the hard questions

Today being Sunday, it was very good that we had the opportunity to go to church. Dennis asked me all kinds of questions on the way home from the lake early this morning, like "why do we go to church?", "who is God?", and "who is Jesus and where is He?", and "is Jesus a superhero?". I told him God made him and me and Daddy and trees and birds and animals and the sky and everything. He said "did God make bad guys?". Yeah, I'm way out of my league here. I think he gets promoted to actual Sunday School in May, and I'm hoping that will supplement the rudimentary theological education that I'm providing on the spur of the moment ("yes, God made bad guys and He loves them very much and hopes they will stop being bad"). Dennis was very happy to visit with our pastor this morning after the service (and after I nabbed him yelling and crying away from the nursery because they have a black fireman helmet with a visor there). He shook hands with Brother Larry and was very interested when I told him that Brother Larry taught people all about God and Jesus (and he looked very pastorly in his robe and vestments today).

We lunched with Grandma and GrandBob and then came home where he and Daddy napped while I escaped for some alone time, shopping and then visiting Uncle Denny. I had the greatest phone conversation to date with Dennis on my way home. He asked "Mommy, what are you doing" and I told him I was driving and he said "what are you doing talking on the phone and driving?". Good point. He told me all about his afternoon and told me to be careful and that he loved me. So fun.

poo shapes

As Dennis was sitting on the toilet last night, I heard him say "it looks like a whistle", and I looked to see what he was talking about. A small turd in the shape of whistle was indeed what I saw. I chuckled a bit at the cuteness of it and then let it go. But when this morning's constitutional provoked the following interesting diatribe ("look, Mommy, that one looks like a French fry, and that one looks like a noodle"), I wondered if we might be in for an actual poo-shape-identification phase. Parenthood. You can't make this stuff up.

thank you, Kids Gym

This was a big day. Up at 4:30 to get to town and give Pop a ride to the airport in Birmingham, then shopping at Target with Ellen and Chloe, breakfast at Chick-Fil-A, and then an hour and a half of play at Kids Gym. Ellen and I have been wanting to take the kids to this for what seems like forever and today it finally worked out. Dennis and Chloe played on indoor jungle gyms, rock climbing ramp and slide, gymnastics equipment (Dennis rocked the balance beam--is he really related to me?), big trampoline, ball pit, rocking toys, etc. What a great place, with its padded floor and giant gymnastics mats and pads all around. An hour into it, the kids (ALL the kids) started to tire and crying and bad toddler behavior abounded. We lasted for another half hour after that before escaping to McDonald's with two exhausted little ones. Good news: despite the wonder of unlimited play and new equipment that he'd never seen before, my wonderful child stopped to go to the potty twice and stayed dry the whole time (hooray!). The second time, I was holding him and telling him he needed to be mindful of the smaller children (and just when did I become the Mommy of the Older Child at the playground???). I said "while we're talking right now, do you need to go potty?" and he replied "yes". I began to carry him to the bathroom when he said "run faster, Mommy!", so we scooted in there quick! Chloe was in there and she became inspired to go potty as well. Hand sanitizer and m&m's were enjoyed by both kiddos afterward. Oh, the fun they had. I think Dennis liked being in the 'cement mixer' the best (the tube like thing that Chloe or I rolled him around in).

So lunch and then a visit to Uncle Denny (we were there as they moved him to a MUCH bigger and nicer hospital room) pretty much stretched Dennis to his absolute limit. I must admit to some real sleepies myself and had to call folks to help me stay awake long enough to get home. Post nap (his, not mine) we had supper and then played with blocks, building "River Road", a circular one lane affair with a bridge that spanned a river (the Blue Pants River, and there were even boats floating along the pants). We read the Sneetches (my favorite Seuss story) and I put him to bed. It's been a long, happy day. Dad arrived safely in Washington. And in other good news, David got a letter from the state asking him to update his application for the job he wanted. When he got online to do so, he found that a position is open in Chilton County!!!! Please pray with us that this is the right place for him and that he will get the job if it is. God is so good!

somebody has to do it

Tonight as he was playing Construction Site Dennis ('struction site Dennis, in his words), I asked him if he needed to go to the potty. He said no, he needed to build. I told him construction workers took breaks and that's when they went to potty. He said "no, that's when they play". I told him they had special potties just for construction sites called port-a-potties. He was very excited and said "I'm going to build port-a-potties, Mommy!". Now there's a career choice. I'd rather build them than clean them, for sure!

special visitors

Let me say first that Uncle Denny's surgery went very well and he is recovering nicely. We are very thankful!

Tonight, Granny decided to stay at the hospital with him to make sure everything went okay, and I came on back to be with David and Dennis. Aunt Louise and Uncle George came down to the lake house after they left the hospital and we all had the nicest visit. Dennis kept us well entertained and we enjoyed the delicious stir-fry supper that David had prepared for all of us. Pop came down to join us after he got off work, and we all sat around laughing together and swapping stories, just my favorite kind of family visit.

