I'm so proud. He peed in the potty. One drop. But he got one drop. And he got four M&Ms for his valiant effort.
And this is how my life is different. I'm not singing his accomplishments for graduating Harvard or getting a PHD or winning a prize at school or winning a game against a difficult opponent. Nope. Pee. One drop. One drop of pee.
And on another note...
Happy Birthday to the Star-Spangled Banner, 198 years young. O!
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Friday, September 14, 2012
September 13, 2012 ~ To The Pool And Back
"Mommy, I go walk," Billy announced. He didn't wait for an answer. He wasn't wearing shoes. He just popped open the back door and headed out for a walk, the lil bugger.
Down the driveway, then onto the sidewalk, he kept going.
"Where are you going?" I asked.
"I walk!" he responded. Still barefoot. Still determined.
I would have liked to have thrown a coat on him, and some socks and shoes. It was a bit blustery.
Still walking, swinging his arms, he shouted back, "Mommy, clothes off!" Then he started pulling at his shirt, trying to remove it, still walking forward.
Well, now I knew where he was headed. "Billy, the pool is closed." You know, being September and all, and the weather turning colder, the pool is closed until next summer.
"Clothes off!" he retorted. (Retorted. Really, I wrote that?)
He walked himself all the way to the pool and leaned his head against the closed gates.
"Make it open!" he demanded.
Inside all of the chairs and tables were stacked. The wind blew a few stray leaves across the pavement. And not a soul could be seen. It was so lonely and forgotten looking, when just last week kids frolicked and laughed as the last days of summer passed.
So, I scooped him up and carried him home.
"No, Mommy! Pool!" he cried.
"All gone, Billy. All gone." At least until next year. But to a toddler, that might as well be forever.
Down the driveway, then onto the sidewalk, he kept going.
"Where are you going?" I asked.
"I walk!" he responded. Still barefoot. Still determined.
I would have liked to have thrown a coat on him, and some socks and shoes. It was a bit blustery.
Still walking, swinging his arms, he shouted back, "Mommy, clothes off!" Then he started pulling at his shirt, trying to remove it, still walking forward.
Well, now I knew where he was headed. "Billy, the pool is closed." You know, being September and all, and the weather turning colder, the pool is closed until next summer.
"Clothes off!" he retorted. (Retorted. Really, I wrote that?)
He walked himself all the way to the pool and leaned his head against the closed gates.
"Make it open!" he demanded.
Inside all of the chairs and tables were stacked. The wind blew a few stray leaves across the pavement. And not a soul could be seen. It was so lonely and forgotten looking, when just last week kids frolicked and laughed as the last days of summer passed.
So, I scooped him up and carried him home.
"No, Mommy! Pool!" he cried.
"All gone, Billy. All gone." At least until next year. But to a toddler, that might as well be forever.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
September 11, 2012 Part 2 ~ What's For Dinner
"Hey Billy, what do you want for dinner?"
"Ice Cream!"
"Okay, you can't have ice cream for dinner. No ice cream today. What do you want for dinner?"
"Apple Pie!"
"No, you can't have pie for dinner. That's dessert. What do you want for dinner?"
"Apple pie with ice cream?"
The trials and tribulations of dinner after having taken Billy to the grocery store. He's got the whole list of goodies I bought in his head, ready to ask at a moment's notice.
After dinner I gave him some apple pie. His response?
"Mommy, I like ice cream. I LIKE apple pie!"
"Ice Cream!"
"Okay, you can't have ice cream for dinner. No ice cream today. What do you want for dinner?"
"Apple Pie!"
"No, you can't have pie for dinner. That's dessert. What do you want for dinner?"
"Apple pie with ice cream?"
The trials and tribulations of dinner after having taken Billy to the grocery store. He's got the whole list of goodies I bought in his head, ready to ask at a moment's notice.
After dinner I gave him some apple pie. His response?
"Mommy, I like ice cream. I LIKE apple pie!"
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
September 11, 2012 ~ More Than "Never Forget"
You probably know exactly where you were the moment things happened on that fateful Tuesday 11 years ago. I bet you could recount the events of the morning in detail. I know I could. So, it's really not that much to say "Never Forget." I don't think I could if I tried. Those horrific images are burned into my brain. I'm sure it's the same for most people.
I was in college back then. I witnessed the tragedy, but it wasn't personal. I lived with 12 other girls, some of whose parents worked in the World Trade Center. I was in class when it happened, and many of my classmates ran out to call relatives and friends to check on them. I witnessed others despair, and then relief at so many friends and relatives that had been late to work that day.
But I, myself, didn't have relatives in New York or DC. Daddy did in DC at the Pentagon. But that's another tale.
The scariest moment for me was the day after. Perhaps you remember that all of the planes were grounded in the whole country? So imagine suddenly hearing the roar of jets. I was walking from North campus to class through a bottle-neck area by the train tracks. Despite the large number of students passing through there at the time, it was eerily quiet. No one was talking. And then suddenly fighter jets scrambled above our heads, flying north towards New York. Girls screamed. People collapsed to the ground and covered their heads. Boys and girls alike were crying in fear. I just stood there and watched them fly over. We couldn't tell if they were friend or foe at the time. They were ours. And I heard a rumor later that they were an escort for the bodies being lifted away from the rubble.
