Back from washington, D.C.

Garrett and Mary and I just returned from a great visit with our friends in Washington, D.C. We spent a few days with the Fischer Family: Emily, Bill, Aidan (3.5) and Ella (2); and then a few days with the Lynch Family: Anna, Steve, Connor (2.5), and Kerrigan (15 mos.). With Garrett and Mary added to the mix it was a lot of kids, but they all played so well together it was actually an easier parenting situation than I normally experience. Of course a major factor in the ease of parenting was the presence of two other fantastic and considerate mommies (Emily and Anna). Garrett loved playing with the boys and having some other kids with whome he could horse around. Since Garrett was occupied playing with the boys, Mary was free to explore the new mecca of toys. I had many moments of pride in the families that Emily, Anna, and I have created.

We also had the joy of visiting with our "Fraunt" Heather, who drove from New York to visit with us and our children. I had a wonderful and rare opportunity to leave Garrett and Mary with Anna and Emily and go out with Heather for some lunch and shopping. I owe a debt of gratitude to Anna and Em for giving me the opportunity to a) visit with a friend that I rarely get to see, b) go with that friend to a lunch in a restaurant that was absent of wiggling children, and c) and shop with my very best shopper friend.

Garrett and Mary are busy talking about their new friends and are eager to return. I hope it will be soon!

Donk, Donk, Juice and Other Children's Games

Garrett recently attended a birthday party and learned some new games. He played Red Light, Green Light, Mother May I, and Duck Duck Goose. Ever since the party he has been asking Chris and me if we'd like to play Donk, Donk, Juice! It's so funny. Even when we play the game and I remind him that it is called, "Duck, Duck, Goose!" he still says Donk, Donk, Juice! I kind of like the Donk! Donk! because the tap on the head could be called a donk.

Last Thursday Garrett and I went to a dance recital on campus. The show was 3 hours long and Garrett wanted to watch every minute of it. He loved watching the acrobats, tap dancers, and ballet dancers. He thought the costumes were really cool. Since the theater was just a 15 minute walk from our house, we walked home. On the way, we played Red Light, Green Light. Garrett really likes the yellow light command because he likes to walk in slow motion. I really wanted to get home and was pushing for green light commands. We had a very nice night out together and I resolved to spend more special alone time with Garrett.

Today Mary gave me three kisses. Two of them required her to lean over her lunch plate to reach my face. Also, when I picked Mary up from MMO she said, "HI!!!!" at the top of her lungs and then started talking really fast as if she was telling me all about her morning. Chiming in at the top of the affection charts, Garrett said, "Mommy, I so much love you" about 30 times. Life is good.

Garrett Gets a New Emotion

In the past year and a half Garrett has often told me that his is sad or happy. He is very good at being happy. He laughs, jumps for joy, smiles and says he loves me, hugs everyone, claps, and all that other happy stuff. He is also very good at being sad. He says, "Oh, mommy, I so sad," with his head hung low, feet shuffling like Charlie Brown, and his big puppy eyes staring up at me as if to say, "Make the pain go away." Keep in mind that he is usually sad over something like he can't have ice cream for lunch.

This week I have learned that Garrett is not so great at being, or at least staying, angry. After he poked Mary in the eye for the third time (while I was helplessly driving the car), I turned around and yelled at him in a very angry mommy voice. I said, "Garrett! I told you twice not to do that and you did it again! I said DON'T HURT YOUR SISTER! Now you better listen to me, or you're going to be in big trouble." I was so angry.

Garrett started to cry and said, "Don't talk to me mommy!"
I said, "That is not a nice thing to say to your mother. You need to listen to me. You can't hurt your sister."
He huffed and he puffed and said, "I angry mommy! I'm SO ANGRY!"
I said, "You're angry, huh?" I huffed back.
"Yes!"
"Well, you know what you need when you're angry?"
He looked at me quizzically. He didn't know the answer. I said, "You need a kiss." I put my lips out. He smiled and gave me a kiss. I said, "Isn't that better?"
He said, "Yes. I kiss you cheek too."