Dennis was very excited to see both of them and opened the door for them when they arrived (Pop also was greeted with much excitement later) and announced "welcome aboard!". He wouldn't give hugs right away, which was disappointing, but when I mentioned that Uncle George has a "robot leg" like Uncle Denny does, Dennis was all over him. Uncle George took it right off to show him and Dennis was totally fascinated. Dennis hugged him and loved on him and gave him much attention after that. He would say "come play with me, George" and "watch this, George" and we finally had him adding the 'uncle' to the name by the end of the evening. He gave both Uncle George and Aunt Louise countless hugs and kisses, and we appreciate that Aunt Louise taught him to ask nicely to pass the salt and pepper at the table (we told her we were working on table manners and she pitched right in to help--Dennis responded right away!).

What a day full of blessings!

buck (naked) wild

This morning as Dennis walked into the bathroom and sat on the commode, he looked up at me and said "Mommy, my nose has got too many boogers in it." I just never know what's going to come out of his mouth next. I asked him if he needed my help with that and he said "no, I'll get them. I can eat them." I try to discourage this, often and with dubious results (because it totally grosses me out). Any suggestions?

Granny came up to visit today and the three of us went to see Uncle Denny in the hospital. Dennis was wild and VERY unhappy to be confined to his stroller while we were inside visiting. I heard lots of "but I want to walk" and "get me out of here, Mommy" and "I need to check Uncle Denny's bed", but I did not let him get out until it was time to leave, and then I happened to think that he DID need to walk a while before getting strapped back into the car for an hour drive. I let him push the stroller out. He yelled alot in the car on the way home, loudly and at very unpredictable intervals, the kind of noises that make operating a vehicle so very exciting for the driver (me). Granny, in an attempt at a quiet distraction, told him the story of the three little pigs. He quietly listened to the entire thing, then said "I'm the big bad wolf. I going to huff and huff and huff and blow your car away" and then spent 10 minutes repeating this and blowing loudly. Don't most children identify with the pigs (good guys) and not the wolf (bad guy)? Yeah, not mine.

We were happy to get back to the lake house and the hot spaghetti dinner that Daddy prepared for us, and Dennis was elated to eat spaghetti and a banana popsicle and take part in the necessary bath afterward. The bath seemed to supercharge him and he escaped from David during the dry-off attempt. Suddenly the door burst open and he streaked crazily around this tiny house, giggling as naked, freshly bathed children often do until David caught him up in the towel and forced him to submit to more drying. Once we got him into his pajamas (not an easy feat tonight), he donned his pirate hat, grabbed up his sword, and talked pirate with me for a while before he insisted on posing for pirate pictures. I am exhausted because he has been so 'on' for so many hours (and so I've had to be as well), and I'm wishing I had remembered to pack up a bottle of wine to bring down here. Our intent is to work on Uncle Denny's unpacking job when we aren't visiting him so that he is able to move right in when he gets out of the hospital. Surgery tomorrow for the foot amputation--everyone's prayers are more than appreciated!

male milestone

As you travel south on I-65 in central Alabama, once you have passed Calera (last exit 228), a long, dark stretch of interstate must be endured before you reach Jemison (exit 219) and Clanton (exit 212). Dennis announced to David tonight as they were coming home from Men's Night Out (visit to Uncle Denny and shopping and dinner with Aunt Lulu and Uncle Robert) that he had to go potty just after David passed the exit ramp at mile 228. Usually Dennis doesn't give much warning, so David asked him to hold on and then pulled over on the side of the interstate. Tonight Dennis learned to pee on the side of the road and keep his pants and shoes dry at the same time. Nice. Not sure I could do as well.

Also, when we were getting him ready for bed, he said "is it time for bed now?" and we told him it was. Then he said "I'm not sure I know how to go to bed." This was a good one and his Daddy and I had a nice long laugh over it (once we got him to bed, of course).

gonna be a doctor

I had a nice long sleep this morning because Daddy took Dennis with him to get new tires on our Tracker. They had breakfast together at Wal-Mart and hung out and looked at toys and watched the tires getting put on, and Dennis came home with a new "cherry picker" truck that he could not wait to show me.

The most exciting part of Dennis' day today was the hospital visit. I asked him this morning if he wanted to go by Pop's house and then go see Uncle Denny and he looked at me like I'd lost my mind and said "No, no, Mommy, I can't go see Uncle Denny because he is at the HOSPITAL." When we went in to see Uncle Denny, Dennis again was very worried about a big boo-boo being under Uncle Denny's cast. Uncle Denny told him that he'd be getting a robot leg to match his other one. Dennis was even more interested in the room gadgets, like raising and lowering the bed OVER AND OVER again, giving Uncle Denny a nice ride. When the nurse came in, he asked her "are you going to give him a checkup?" and she said she wasn't just then, and then he pointed to the IV drip and said "that controls the medicine that is going into Uncle Denny's arm" and we all told him how right he was. He then announced "I'm going to get a checkup too" and she asked him about it and then he said "I'm going to be a doctor, Doctor Dennis."

