I think I got hit on today...by a WOMAN! LOL

I was out and about with Nathan and Nicholas, doing a little shopping. We had stopped for a bite to eat and as we were finishing up, a lady walks over and asks if she can sit with us. I just figured she was alone and didn't want to take up a table to herself. I agreed to her company...because I'm a nice person. LOL

She introduces herself to me and the boys and starts to chat us up a little. Small talk, right? Then she tells me that she had seen me in the food court and just wanted to say what a pretty lady I am and to wish me a happy day. Certainly I was flattered but a little wierded out too. LOL

This is when Nicholas piped up that Daddy was at work. At that point, Norma beat a hasty retreat. She said that she was here with friends and just wanted to tell me how pretty I was and to wish us a great day again.

I watched her for a little while as she went over to her friends and saw that one friend hugged her and rubbed her back in a comforting way after they had all talked and looked back at me. She looked back a couple more times and waved as she left.

I've got to say I was flattered and it did kind of brighten the day. Even if her intentions were only to be nice, it worked.

Mommy Brag Time

As some of you know, my baby Nicholas (he's 2 and a half now) has made use of the comforting properties of both a soother and a blanket. I have been hesitant to remove them because I figured he'd lose interest in his own time and if I tried to wean him off or just abruptly removed them, he'd be wanting them more and NEVER get rid of them. Well the time has come...he has lost the soother and seems to be releasing the blanket too.

I spent all of 2 days just taking the soother away during the day when he was just letting it hang on its tether. If he didn't want it, why have it on his shirt, right? It became out of sight, out of mind. He asked for it the first day when he was getting tired and when he got hurt while playing with Nathan. The next day, only when he was getting tired. The third day, he didn't ask for it at all. I think I lucked out and caught him at the exact right time for this.

As for the blanket, he used to cart it around EVERYWHERE. If he didn't want to carry it any more, he'd put it on his head like a head scarf. It has now spent the majority of the time on the floor (or counter). He is now picking it up mostly to ball up and throw at me or Nathan. He isn't using it to fall asleep now but he still wants it when he wakes up in the middle of the night. Half the time in the mornings, he'll just leave it in his bed.

OK, 2 toddler/preschooler things done, time to get serious about using the toilet. He has shown SOME interest in it but not consistantly. He uses the toilet more often if I suggest it...not always, but more often. I'm trying not to panic about it but he needs to be toilet trained by September when he's enrolled to go to playschool. It's coming along, slowly.

About Kids

I've been reading Chicken Soup for the Mother and Son Soul and came across a passage that really summed it up for me, the mother of 2 sons.

A father may turn his back on his child; brothers and sisters may become inveterate enemies; husbands may desert their wives, and wives their husbands. But a mother's love endures through all; in good repute, in bad repute, in the face of the world's condemnation, a mother still loves on and still hopes that her child may turn from his evil ways and repent; still she remembers the infant smiles that once filled her bosom with rapture, the merry laugh, the joyful shout of his childhood, the opening promise of his youth; and she can never be brought to think him unworthy. ~Washington Irving

No matter how frustrated I get with my boys, they are still my world. As a wise friend of mine said (loosely quoted) these traits that we cringe at and try to curb in their childhood will be the traits that make them successful in their adulthood. Thanks Dani, I need to be reminded of this every once in a while.

My Baby is growing up

I went last night and registered Nicholas for Playschool. He'll be going Monday mornings from 9:30-11:30.

I have the summer now to get him potty trained and try to get him to separate from me. I'm hoping by September (and his third birthday) he'll be willing to let me out of his sight for a couple of hours. He needs to be socialized with kids his own age and have different adults take care of him.

This will be the beginning of his practice to get ready for kindergarten in 2 years. LOL I'm planning WAAAAAAY ahead. It'll probably take ME that long to get used to him not being totally attached to me.

You should just go away somewhere.

That's the great advice of a pediatric physician on how to help my sons get better and stop being so sick.

It's been 3 hours since she said it and I'm STILL shaking my head.

As you will realize, my sons are sick or injured a lot. It is a way of life for us. LOL Winter 2005-2006 was our year for croup and this winter has been asthma attacks triggered by colds and RSV.

I had to take the boys into the hospital again today because Nicholas needed to be rechecked after a week's treatment for pneumonia. He still wasn't any better. Nathan has been coughing and snorting for well over a month and is still not losing it. I've come to the end of what I can do at home for them.

Nathan is being affected by the snow moulds, grass moulds, dust, and the rotting vegetation of early spring. Nicholas is being affected the same way but is more asthmatic at the moment. So basically, we just continue using the Flovent and Ventolin inhalers and Nicholas is on Pediapred for 5 days.

Oh the joys of motherhood! LOL Honestly, I wouldn't give it up for anything else in this world...maybe the next world, but not this one. LOL

Another shot

So I'm giving this blogging thing another shot. I tried once before and failed to be as creative as I wanted to be. I just came off as depressed. LOL

This time'll be different. I have inspiration from some of my friends.

I'm sitting here thinking about what to write and listening to Nathan and Nicholas beating the tar out of each other. I DEFINITELY have boys! LOL

On the topic of the boys beating each other silly, I had to take Nathan into the ER yesterday because he had fallen over Nicholas a few days back and smacked his face on a toy. His left cheekbone is scraped and bruised. I had been treating him at home but yesterday he refused to eat because it hurt so bad. I thought maybe he had something like a hairline fracture of the jaw the way he was carrying on. So off we trot to the Stollery Hospital.

The intern starts his exam and starts asking a lot of questions about Nathan's past history of injuries. This kid has had a concussion (from tripping over the cat), a split lip that almost needed plastic surgery (from a face plant on a slide), a hole inside his lip from biting it, several black eyes, and a different injury to his left cheekbone (from climbing on a chair and falling onto his toy bin). He has bruises up and down his legs and arms and scratches on his belly.

I can account for almost every mark on his body. The way the intern was interogating me...well, let's just say that I'm not an idiot, I know he was checking for abuse issues. It was almost laughable except for the seriousness of the accusation. I actually felt guilty and I know that I've done nothing wrong. I guess I should be happy that the hospital is vigilant about it. Still, it freaked me out.

My boys play hard. They never look before they leap and unfortunately, that leads to injuries. As it turns out, Nathan's problem had nothing to do with the fall on the toy, he has a bad molar. Guess what Mommy's doing Tuesday morning! LOL

So there it is...my drama. What would my life be like without drama? Pretty boring I think.

Happy Birthday Mom

This is my Mom's Grad year photo. I love it. I honestly look just like her. It's funny to think that a year later, she was a Mom.

April 7, 2007 would have been Mom's 52nd birthday. I still find it hard to believe that she's been gone 6 1/2 years.

Today was honestly very hard. Nathan and Nicholas kept me pretty busy but now that they're sleeping, I have time to think.

I love you Mom and I really miss you. I hope that your birthday was grand.

Claire Booker (nee Szatmary)
April 7, 1955 - September 9, 2000