Photos by Eddie

I let Eddie use the camera today and not surprisingly, I was his subject. Here are his photos in order—The first 2 are not the greatest, but the last two aren’t so shabby!

EASTER

Easter was……well, it just was I suppose. An enjoyable day that began at 7am and ended at 10pm with nonstop candy and no naps. And all I can say is “It was.”

I mean it when I say the day started at 7:00 am. Luckily I got up at about 6:45 and put Eddie’s basket back under the table where I caught the cat licking all of the plastic before we went to bed on Saturday. Eddie could hardly contain himself as he waited at the gate for Ed to get out of bed. I distracted him by making him take his pull up off and go pee so that Ed could at least get dressed. As soon as the gate was down, he ran in to the living room to look for his basket.

We probably could have put it in the middle of the room and he wouldn’t have seen it. He’s horrible at looking for things. We told him to tell Cait to look near the play kitchen for her basket, and he immediately found it and got it down for her. She was pleased. The next 15 minutes felt like 15 hours. He was just walking around, looking in odd places. Ed and I asked questions like “What’s something it could be under??” And laughed as he looked under the couch with its generous half inch of room underneath. He did eventually find the basket under his table, and laughed hysterically as he pulled out the treats inside.

“WOOO HOO Spiderman BUBBLES!!!!! Is this fire truck made of CHOCOLATE?? A SPONGEBOB MAGAZINE???? Is this a cookie sucker on a stick??” He was enamored.

Caitlyn loved her Dora coloring book, but was more interested in the Chocolate Chip Cookie Bunny Sucker that I bought from work. The thing was as big as my hand and she devoured it in, oh, less than 10 min.

The kids combined all of their chocolate eggs in to one basket (ha, don’t put all your eggs in one basket….) and disappeared. They hid them all over their bedroom. Even after I went and collected them from the crevices of Eddie’s racecar bed, they were still coming out with eggs in their mouths. I’m not sure where they were, but I’m pretty sure they’re gone now.

Ed and I ate breakfast (the kids refused) and cleaned up the living room so he could clean the carpets. I got the kids ready for my mom’s house while he did that, and we were on the road by 11:30 and at my mom’s by noon. The candy consumption continued with Eddie devouring half a box of chocolate tools and whatever else he could get his hands on. Caitlyn peeled foiled eggs and popped them in her mouth like a pro. She at least ate some ham and potatoes but Eddie refused.

Lunch was great. My brothers were there, there was good food and good wine. Very enjoyable. I did debate with my mother over immigration issues and speaking English in America and having to press a button for English in an automated system. I argued that this is America and the land of opportunity. She argued that in America you should speak English. The greatest moment of the day was when she asked me if I wanted some “platczek” or coffee cake in Polish. I told her to speak English since we’re in America and we all had a really great laugh. Ed told me he was going to sleep with one eye open because I have some balls he was unaware of. It was really all in good fun though.

We left there to go home and cook dinner for Ed’s parents. Since he had cleaned the carpet, Ed decided to rearrange the furniture while I cooked, and hook up the digital cable. Somehow, he ended up breaking the TV, which is old to begin with, but we had to put the regular cable back on and now we have a horrible picture. Time for a new TV. Dinner was great though, my ham was clove-y and delicious and my German chocolate pie was also GREAT. Caitlyn had a sugar induced meltdown and I finally got Eddie to eat a roll and butter. We were in bed by 10.

Call Me Cake

I was in Eddie and Caitlyn’s room last night, covering Caitlyn one last time before bed. Eddie sat up and pretended to roll down the window on his race car bed. He proceeded to do a dead on impression of me:

“Hi- can I have a large coffee, black, please? And FOUR chocolate doughnuts?”

I don’t order chocolate doughnuts, that must have been a wish, but his impression was hysterical.

I feel bad because I’m constantly writing about how funny Eddie is and never have much to say about Cait. She really is fun at this age. I don’t know why, but I don’t remember Eddie being this fun at her age. Maybe it’s because I was 27 months pregnant with Caitlyn when he was 20 months old. Actually, I suppose she was born already when he was her age. Anyway, she really is fun. The only way I can get her to do anything is to tell her not to do it, or that I am going to do it first. Any time we arrive at a destination, regardless of where, she sings “ hone !!” which means, home. When she hands me something, she say “here Mommy”, but here sounds like “hee ooo” and the very best thing, other than her soft kisses, that she gives you first on the lips and then one on each cheek for good measure, is that one day last week I asked her what her name was. She was being silly, and instead of saying “Cait”, which is what she calls herself, she said “cake”. Eddie laughed hysterically and that made her laugh hysterically. Now, any time you ask her what her name is, she says “CAKE!” and laughs. Who knew that a 20-month-old could make jokes?