His socialness continued later at Target when some ladies in the checkout line noticed his orange and blue shirt and asked him if he liked Auburn. He said "I have an Auburn hat." They asked him if he was going to play for Auburn and he said "no, I'm going to play at home." This cracked me up because of the look that accompanied what he said, a true David Mitchell look. He didn't complain or beg for bed on the way home because A) he had a new toy and B) I was playing music from my iPod over the car radio. He had been telling me to turn it down and I would (a tiny bit), and then "I Like To Move It" came on and I sang along with it. Dennis got excited and sang too and said "turn it loud, Mommy, no LOUDER than that!" as I increased the volume to his desired level. He said "this is my favorite song" and I wish all of you could hear how cute it is when he sings it. I will never hear that song without thinking of the Smiths' wedding rehearsal, as we bridesmaids were walking down the aisle to a chorus of same song (vocals by Jess).

moving in

So we got Uncle Denny's stuff into his house, but not Uncle Denny! He's still at the hospital, most likely awaiting some surgery. It's early to tell, but he might be facing amputation of his remaining foot. As he said, he'll be symmetrical again. It's a degenerative ankle condition that's causing the problem, and Dennis was a bit alarmed tonight when he saw the cast on his leg. He said "Did you hurt yourself Uncle Denny? Did you get a boo-boo on your leg?". He assured Dennis that it did not, in fact, hurt. Dennis seemed glad.

We had a nice day at the lake--totally beautiful outside--and the Gallmans came down to help with the move. Dennis and Chloe had a wonderful wild time playing together, and I laughed and laughed when Ellen told me about how they played pirates. She was watching them while I ran into town to show the guys what to move. Apparently Chloe woke up and Dennis was talking pirate to her ("arrrrrhh, matey, where's the treasure?") and she didn't understand or like it ("Dennis, stop talking to me that way") until Ellen explained what he was doing. Then she had 2 pirates on her hands. They played and played and then enjoyed a meal at Cracker Barrel together (also wild), and by the time we headed to the hospital and then home, Dennis was BEGGING for his bed.

brief update

Not much going on today. Dennis was very cute sliding down his fireman pole at home, and he enjoyed our sojourn to the dump this afternoon because he got to watch a bulldozer and front end loader at work. He is spending the evening, night, and morning with his Grandma and GrandBob and we are at the Emergency Room with Uncle Denny (who has injured his ankle).

Dennis took an unheard of three hour nap this afternoon. I wasted all that time taking a nap myself and it was glorious. I think it helped me feel better after this vicious cold and sinus stuff. I am not surprised he slept so long. Last night on our way home from an errand (very late) he was saying from the backseat "I need a blanket, I need my pillow" and I told him we'd be home very soon. He said "I need to take a nap in my bed now, Mommy" and was really whiny about it. He doesn't often demand his bed, and I had hope to sleep late today. I was surprised to see him show up at my bedside at 6:15. Fortunately he just climbed in and fell asleep right away and slept another hour and a half. He did tell me, just before he fell asleep, "I need to take a bath with my rubber ducky now". Maybe he dreamed of doing just that.

wild tea party

Aren't you glad I'm not going to do another dissertation on the brilliance of his potty prowess? I thought so. We'll sum it up by saying it was another totally successful day on that front.

It's hard to think of things to do to engage his little mind all day, and I brought out a secret weapon that I have had stashed until such time as I thought he wouldn't eat it. Yes, it was Play-Doh Day! We made snowmen and apples and baseballs and then we made mugs and plates and had a tea party. This was such fun to him that he requested "let's have a REAL tea party, Mommy!" and we did just that. I brewed sugar plum tea, got out china teacups and saucers, set our places with small china dessert plates featuring mini moon pies and mini ritz crackers. I put ice in the tea pitcher and poured our cups. I set out milk and sugar and we toasted each other and said "cheers". Just then Gran called because Caedmon wanted to talk to Dennis, and while Dennis was telling Caedmon "we're having our very own tea party!" he poured ALL the milk from the little china pitcher into his cup, which overflowed and soaked everything. Then he took a big drink, or rather his shirt did, and then he added most of the sugar while I was trying to hang up the phone. I did a quick clean and we started over and he said "I love tea parties!".

Also today, he got a haircut (which he loudly and boisterously protested, leaving me with a nasty cut on my knuckle) and a nice long bath where he splashed and played and sang the A-B-C song. I thought we'd read books for awhile, but he wanted to play with the Play-Doh again. He made a 'baseball' out of the white dough and handed it to me and went to fetch his baseball glove from his room (all his idea) and we played catch. And then he wanted to make mugs again, so I did, and we played cheers and pretended to drink. I got another phone call and then I started to write this blog entry and he brought me those 'mugs' filled with ice water from my glass. So I had to pause to mop up a big trail of water and I'll leave you with the same question that's running through my mind: what do you do with Play-Doh that is so water-soaked that it has become slimy? Ewww.

potty preference

I am so happy that Dennis decided today that he'd rather poo-poo in the big toilet than in the potty! Hooray! We've had another completely dry day and a visit to a new potty (Ace Hardware's). Success. I snapped this picture of him lying around in his underpants because he just looks so darn cute in them when he keeps them on. It seems like every time I turn around, he's half naked and running for the toilet and then I'm running after him. This is my new workout regimen. I have to get mobilized QUICKLY I think, though he's been able to take care of getting on the toilet himself. I have been needed once to help him get his stuck foot out of his pants (don't know why he wants them completely off, but he does).