Now we have a little game. When he gets in trouble and I tell him to behave, he says, "I'm so angry!" and I say, "Then let's have a kiss."

Miss Moo News

This week Miss Moo is really enjoying waving bye bye to everyone. Sticking her hand way up in the air like she's on a Rose Bowl float, she waves and says, "Bye bye! Bye bye!" We went out to dinner on Monday night and she waved bye bye to the waiters and waitresses as they passed by. She very cheerfully waves bye bye to her teachers and fellow toddlers at MMO as well.

Also in the Moo news this week, Mary is proudly saying sun, Yowee Yahoo (Scooby Doo character), Beast! (when requesting Beauty and the Beast), seat (when she wants to sit in her stroller), and bottle.

Mary's latest objects of fascination can be found exclusively in the bathroom. She is drawn to the toilet bowl brush, faucets, toothbrushes, and the toilet paper roll.

Finally, please give Mary a big round of applause for surviving several eye-poking attacks, and at least three Frisbee attacks from Garrett. I am happy to report that she still has her head with both eyes still in it.

Gratitude

I am aware that I have an empty space in my blog. I'm sure those of you who check for updates are frustrated that I haven't posted in a couple weeks. But lately, I have been absorbing how grateful I am to be Garrett and Mary's mommy and I have been too caught up in the moment to write it all down. Actually, I have been thinking about how to better capture my parenting experiences in addition to writing about the wonderful little moments in Mary and Garrett's life. In honor of Mother's Day I would like to express my gratitude for my little Miss Moo and my loving Mr. Mo.

Last night we went out to dinner with some friends and Garrett was so good in the restaurant. I was so pleased to have his company. Mary is in a phase where she wants to call all the shots and she refused to sit in a high chair. Chris had to spend the entire meal outside with her (more on Mary's new found opinions later). They each have their moments of playing angel and demon, but even the demonic moments are special to me because they tell me so much about Mary and Garrett's preferences, emotions, and traits. Generally, I have a really good time with the kids and I think I have a lot more patience now that my thyroid issue is resolved and Mary is taking a very predictable nap in the afternoon.

I love how Garrett is so excited by everything. He is happy to go to school, happy to tell me what he did in school, happy to go to the mall and get his taco, happy to have his ice cream after Mary goes to bed, thrilled to see his dog and to say good morning to Mary whenever she wakes up. The other day I took him shopping for a Spiderman shirt. For $8 I totally made his week. He loved picking out the color and design of the shirt. He told everyone about it, just has he did with his new shoes a few months ago. He is growing a tomato plant and he loves to go out and water it with his special watering can. If he loses something, he is overjoyed to find it. He likes to hold hands with his friends, and share his toys, snacks, and hugs. He is just so happy about everything.

Today Garrett and I were going to a birthday party. On the way to the party he told me, "I love you, mommy."
I said, "I love you too, Garrett."
He said, "You're my sweet mommy."
I said, "Aw. You're my sweet, Garrett."
He said, "You're my sweet, good girl. And Mary is my sweet baby."
Garrett loves to tell me about the people that he loves and he wants me to know the names of all his friends. Lately he wants to tell everyone to have a good week.

I dread the day when Garrett's heart is broken. I think everyone has their heart broken at some point. Most of us experience grief. When Garrett's turn comes around it will be the saddest moment ever. Because I have already known sadness, Garrett's joy and sincerity is precious to me. I am so grateful for the balance he has brought to my life.

Now Mary is a different child entirely. She hugs me, smiles at me, and tries to engage me in silly little games, and loves to be on the move. But I also deeply suspect that she is on a top-secret mission to rule the world. We are not permitted to know her true objectives. We are supposed to fall for this baby act she puts on while she gathers data for her true superiors. Personally, I love how purposeful and motivated Mary is. Whether she's rinsing toothbrushes in the sink (for 20 minutes at a time), arranging herself in a chair after selecting a book, trying to fake me out in the mall and taking off in a different direction, or moving her food from her plate to the table to the floor, she does everything with resolve and intention. She doesn't just wake up in the morning and wait to see what the world will give her; she wakes up with a plan. One day very soon, she will be discussing the plan with me. I can't wait to hear it.