We’re looking forward to Easter although we’ll be busy between our parents. Busy is good though.

To anyone who reads this- I hope you have a wonderful Easter with your family!!

Take my advice. If you’re 20 and you get an offer to move in with your boyfriend’s father for only $220 a month, when you’re currently paying $380 in rent, don’t do it. You’ll find yourself owning the house in 8 years and he will now be living with you.

I really shouldn’t complain, because Ed’s dad is a tremendous help to me. I don’t know how I would get through a lot of days without his help. Eddie and Caitlyn adore him-plus he does the dishes. He just gets on my very last nerve.

Really my biggest gripe has been resolved-he used to do all of his laundry on the weekend, which is when I also do my laundry. He’s started doing it during the week since he’s retired, and has more time to do it during the week. But why did it take him the whole weekend to do his laundry? Ecause he had SEVERAL loads. They were comprised as follows: 1st load- all of his black socks-maybe 10 pair. 2nd loan- all of his underwear-again, probably 10 pair and an undershirt or 2. 3rd load- 6 every day t-shirts. 4th load- 3 long sleeved shirts. 5th load- 2 pair of jeans. 6th load-2 pair of dress pants. 7th load- 5 towels and 5 wash cloths. You could be like Ed and tell me that I have too much time on my hands to pay this close attention to his loads of laundry, but you should really take my side here. This should be 3 loads of laundry tops.

Ok, done with that…

I got the kid’s Easter baskets out last night and left them in the kitchen. I don’t know why it never occurs to me that Eddie knows what is going on now; he’s not a baby any more. So he asks me “Mommy is the Easter Bunny coming to our house?” I say yes. He puts his hands on his hips “Then why are these Easter baskets in the kitchen already???” I told him that I had to get them out and have them ready for the Easter Bunny to fill with candy. That little stinker.

For the last few months, Eddie has begged me every day to be dropped off in “Caterpillars”, the room for 3-4 year olds at daycare. Some days they had room for him and some days they did not, but the easiest days to drop him off were the days he could go over there. A few weeks ago, I got the notice that he would be moving up permanently effective 4/2. We were excited since he loves it over there so much.

Friday, they had a going away party for him and his friend Mea who was moving up with him. The kids all took turns saying what they would miss about Eddie and Mea, and signed a good bye/good luck card for them. The teachers made a really big deal about their departure. In the back of my mind, I was thinking that this wasn’t a great idea, but didn’t give it a lot of thought because Eddie talked about it all weekend. He was excited to go to Caterpillars.

Until we actually got there, that is. It would be an understatement to say that Eddie was hysterical when I dropped him off this morning. It wasn’t that he was scared, or that anything in particular was wrong with Caterpillars, he was concerned because his friends would miss him. My poor little ball of emotions was concerned that his other friends wouldn’t make it through the day without him. Poor baby.

I finally got out of there after about 20 minutes. I was almost in tears because he was so upset. They ended up taking him over to say hi to his friends to calm him down. I felt so bad for him.

We had a pretty good weekend. We stocked up at BJ’s on Saturday ($456.00 gulp) and made a decision to never take Caitlyn in to a store again. I can’t even begin to describe how terrible she was. Multiple temper tantrums were involved. We had dinner at The Olive Garden with my parents later on, and it was nice, except for trying to avoid Ed’s former business partner who was seated just after us. We haven’t talked to him since, I don’t know, 2002. Could have been very uncomfortable.

Yesterday was uneventful. Ed got up with the kids and let me go back to sleep—then he made pancakes and bacon. I took Eddie for a haircut and then picked up the few groceries I couldn’t get at BJ’s while the kids napped. It got really sunny and warm in the late afternoon, so we played outside while Ed cleaned the garage and barbequed chicken. After Ed left for work, his dad took Eddie up to the store to return bottles and then to Louie’s for a hotdog since he didn’t eat dinner. Kids were both in bed pretty early, and I was asleep before 11.

So, I’m back at work today and it feels like I never left. I really need a vacation.