Today is Ash Wednesday, a time when I always like to reflect on the season ahead, to spend 40 days thinking of Jesus' life on earth and the sacrifice he made for all of us. I always love going to the service at our church, but we didn't get to go tonight. There are reasons, good ones, but still I am sorry to miss it, sorry to miss getting the ashes applied to my forehead, sorry to miss the solemnity of the occasion shared with fellow worshippers.

Does anyone else check on their sleeping child every single night, going into the room to adjust covers, smooth hair away from eyes, whisper "I love you so much and I'm so proud of you" while gazing at his angelic sleeping face? I do. And the very first thought that passes through my mind as I enter his quiet and dark room is always the same one, a quick silent prayer of "thank You, Lord, for the gift of this wonderful, beautiful, perfect child." It does not matter how difficult bedtime might have been (though he's mostly over that brief phase and is back to going to bed and staying there), or how trying he was, or anything. By the time midnight rolls around and I go in and check on him as I am getting ready to go to sleep, I am totally in love with him again, having completely forgotten the day's troubles. I think that we are given children so that we can have just one inkling of understanding of God's love for us, though His patience is infinitely greater.

fat turdsday

Happy Mardi Gras! We began celebrating kind of early this morning when a call came from Dennis' room, an excited shout of "MOMMY COME LOOK WHAT I DID!!". What he did was poo-poo in his potty, in his room. I thought I had a few weeks before this would happen, honestly, so wasn't prepared. I stumbled sleepily in there and he was jumping up and down and pointing at the potty. I looked in and was shocked at what I saw there, so proud that for a brief moment I considered taking a picture of it but fortunately my brain woke up just then. I mean, who wants to see that? I didn't particularly want to deal with it before 7 a.m., but I hopped to it. And praised effusively. Now we have to learn about wiping, how to teach him to 'assume the position' and let me check his wiping job (because he wanted to do it all by himself, he said). I have no dignity left. None. I shouted like a banshee over a turd in a plastic frog potty this morning. And how was your day?

It was not a one time deal, either, as I feared it would be. And other potty issues have crept into the mix. We have to go to every bathroom, everywhere, and like a dog that holds pee to mark as many places as he can, Dennis must pee in as many toilets as he can on a single trip. And tonight, he wanted to empty his own potty, so he grabbed it up and started to take it to the bathroom when David shouted at him to stop, startled him, and he threw it down, face down (of course) and there was suddenly pee everywhere. I'm going to wear out that steam cleaner. Oh, yeah, about the not-being-a-one-time-deal thing--tonight he stood up suddenly and yelled "I got to use the potty quick I got to hurry" and ripped off his underwear, sending a tiny turd flying through the air as he rushed to get the next one in the potty (he succeeded). And I thought diapers were gross. We aren't quite done with gross. Actually, it's a whole new world of gross.

I'm so proud of him I can't stand it! From no potty to all potty, all the time in just a week. Whoa.

too literal

When I asked him to put his underwear back on after using the potty for what must have been the 25th time today, this is not the reaction I had in mind. But it was pretty funny.

I think we're on potty overload. He used the thing every half hour to forty minutes ALL DAY LONG. Better than diapers, I suppose. And he stayed dry for most of the day. Very nice. I guess it's a new and fun thing he can do, so he's going to pee in it as often as he possibly can. Or he has a bladder the size of a mustard seed. I hope it's the former.

our funny valentine

We had a great Valentine's Day. Dennis was delighted to share his homemade cards with Gran and Pop and Uncle Denny as well as to distribute the goodies he'd helped pick out for them (70% chocolate bar for Gran, 85% chocolate bar for Uncle Denny, Little Debbie heart cakes for Pop). They gave him a heart boxes full of candy. He was ecstatic. We all shared a breakfast-for-supper meal together, biscuits (made by me, cooked by Gran), sausage (ground by David, cooked by Gran) and eggs (stirred by Dennis, cooked by Gran), which was was superb. Dennis also got to play with his new-to-him robot that Gran had picked up. He hugged it and said "my favorite robot!".

He gave me a wonderful card and also made a special one for Daddy. I got a heart box full of Reese's cups (mmmmmm....) and David got two boxes of Samoas (the girl scout cookie he knows I won't eat--also his favorite). Dennis scored another heart box of candy from us, a bag of strawberry heart marshmallows that we're all sharing, and a tiny box of conversation hearts. Gran and Pop gave David and me chocolate covered potato chips that I can't wait to try (but insist on waiting until I'm over my cold so I can actually taste them). Even better than all the food? All the hugs and kisses and "Happy Valentine's Day, Mommy" phrases I heard. I've never liked this holiday, but today was pretty darn special.

potty update

As I write this, Dennis has successfully pee-peed in the potty seven times today. The first few times, he got his underwear a little wet as he was realizing that it was time to pee. He raced in and pulled down his drawers and put the majority of it into the potty each time. By this afternoon, he was getting to it in time to stay completely dry. We didn't have to remind him or mention it, he just would stop, announce "I've got to pee-pee", and run to the potty. Twice we weren't even aware, he just came and found us afterward, half naked, proudly declaring "I pee-peed in the potty! Come look!". We are so proud. He is doing so well!