Even though Mary is just 18 months old, she reminds me about how important it is to be passionate about what you do. I am so excited for her that she was born with a natural talent for finding passion and following through.

I'm sure that Garrett and Mary and I will have many challenges as we are all continually growing and changing. We may not always understand each other, but I hope that we will always appreciate each other. I hope they will always know how grateful I am that they are my children and that my love for them is boundless.

A Girl Who Knows What She Wants-- and how to get it.

Mary is going to outsmart us all. She comes up with new words all the time. Her latest words are Elmo, baby, and happy. Everytime I get her out of her crib, she hands me her empty bottle, then hands me her shoes, and runs down the hall and says, "SHOW!" She goes to the portable DVD player where the Elmo show lives and presses the play button. When we go down stairs, she will hand me her coat if she plans to go out. She goes into the kitchen and will hand me a cup with the matching lid and request juice or water. Sometimes when she's hungry, she gets out her personal plate and sets it on the table. When we're at the play area in the mall, she plans elaborate strategies to escape the play area and run for the coin operated cars and animals. For example, she'll pretend that she's taking particular delight in an object just inside the play area, while feasting her eyes 0n her real objective. Then, when it seems that she can get a healthy start on me, she takes off, laughing with satisfaction. I bought her one of those things that looks like a child's backpack, but is actually a leash. Garrett put his on with total glee. His looks like a dog. He immediately wanted to pretend that he was a dog and I was the dog walker. Mary's was shaped like a monkey. As I approached her to put it on, she screeched and ran away. It was like she was saying, "I'm not a fool. Get that restricting contraption far away from me." I should have known that you can't leash a monkey. I told Chris, "We have to watch out for this one. She's going to sneak out of her bedroom window when she's 13. She will know how to avoid the creaky stairs. She will learn to hotwire a car." I'm really hoping that it will be possible to put GPS tracking devices on your children before Mary hits puberty. Her will and determination is both the best thing and the worst thing about her! Unfortunately for Mary, I know her type very well and I'm ready to take her on; the person she is named after was just like her! Fortunately for Mary, the fact that she is like her namesake means that she will enjoy many passionate, fulfilled, and humorous moments in her life.

So Sweet!

Today I bought Garrett some child safety scissors so that he can learn to cut paper. Yesterday I got him a cutting workbook, and I was actually excited to get the scissors so that we could get busy cutting! Garrett is a good snipper, but he has trouble making directed cuts or cutting a paper in half. When I picked up Garrett from school today I said, "Garrett, I got you a surprise!" He said, "A surprise?" I said, "Yep. It's in the car and you can have it when we get home." He said, "Oh, thank you, mommy. That's so sweet of you." I had to laugh at his very genuine appreciation. I said, "Garrett, you're sweet." I thought he would ask me about the surprise in the car and that I would have to tell him that he could have it later. But he didn't mention it all. He talked about his day at school and told me when I had a green light or a red light. He asked me for a Scooby Snack (graham crackers in the shape of dog bones). When we got home, he happily pounced out of the car, went to the door, waited for me to unlock it, went inside, took off his jacket and said, "Mommy, can I have that surprise now!?" I said, "Yes, of course. Thank you for being so patient, Garrett. Here you go-- I got you some of your own scissors and we can play with them when Mary is napping." He said, "Oh, thank you mommy! Thank you for that surprise. We don't want Mary to touch them. Time for Mary to go to bed." I said, "First we have lunch, then Mary goes to bed, then we learn to use the scissors." He ate his entire lunch and let Mary hold the scissors, still wrapped in their package. After Mary was in bed, I brought out the workbook and encouraged him to hold the scissors in a particular way and try to cut the lines on the pages. But all Garrett wanted to do was to cut something in the shape of a shark fin and tape it to his back so that he could pretend to be a shark in the water. How could I say no to the sweetest little shark in the whole ocean?