Because I’m too tired to post, here are 2 amusing pictures. 🙂

“Why doesn’t she just get a breast reduction?”

I’m sitting in an office with 3 of my peers. The girl walking by has like, an FF cup. I’ve spoken to her about this before. So I tell them- it’s because she wants to breast feed some day, and doesn’t want to jeopardize that.

All three of these women were non breast feeders, while I was. They pretty much trashed breast feeding. “None of my friends did it. I don’t think large breasted women can do it. I don’t think small breasted women can do it. Why would anyone even want to put themselves through that? Isn’t 9 months enough?”

I was (rightfully in my opinion) upset, and I let them know. I breastfed both of my children, and I have very strong feelings on the subject. Unless a woman or her baby has a medical issue that prevents it, I think that every woman owes it to her baby to try breastfeeding. If it doesn’t work out, for what ever reason, it doesn’t work out. But trying is necessary.

Breastfeeding for me, especially with Eddie, my first, was such a wonderful experience. The bonding, the sense of being their sole form of nourishment, the sense that I could still offer them my body’s protection even after they left the womb…It was a great accomplishment for me.

I breastfed Eddie for 7 months and my goal was 6 months. I would have done it longer, but as he increasingly ate more solid foods and as he got so big so fast (he was 20 lbs by the time he was 9 months old) the breast milk was not enough to sustain him. Caitlyn was a lot different. She weaned herself at 4 months because she couldn’t see what was going on- she has been an opinionated busybody since day 1- without her nursing regularly and only being able to pump twice a day at work, my milk dried up fairly quickly.

My point here, is that I tried. I didn’t nurse either of my kids for the recommended year, but I tried. It was inconvenient and uncomfortable at times, but I did it anyway for the sake of my children. With all that is known today about the benefits of breast feeding, I don’t know why more women wouldn’t just try it.

I have to wonder if Subway saves money by only giving you one napkin in that plastic bag they put your sandwich in. They must, judging by the looks they give you if you (heaven forbid) ask for some extras. You really have to wonder. I’m making a mental note to ask my little brother, who is a faithful Subway employee.

So anyway, hello. It’s Tuesday. It still feels like Monday though, or maybe even like it’s last Friday still. I’m in a fog. Caitlyn caught a nasty cold and I’ve been up with her all night, every night since Saturday. Does anyone else wonder why their kids are fine during the day, but seem to be on the brink of death after sundown? I suspect it’s some sort of phenomenon. Out of nowhere last night, Eddie decided that he was also sick. I had no sooner settled down with my Lean Cuisine, glass of chardonnay and TiVo remote than he began screaming that he doesn’t feel good, and need to sleep with me. So, I gorged and guzzled, and settled in to my bed with him, to fall blissfully asleep while watching “Dancing with the Stars”. In case you’re wondering, blissfully asleep means Eddie’s face and sick-o-breath right in my face and an obscene amount of snorting and sniffing with the occasional cough. Cait was up screaming at 2:00, asking for, of all things, a bottle which she hasn’t had in quite some time. I made it for her. I though, “screw all that we’ve worked for, I am way too tired for this.” She went back to sleep, but didn’t touch the bottle, so I wasted 6oz of milk. It was worth it for the fact that both kids were sleeping. I moved Eddie to his bed and settled in to sleep by myself for a while. All was peaceful until 4:45, when somehow, both kids were up screaming again. Cait went back to be easily, while Eddie came back to bed with me. I had even less room this time, since Ed had come home from work by now. In short (ok, in way too long….) I’m really tired.

I spent a lot of time today reading here which is a hysterical debate over tampons/pads vs. “The DivaCup” or “The Keeper”. Very amusing, and for what it’s worth I don’t think that I would use either of the “newfangled” collection cups. Disgusting. This was really one of the funniest threads I’ve read in a long time.

Nothing else is really going on. Ed has recovered nicely from his tonsillectomy. There were a few rough spots, but he did really well. I injured my wrist quite badly this weekend while lifting a box of tray tables at my sister-in-law’s shower. It’s not the bone, but I think I have some deep muscle thing going on. It’s freaking killing me. And I’m scheduled to get this stoooopid temporary crown off on Thursday, and get the real ceramic version installed, so I’m VERY excited. Especially since the temporary actually has a hole in it. They weren’t kidding when they said temporary.