The poo part is a different story. After supper last night, he said he thought he needed to poo-poo in the potty and he sat down and passed gas and then looked at us and said "I don't know how my poo-poo works". We told him to be patient, he'd learn in time, but not, unfortunately by dinner tonight. He deposited a load in his underpants as he was running to tell us he needed to poo-poo. Very gross--you can't just throw underwear away!

So tonight we re-introduced him to Pull-Ups and took him out shopping. He actually used the toilet at Target, just said he needed to go, ran in, dropped the pants, and I set him down and let him go. I got sprayed, which he thought was kind of funny ("I sprayed you, Mommy, hee hee hee"), and I realized that we'll need to have a discussion about aim. Still I consider today a MAJOR step forward in training.

When he's finished on his potty, we have to take the pee to the toilet, pour it in, and then he gets to flush. He says "are you ready, Mommy?" and I tell him I am and he says "okay, three, two, one... and ACTION!" as he flushes. Then he says "bye bye pee-pee". HOORAY!

snow-tally awesome

I was FURIOUS this morning when I peeked out the window and saw NOT A SINGLE SNOWFLAKE anywhere. Grrrrr. David smilingly reported that it hadn't snowed. So when I got up again later with Dennis (David left here at 5:30 this morning), I groggily checked the window. Still no snow. And then, a half hour later, there it was, coming down hard but not sticking to anything. I ran to the kitchen window, where I have an outdoor thermometer. Still 35 degrees. Oh no! I forgot to ask the Snow Gods for accumulation. How stupid! I just wanted snow. David called and said "it's snowing now" and I wailed back "but it isn't STICKING!" and he told me to be patient and wait for the temperature to drop. So I reported to Dennis that it was snowing, and he looked out the window and said "is that rain?" and I told him it was snow and he said "where is it going?". Sad. After a couple of hours (of me checking about every 15 minutes), it began to stick to the trees (hooray!) and then a little later to the ground too. I just knew it was going to disappoint me, that it would stop before it got pretty, but I was wrong. My woods looked like a sugar-coated wonderland. Dennis and I went for a walk just when it started to cover the ground and then another later when it was just gorgeous out. He walked with his face tilted to the sky and his mouth wide open and yelled "Mmmm, tasty!". He ate snow from every surface. He threw snowballs at me, giggling delightedly when they hit their target. He stomped and ran and scooped and twirled--we had two really good snow romps. I attempted to build a snowman, but when I was just about ready to put on the face and Auburn cap, Dennis came over and tackled it and used the remains as weapons in his snow war (he pelted me with my own snowman). I had no choice but to defend myself. When he went inside for the last time, he took a snowball in with him and tossed it at (and hit) David sitting on the couch (snow grinch that he is, he wouldn't come out and play with us).

Dennis and I loved the snow. David and the dog didn't care so much for it. The cat was LIVID, like the snow was some cruel torture we had invented just for her. I could tell this by the way she plastered herself to the window with her ears folded down, glaring at me with her nastiest expression as soon as the snow started coming down. She was yowling her displeasure quite loudly when I let her in, and since I know this cat well, she went right into a crate. She lasted about 10 minutes indoors and then began reaching through the bars of the crate and shredding whatever any tiny little piece of any of her claws could reach. She spent the rest of the day cozied up in the garage.

After Dennis went in, I took a solitary walk in my own woods, reveling in the quiet beauty that comes with a good snow. The quiet here was disturbed a bit by sheep baa-ing and roosters crowing, but it was still a truly lovely tromp through the woods. I took too many pictures of everything and said my many prayers of thanks before going inside to fix snow ice cream for the boys. Snow days are like holidays, when everything slows down and it's a treat just to stay home and watch the ever-changing landscape just outside your windows. This one was a good one.

snow doubt

I've watched the predictions, but I will be so disappointed if they've gotten it wrong again. Dennis has been asking me to build a snowman all winter long. I WANT IT TO SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!! David doesn't, of course, because he doesn't like snow.

So I'd like to report our first little bit of potty success. I put him in underpants this morning when I got up and he kept them dry until it was time to diaper up for his nap. This evening after his nap, I did it again. He kept the same pair dry all evening. He used the potty and was SO happy to tell us "LOOK! I pee-peed in the potty!!" and we let him flush it. He seems to understand that he needs to keep his underpants dry now. What a huge relief, that we've finally made some kind of breakthrough. I kept a potty handy in the den and he sat on it for a while after supper, and then we had success. I don't kid myself that it's not going to be a long, hard road, but now I can stop wondering about his physical ability to hold it longer than 15 minutes. Hooray!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. Really. I did this weird dance on the bed as I was watching the news tonight and they reported that our county was one of the ones in the Winter Storm Warning category. First they listed the Winter Weather Advisory counties and I was scowling at the television when Chilton wasn't mentioned, but then they listed Winter Storm Warning and that was the better category to be in, at least for me, poor child of the Deep South who rarely gets a snow experience. You'd think after last winter I'd be cured, what with being snowed in up in Washington and then being snowed in at Gatlinburg a few weeks later, and then having a big snow at the end of February/first of March but no, it's a new winter now. Come to think of it, it has snowed big here once every winter since Dennis was born. Awesome. Now if only we could get enough of it to go sledding...

