little excursion, or from his belly bug, but whatever the reason is, I'll take it. When he goes down for his nap, and when he first wakes up after his afternoon snooze, when I say, "I love you, CR," he looks me in the eyes and says, "I love you, too, Mommy." When I snatch him out of his bed, he gives me the biggest hug...not a clingy, whiny hug, but a genuine loving embrace. He loves to snuggle into my gradually lessening lap (the baby buddha is taking over) while we read a book, or do arts and crafts...
I am sure this is most likely the calm before the storm for yet another pre-schooler change (we've seen biting, yelling, crying, hitting...we take it as it comes), but right now, I can genuinely send butterfly kisses to you, my (currently) sweet little boy.
(image from here)

Like Father like Son...and throw in like Mimi to boot

B has a "delicate" way of eating popcorn, and Mimi, I have seen a similar trend in your popcorn-eating habits as well. It's a trait that is being handed down generation to generation. Even though CR is dining on unpopped corn, the procedure is much the same. I personally eat kernels one by one...the R fam? Get yer fist in there and grab. I love it. He starts off like his Mommy with a hunt and peck method, and then in the last frame, goes for it in true R-style. He has the UCONN game kicking in the foreground, all he needs now is to pick up a few swear-words, a glass of OJ in hand (another interesting part of this ritual), and he is his father...

Bug is not a cuter way to address it...it is still a nasty ugly little invader...

When they call it a 24 hour bug, they don't take into account the total time it effects someone when more than one family member gets sick with it...more like a 48 hour bug for two people...72 hours for three, and so forth.
I had a feeling I was doomed, but when I first woke up this morning, I thought for a moment I was in the clear. CR woke up acting like his cute normal self, and B and I figured that if we hadn't shown symptoms by last night, that the bug had flown the coop.
My first clue that something was up was when I was making hot cereal for wee-man. As he scooped heaping spoonfuls of the warm oatmeal into his mouth, the coffee in my stomach churned...
So without any details, needless to say, the coffee did not last much longer in my belly. B had left for work, so I had to figure out a way to keep my 90% recovered, in-my-face child entertained, while making sure my 60% developed daughter kept hydrated inside me. I didn't want to have SM come into the house to help out, as I was afraid she might catch the lovely virus...I wanted CR to get outside before the expected snowstorm arrived, so I had SM meet us at the door, child bundled and Purelled, with outside toys to keep them busy for a half an hour. After a stint outside, and a brief rest period for me, CR and I decided it was time to color a little bit. And color we did, just not in the traditional manner...

After little Picasso finished decorating Mommy's face, we did a little arts and crafts..

...and it was time for his nap...and for mine...the sigh out of me was heard on the Moon today...
With being away last week, and now getting taken out by this virus, I feel like I am a decade behind with work, housework, catching up with friends...behind in general. Tonight I am sleeping in Mantown in an attempt to keep this little pest away from my hub...tomorrow as I emerge from the depths of our house, I hope to leave this bug as snug in a rug in the carpet below, and I hope it is the last we see of this blip on our health radar for awhile.