I’m pretty sure I’ve griped enough for the day, so I’m going to get back to work on building a whole new list of issues to gripe about tomorrow.

I feel old, crampy, bloated and arthritic today. Perfect time for a survey, right? Here it is!!

FIRST BORN SURVEY

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED? I had been tracking my ovulation, but Ed wasn’t sure about having a baby. One night after work, he told me that he wanted to have a baby. That’s the day I got pregnant.

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? yes

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? Very excited, but scared, and also a little bit in disbelief

4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? NEVER!

5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 25

6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? I went to the dr for something completely unrelated but mentioned that I was having horrible cramping that midol wasn’t even touching. My period was a day late. Dr. said to take a test just to be sure. She told me it would take about 10 minutes to develop, but came running back in the room 3 minutes later to say that I was, in fact, pregnant.

7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? Ed, then Rosanne and Beverly

8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? I did. makes planning a lot easier. Plus, I am just so darn nosy….

9. DUE DATE? 1/4/04

10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? Yes…but I never threw up from it.

11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? twinkies and root beer. (I’m convinced this is why Eddie won’t eat veggies….) I drank root beer morning, noon and night to the point that I can’t even look at it anymore. Snyder’s Spicy Jalapeno Pepper Pretzle Pieces.

12. WHO IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? the real question is who didn’t iritiate me. People at work still talk about how miserable I was.

13. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD’S SEX? boy

14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? not really. i was good either way

15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? 40 lbs

16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? yes

17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? I knew.

18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNACY? Not until it came to laboring a gigantic baby

19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? Sister’s Hospital

20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? Well, I was 5 cm at the dr.’s office and no pain or contractions. They induced me at 6:00 pm and I had him by 2:13 am, so….. 8 hours

21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? Ed-, but we stopped at the bank, and to get him food on the way-(god I was so hungry and I couldn’t eat because they thought they might do a c-section. the chicken salad sandwich I ate while they were stitching me up still ranks as one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten.)

22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? Ed, the doctor, and a ton of nurses.

23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? natural

24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? Ummm, yes. Pitocin is evil so I had an epidural.

27. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 10lbs 2 oz

28. DID YOUR CHILD HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS? He was a littly hypo-glycemic, due to his weight-nothing a little nursing couldn’t take care of.

29. WHAT DAY WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN ON? 1/7/2004

30. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Edmund Mason

31. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? 3 years, 2 months. ~sniff~

I’ve been quiet, I know. I’ve actually been crazy sick since last Friday, with tonsillitis. I went to the Dr. on Tuesday and was advised that I should probably see someone about taking my tonsils out. (yeah, that’s not happening) Ironically, Ed had his tonsils out on Wednesday. Actually, it was his tonsils, adenoids and they re-sculpted the roof of his mouth and removed his uvula. Yuck. He was doing really well up until last night- eating, talking etc. All of the sudden though, he started feeling horrible, the pain killer wasn’t working and he started swelling some more. I think the good stuff from the hospital finally wore off. Today, he is worse then yesterday, and I don’t know what the weekend will bring.

The surgery itself went really well. My mother-in-law drove me nuts, but the surgery went well. She showed up late, played the “doting mother” and then slept in the waiting room the whole time with her winter glove over her eyes. She got pissed when Ed was in recovery, and they would only let me back there. (He needed help getting dressed) So now here’s the kicker. I sent her, along with Ed’s scripts, and my VISA which is linked to my healthcare account to target to get everything filled while I took Ed home and got him settled. We were home for a full 45 minutes before she got back to our house, and when she did come back, she had a horrible look on her face. I asked he what was the matter, and she told me that she lost my card. I asked her to repeat herself, and she said it again. She lost my card. She said she must have flipped it out of her purse when she took the scripts out. She ended up paying for the meds out of her pocket. I am not paying her back. I don’t know how something like that could happen. Anyway, it was cancelled and no extra charges were made. I just need to wait for the new one now. Irritating.

I’ve slept like crap the last few nights and am really beat right now. I could curl up under my desk.

Not much else going on. Eddie has been obsessed with “The Tigger Movie” and watching it at least once a day. Caitlyn has been playing with her baby more and more, wrapping her in her blanket and telling us all to “shhh” as she rocks her. It’s really cute.

I have my bowl-a-thon tomorrow at 8:30 AM. Yippee! Go Junior Achievement!