Rock Star Cowboy, MD

He woke me up this morning asking me if I was sick. I told him I was a bit, and he said "I go get my doctor bag, and I can make you feel all better." He trotted off and quickly returned with his stethoscope. He put it on(correctly) and listened to my chest and my stomach and then said "now, you are all better; wait, I need to check your ears." He came back in a moment later with a blood pressure cuff and said "I am going to blow your arm up" and proceeded to take my blood pressure. Then he left and came back with his otoscope and said "I need to check your ears" and climbed up beside me, kneeled by my head, and looked in my ears. He exclaimed "oh, no! You have sprinkles in your ears! I need to give you a shot!" and left to find his toy syringe, which he shortly returned with and jabbed me in my ankle bone (definitely my preferred place to receive injections). He then proclaimed "I am Doctor Dennis, to the rescue" and ran off to some other part of the house.

We played Cowboys and Rocking Horses today, with me riding the larger one and him on the shorter one (his was the one that neighs and makes galloping noises while tossing its head and tail). We wore cowboy hats, though mine looked a good bit like a park ranger hat (especially with it reading "Great Smoky Mountains" across the base), and we lassoed our steeds with mardi gras beads (hey, they were handy) and talked a lot about cowboy things. He called me partner and we yelled "yee hah" many times--great fun.

Tonight he was back on the guitar, strumming for all he was worth, singing the alphabet song. All of a sudden, he strummed a few 'chords' and then stopped to yell "Rock and Roll! OH YEAH!" and then began playing harder. This may be the most hilarious thing I've seen and heard him do so far this year. I wanted to howl with laughter but didn't want to offend my little rock star, so I yelled along with him and then begged him to let me record him doing that (and he did). I have NO idea where he learned about rock and roll. It's got to be the PBS. I'm still on the fence about whether watching TV is good or bad for him, but when he watches, he surprises me with the greatest moments like these. Now if only I can convince him that rock stars (yes, he told me "I'm a ROCK STAR" tonight) use the toilet, we'll be good to go for potty training.

sneezy sneezy day

We had a quiet day at home today. Neither of us felt very good, I don't think, and Dennis was very quiet for long periods of time. He told me he wanted medicine also. We were both very sneezy today and we were careful to get our vitamins. We both missed David, who always takes such good care of us when we're under the weather. He worked today, two places, but he was home in time for a yummy supper of mardi gras party leftovers. He heated it up and sent me to bed to eat so that I could get a break from Dennis, who spent the last couple of hours before David got home wallowing in my lap and leaping on and off me. He heard me leave our room to go to the bathroom and he pounded on the door and asked sweetly "don't you want to play with me, Mommy?", a request that just zaps me right in the heart. If something ever happened to him, that's the first thing I would think of and feel guilty about, so I make sure and make time to play with him when he asks so seriously. We played circus train and then he picked up my guitar (taller than him almost) and leaned over and strummed while he sang the A-B-C song. I begged for a repeat performance and captured it on film, and I hope to have that posted to YouTube maybe by the weekend. SO CUTE! We did make more valentines today and it has lost some of its allure. I had to chase him down with crayons and stickers and a lap desk and BEG him to make more. Once he found out who they were for, he cooperated happily enough. He got a Valentine in the mail from his Granny today, and I'm so glad we had mailed hers out today as well. The picture shows him applying Cover Girl pressed powder to his face after discovering the compact in my purse. I drew the line at letting him use the mascara (shudder!).

serious request

This morning, Dennis came into our room and discovered that David was still home. This is one of those days when he didn't have to be at work until 9. He often works 6 to 2, so he's gone before Dennis is even up. He was delighted to find him home and said "Daddy, you're here!". And as David got dressed, Dennis said "please don't go to work, Daddy, please please!" and then "you can't go to work!". As David told him he had to go, Dennis said "I'm going to be so mad!" and went over and crossed his little arms and stuck out that lip. It was a cute mad.

We made some valentines today. Not enough of then got done before he lost interest, so I'm glad I started early in the week! He's enjoying arts and crafts more and more, though, and he LOVES stickers. Our project is 'too be continued' tomorrow. The current favorite bedtime book is "Where the Wild Things Are" and Dennis likes very much to read the last line of the book. Max returns home and finds his dinner waiting for him and Dennis likes to say "and it was still hot". I love bedtime story time! He was so tired tonight that he didn't get up at all, unlike naptime this afternoon that took about 5 re-beddings. I just never know how it's going to go these days.