I bet everyone that reads this has a tale to tell too. But just think- Billy has no tale to tell from that day. There are 11 year olds, middle schoolers, born after the attacks with no memory of that day. For the new generation they don't have images burned into their memory.
Often with September 11 we hear the phrase "Will Will Never Forget." No, we won't. But now we must charge ourselves with the task of making sure that the new generation and the ones to follow learn about this moment in our history and that they will never forget either.
I was in college back then. I witnessed the tragedy, but it wasn't personal. I lived with 12 other girls, some of whose parents worked in the World Trade Center. I was in class when it happened, and many of my classmates ran out to call relatives and friends to check on them. I witnessed others despair, and then relief at so many friends and relatives that had been late to work that day.
But I, myself, didn't have relatives in New York or DC. Daddy did in DC at the Pentagon. But that's another tale.
The scariest moment for me was the day after. Perhaps you remember that all of the planes were grounded in the whole country? So imagine suddenly hearing the roar of jets. I was walking from North campus to class through a bottle-neck area by the train tracks. Despite the large number of students passing through there at the time, it was eerily quiet. No one was talking. And then suddenly fighter jets scrambled above our heads, flying north towards New York. Girls screamed. People collapsed to the ground and covered their heads. Boys and girls alike were crying in fear. I just stood there and watched them fly over. We couldn't tell if they were friend or foe at the time. They were ours. And I heard a rumor later that they were an escort for the bodies being lifted away from the rubble.
I bet everyone that reads this has a tale to tell too. But just think- Billy has no tale to tell from that day. There are 11 year olds, middle schoolers, born after the attacks with no memory of that day. For the new generation they don't have images burned into their memory.
Often with September 11 we hear the phrase "Will Will Never Forget." No, we won't. But now we must charge ourselves with the task of making sure that the new generation and the ones to follow learn about this moment in our history and that they will never forget either.
 |
| Copywrite Sharon White Hove, 2001 |
Monday, September 10, 2012
September 9, 2012 ~ On the Fence
You know how dogs and cats can just "sense" that they are soon to be making a trip to the vet? I swear Billy senses when we have to go out.
We were on the fence about leaving. But some close friends were getting married, and it's not like they get married every day. But it's also Billy's breathing and health and he's still not 100%. He's still audibly breathing and definitely putting more effort into each breath than he should. But, after a talk with the doctor and more medicine we did decide to go.
Of course, knowing that we were going, Billy tried to get himself into just about as much trouble as he possibly could.
For example:
"Mommy, I go kick Buddy". (He's telling me he wants to go over and kick Buddy, so is sleeping.)
"No. Don't kick Buddy."
So he runs over to Buddy, kicks him hard in the ribcage, puts on his devil-may-care grin and says, "I no kick Buddy!"
Okay, that's it! Time out, dude. This is actually more about listening to me than about the actual action. We're having issues with him listening.
And Grandma was equally having issues with him listening to her while we were gone. I checked in several times during the course of the wedding. I might have been mildly concerned, even after medicating with a glass or two of wine. He tricked Grandma into skipping his nap and got himself into all kinds of mischief.
One highlight from this weekend:
I fixed Billy a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Yum. He loves PB&J. But today he was more interested in licking the contents out of the sandwich than with eating the bread. He pulled apart the two pieces of bread to get to the interior. The jellied bread was discarded after a few licks. Then onto the peanut butter. he licked off as much as he could. But then what? What would you do? Eat the bread? No! Use the bread to smear peanut butter all over his face! He lathered up and laughed about it. I guess peanut butter makes a great moisturizer.
And one last note:
Congrats to R&M on a beautiful ceremony and a reception that 'rocked'. You guys are awesome.
We were on the fence about leaving. But some close friends were getting married, and it's not like they get married every day. But it's also Billy's breathing and health and he's still not 100%. He's still audibly breathing and definitely putting more effort into each breath than he should. But, after a talk with the doctor and more medicine we did decide to go.
Of course, knowing that we were going, Billy tried to get himself into just about as much trouble as he possibly could.
For example:
"Mommy, I go kick Buddy". (He's telling me he wants to go over and kick Buddy, so is sleeping.)
"No. Don't kick Buddy."
So he runs over to Buddy, kicks him hard in the ribcage, puts on his devil-may-care grin and says, "I no kick Buddy!"
Okay, that's it! Time out, dude. This is actually more about listening to me than about the actual action. We're having issues with him listening.
And Grandma was equally having issues with him listening to her while we were gone. I checked in several times during the course of the wedding. I might have been mildly concerned, even after medicating with a glass or two of wine. He tricked Grandma into skipping his nap and got himself into all kinds of mischief.
One highlight from this weekend:
I fixed Billy a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Yum. He loves PB&J. But today he was more interested in licking the contents out of the sandwich than with eating the bread. He pulled apart the two pieces of bread to get to the interior. The jellied bread was discarded after a few licks. Then onto the peanut butter. he licked off as much as he could. But then what? What would you do? Eat the bread? No! Use the bread to smear peanut butter all over his face! He lathered up and laughed about it. I guess peanut butter makes a great moisturizer.
And one last note:
Congrats to R&M on a beautiful ceremony and a reception that 'rocked'. You guys are awesome.
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