A Baptism Day

This was a very special and meaningful day for us. We got up early this morning and David got Dennis all ready in his black velvet suit coat and pinstriped black pants and brand new shiny black lace up shoes (We discovered today that his pale green dress shirt is too small to button the top button, so no tie, and also that he owns NO black socks and had to wear navy ones). We headed to Gran and Pop's house and loaded up in the van to head north to Pelham where Allison has begun attending Oak Mountain Presbyterian Church. She joined the church today and since she'd never been baptized, that happened today as well. Dennis has been talking about it all week "we are going to see Allison get baptized--Allison, you are going to get baptized at your church" and various other ways to phrase the same sentence. It's a very nice church and we enjoyed the service. Dennis hung on through the contemporary worship songs (he loved watching the band play and sing) and got a little chatty during the prayer ("hey, WAKE UP Mommy!") so I whispered in his ear that we were talking to Jesus. His eyes rounded in wonder and he stood up tall in my arms and demanded at the top of his lungs (still during the prayer) "WHERE'S JESUS? WHERE IS HE?". I'm sure most everyone heard, but that's not such a bad thing for a little guy to talk about. I assured Dennis that Jesus was there and he quieted right down. He was so good during the baptism, watching as Allison made her profession of faith and watching the pastor anoint her head with water. Things went a bit downhill after that, and after he got down on the floor and crawled under the pew and yelled "HEY I FOUND A M&M!", I decided it might be time to leave the service. I whispered in his ear that we were going to go out and he happily declared "I WANT TO GO OUTSIDE!". I got him out of there and chased him as he RAN around and around. I was running full speed (in high heel boots) and could barely keep up with him. Fortunately, he looked out the window and spied the playground and in doing that, noticed all the children playing in the downstairs rooms (he could see in the windows) and told me "I need to go see my friends". We found the nursery and I checked him in and got a pager (it's a BIG place). I enjoyed a very nice 40 more minutes of church before going to retrieve him. When I got back to the nursery, they handed me an adorable valentine heart with Dennis' handprint on it (he is so proud of it) and a list of the things they are teaching his age group. They also told me he used the toilet. I was FLOORED. He refused again to do it for me, but I know he's gone potty once in 2010 now! He cried hard when we left the nursery (I had to drag him out) but was mollified somewhat by the knowledge that he'd get to see Allison's nephew Trevor again (he pronounced to Trevor "you're my best friend" earlier when we'd gotten to church) and get to eat at Cracker Barrel. He was a wild man during the meal, desperately in need of a nap, and didn't protest when we got home and I put him to bed.

He got two baths today--we discovered he's suddenly developed a wicked case of cradle cap. I thought he was past that (having not had it since he was an infant), but no, there it was when I brushed his hair. Yuck. But it's all gone now, we treated it with oil and a comb and his scalp is clean and pink again. He was so sweet tonight listening to me read (and helping me with the words, actually) Where The Wild Things Are to him. And he went right to sleep, not getting out of bed. It was a special day. The twins got baptized today too, different church, and though we wanted to, we could not have made it from Allison's church to the other one in time. The Christian community can certainly claim some new very special members after today!

mardi gras partying

Dennis 'helped' me get ready for our party today as much as he could. He actually behaved very nicely while I spent the morning doing some cleaning. Our house still looks pretty nice from our stint of not living here for two weeks while the plumbing was not working. So there wasn't too much that I had to do, just some surfaces and floors. Dennis still hates the vacuum and happily played in his room while I tackled that particular chore. He did spend a while this afternoon messing up areas I had already cleaned and that was pretty darn frustrating, but we got through it and the house was clean when Gran arrived to help distract Dennis while I finished cooking. I made gumbo with andouille sausage and shrimp, red beans and rice with smoked sausage, dirty rice with beef, and beignets liberally sprinkled with powdered sugar. Uncle Denny brought over some truly delicious jambalaya and Jennifer brought chips and dip. Gran supplied French bread, which we served warm with butter and garlic. Ellen had sent a King Cake for us to enjoy. We even made chicory coffee for cafe au lait! It was a meal with a true New Orleans flavor, and I decorated with masks and beads and doubloons and feather boas. I'm so glad that Jennifer brought her parents over with her (though we did miss Hadden), and our small crowd enjoyed a yummy meal and each others' company. Dennis informed everyone "we are having a Mardi Gras party!" several times. He was very excited.

The babies were so absolutely adorable, and they were so smiley and happy for the whole evening. Dennis LOVED watching them and playing with them, even bringing some toys from his room for them to play with. He very much wanted to pick them up and carry them around but we didn't allow it. Katelyn enjoyed Dennis' bedtime story tonight, as she sat in Gran's lap along with Dennis as Gran read from the Truckery Rhymes book. We all thought it was so sweet when Katelyn began playing with Dennis' hair, eliciting big smiles and giggles from Dennis. We are all totally charmed by those twins. I wish we could see them so much more often than we do!

extraction

I thought it was a riddle or a question game. It wasn't.

Dennis: "Mommy, where's my raisin?"

Me: "I don't know. Where is your raisin? Did you drop it?" (grabs box)

Dennis: "No, I didn't drop it."

Me: "There are plenty more raisins in the box; eat those." (hands box to Dennis)

Dennis: "WHERE'S MY RAISIN?!" (strange sniffing, nasal exhaling, points to noise)

Me: "You didn't!"

Dennis: (nods, continues to point to nose) "Yep"

Me: "Did you put a raisin in your nose?"

Dennis: "Yes. I need some help." (begins to cry)

Me: "We are going down the road. You'll have to wait a few minutes until we can stop." (asks Gran to pull over off interstate)

Dennis: (crying harder) "It hurts my boo-boo!" (continues to sniff and forcefully exhale through nose)

You haven't lived until you've had to extract a raisin from your child's nose on the side of the interstate on a rainy day. It was WAY up there in his nostril, but I had my handy-dandy tweezers on hand and soon saved the day.

too glad to be home

Today was a whiny day. He didn't want to leave home, first of all. He wanted to play outside on his 'fire station' but it was raining and that was totally out. Then he didn't want to leave the toy little people jeep at Gran's house. And then he didn't want to leave the flea market, and then he didn't want to go to Wal-Mart... He kept insisting "I want to go home" and I finally asked what was wrong and he replied "I don't want to go back to the lake house." Poor little guy. He was afraid we'd have to move back to the lake. Though we had heating problems (repaired now) and the ceiling in the front room is leaking like crazy, we are staying put for now.

Superhero Batman Dennis is busy fighting monsters and/or crime lurking in our hallway. I feel safer now.

dubious snack choice

We had a very nice day at home, just as I had hoped. I had wanted to take him to the playground when it was nice and sunny out, but he refused. He said he wanted to stay home and play with his toys. An hour later, he was begging to go to the playground, but then the heater repairman was on his way and David was just getting home, so mean Mommy said no. As I am writing this, I notice that I have no internet signal for the second evening in a row, so who knows when this one will post. That was a nice thing about being at the lake... Oh, hey, I got connected, let's see what happens... I'm composing frantically in Notepad...

Dennis got a lot of our undivided attention this evening. We played in our own yard, and as it turns out, the only thing his soon-to-be play structure actually has is a fireman's pole. He spent a merry hour climbing up and sliding down it, saying he loved having his own fire station. We have deliberately avoided letting him climb it until now since he learned to slide down poles this week. This one is much higher than the playground's though, and he has to lean out much further, so David got pretty unnerved watching him. We decided after seeing how tired and sloppy he was getting to stop him from sliding any more. We got out the tee ball set and played with that for a long time. It was just nice being outside in our own big yard!

Tonight David went searching for munchies and came back to the den with a snack sized bag of cocoa roasted almonds. Dennis said he wanted one and when he got one, said "what is this?" and I told him it was a chocolate almond. He looked at it, looked at me, looked at it again, looked me straight in the eye seriously and said "Mommy, is this dog food?". When I finished laughing, I reassured him it was not. He ate it and liked it, and soon it was tooth-brushing time (he's learning to rinse and spit real toothpaste now) and story reading time (The Sugarplum Tree tonight, one of my favorite childhood poems) and then he got up five times in a row. Guess it's going to take some getting used to for him being back in his own room. It's a lot lighter in the room at the lake compared to his very dark room here. I hope he readjusts soon. I also hope his darker room allows him to start sleeping past 6 am!

good to be home

We are all so thrilled to be back in our own place tonight! Dennis has reunited with his toys as I saw when I got home from working tonight at Curves--they are all over the place! I think he's played with every toy in the place. I didn't get to spend a whole lot of time with him today, I pretty much spent the morning packing up our stuff and then dropping it off and putting him down for a nap while David connected the last pipe. He was just getting ready for bed when I got home tonight. He got up a couple of times (it seems we're back to that again) and really late, he woke up crying and came to our bed for a couple of hours. I have wrenched my back somehow (probably a combo of running today, working out at Curves, and helping David move a BIG television into the house that was a castoff from Becky and Bob) and I hurt too much to let him sleep with us any longer. It will be nice to be home with him tomorrow.

climb, slide, repeat

Today he learned to slide down the 'fireman pole' at the playground all by himself. As Gran says, he still looks so little to be doing all the things he does at the playground. I admit, watching him lean out over the ground and wrap those little hands around the pole and then kicking his feet out to wrap around is a bit harrowing, but he's so good at it. He tried it once, found he could do it all by himself, and continued to slide again and again for 23 of the 30 minutes we braved the cold to play at the playground today. He spent the other time trying to make friends with the other little kids there, running up to them and saying "hey, friend!" and "do you want to play with me?". We've got a social little guy on our hands.

Tonight thrilled me to pieces. We went on a walk with Gran and Pop (and we let Dennis walk 2 laps). Pop and Dennis had fun playing pirates with large sticks that Dennis retrieved from just off the path. Shopping immediately afterward was okay because he was worn out, though he did shout loud random phrases at the top of his lungs as we cruised the grocery aisles. The most fun came when we were on our way back to the lake house and he made a raspberry noise and giggled and then told me to do it. We basically spent 20 minutes in the car together having a fart-noise contest, and he was laughing those great baby belly laughs, huge chuckles and little screams of laughter that got me laughing as well. He took a break from that to sing the A-B-C song five times in a row but soon we were back to our baser humor. It's deliciously gross fun to be a boy's mom!