Part Time?!

I just wanted to check in and let "all my faithful readers" know I haven't forgotten about you! I promise! I've gotten so busy lately it's just craziness. Who knew a part time job could take up so much of your time. I do check in with the board when I can, and I'm stalking blogs as often as possible to keep up with you all!

DS is getting bigger by the day. He's enjoying school and bath time again (hooray!). I really think he's developed a fear of spiders which has contributed to the bath issue. Not sure where it came from since I've tried very hard no to pass my fears and phobias on to him. A couple of weeks ago he noticed a spider had built its web right outside the front door. It freaked him out and I had to carry him, and everything else, out to the car. Now he checks for spiders every time we leave the house. Needless to say we aren't decorating with spiders this Halloween.

Sunday we are planning to hit the pumkin patch with my sister and nephew. It should be lots of fun! I can't belive my nephew will be turning one next week. The time sure has flown!

Time for bed. It's going to be an early morning again.

In Memoriam

Today I received word that one of my former professors passed away. Jane was always the bright spot in an otherwise crazy haze of memories from my first attempt at college. She was my acting professor and encouraged everyone that they COULD act, even if they didn't think they could. She was a bit eccentric, as many in the theatre can be, but always there to help and support you. It isn't often that I would go back and visit but when I did, and she was there, she always had a hug and smile ready.

You will be missed Jane!

Mystery Solved - More or Less

So two baths have come and gone since my last post. Sunday night's bath was enlightening, to say the least. DS began to freak out again before he even got a toe wet in the bath tub. When I managed to coax him into the tub I noticed he was staring at the water intently. Then it happened, a stray hair began floating toward him. All hell broke loose once again. He again started to try to climb up me. I got the hair out but not before he noticed another one. The bath tub mat had been collecting hair and was releasing it as the water ran for DS's bath! Needless to say that mat got tossed in the trash that very night!

Tonight's bath was a similar experience - sans floating hair. I think DS was just anxious. I even tried to coax him into relaxing in a nice frothy, warm bubble bath and the familiar sounds of The Wheels On The Bus. No go! I was lucky to get his hair washed. But he did want to sing with me after I got him out of the tub and was getting him dressed.

Next attempt at bribery - new bath toys and bath tub paints!

A Fear of Soap

OK, I know the stereo type of little boys not liking taking a bath but for this story please divorce yourself of it. My DS LOVES bath time, at least he did up until recently.

Earlier this week, Weds night to be exact, was the first time I noticed this fear that DS has developed. He got into the bath tub just fine and allowed me to wash his hair with minimal complaint. So far so good. The whole process was going really well - until he realized there was soap in the water! At which point he started to freak out. I managed to get through the bath quickly(rinsed off) and get him out and he was fine.

Fast forward to tonight. Again, the pre bath ritual went off without a hitch. Potty...check...warm water...check...soap, shampoo and cup...check... Commence operation squeaky clean! I get his hair all lathered up and rinsed, no problem - until he again notices the soap bubbles floating on the water! All hell breaks loose. Uncontrollable crying and shaking with fear. He was practically climbing up the front of me to get away from the soap! All he could say is "No soap" when I asked him what was wrong. He was still covered in body wash so I had to take him into my dad's bathroom to rinse him off because he would NOT get back in the tub. A few minutes later he was perfectly fine, no sign of the hysteria at all!

I'm truly at a loss here. We've gone from a kid who used to beg to take a bubble bath to one who can't even handle a little bit of shampoo floating on the water!

And so I'm up at 1am thinking about this and wondering how to help him get over it. Did something happen at day care? I can't ask that question right now because they are closed. Did something happen last weekend at my mom's? No, I don't think so because they didn't say anything about having to bathe him while he was there. He hasn't been out of my sight in the last two weeks except to go to day care or visit with my mom and sister while I was at work last weekend.

It's a mystery....

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

My son has decided this is his favorite song and walks around the house singing it. It's so cute! I need to try to get it on video for DH to see. The funny thing is, he "stylizes" the song. That is, he will sing parts of it really fast and then stops and sings the rest of it really slowly. Hilarious!!

Last night we went to my godson's soccer game. It's the first time DS has seen a soccer game. It was very chilly and the fog moved in about half way through the game. Fall has DEFINITELY arrived. And the funny thing is, while I was chilled, it felt very good to actually be able to see, feel and smell the approach of fall. Of course the whole time I kept thinking, thank goodness DH isn't here, lol. He HATES the cold and dampness of fall and winter.

Oh, and DS learned how to "play" soccer. My godson's brothers were very good about playing with him and kicked the ball around with him. It was fun to watch. My godson is 9yo and I've known this family since his oldest brother was 4yo (he's now 19!).

Flashback

Tonight there was not much on tv. I'm not much of a reality show watcher so that leaves precious little for me most nights. I've taken to watching alot of TLC, Discovery Channel and PBS lately. Tonight was a PBS kinda night, lol.

So while I was searching for something to watch, I stumbled across a wonderful program dedicated to the music of John Denver. I know, I know...but honestly, I do like his music. As a child I would sing with his records/songs. He was one of the singers who inspired my "style". But I never fully appreciated the poetic - ness (is that even a word?) of his lyrics.

As an adult - a wife and mother - his songs take on an all new meaning for me. I've always loved Leaving On A Jet Plane, Annie's Song, Country Roads, etc. They are GREAT sing-a-long songs. But now I really get them.

And as I listened to Annie's Song for the umpteenth time tonight my mind inevitably went to my DH. The love I have for him and how much I miss him. Yes I'm a sap, lol. The next few weeks can't go fast enought...

Quiet On The Home Front

All's quiet on the home front these days. Seriously, things are so boring here. It's the same old same old. Not that I'm complaining! I'll take it after the turmoil of the last few months.

I was talking to DH tonight (first time in 24 + hours) and realized he'll be home in about 8 weeks! Yikes!! The last 8 have gone by so quickly, I hope the next 8 will also. It will be nice to have him home.

DS is doing well at school. This morning I found out that he has a buddy he likes to hang out with at school. That makes me very happy! I know he plays with all the kids at one point or another but it's nice to have a "bud" IYKWIM. He had a really good friend at his old day care and I know he misses J. I also know J misses DS, as I've traded emails with J's mom.

Yesterday my sister and I took DS and her DS to the children's museum. It was great fun though I was disappointed that the Clifford exhibit hadn't opened yet. It opens this weekend, when I have to work of course! Oh well, I'm going to try to get DS down there again on my next day off.

The weather has definitely begun to turn here. It's raining right now, and cold. I don't know when it started. I love the sound of rain on the roof and didn't realize how much I missed that sound. Our apartment in AZ was a ground floor one so we never even heard the rain most of the time. Of course, ask me again in mid December how much I love the rain, lol.

To believe or not believe

I'm not feeling any less in the way these days. Unfortunately I haven't really had a chance to talk to them again yet. I'm hoping to find some time in the next day or so.

On the bright side, I've begun working out again. Lets see if I can manage to keep it up better than I've kept up with this blog;-) It actually feels good to get on the treadmill again. If the scale in the downstairs bathroom is to be believed, I've lost 8 lbs since I weighed myself a week or two ago. I don't know that I really believe that, lol.

Unfortunately I don't have anything terribly profound to say tonight. It's late, I'm tired and for some reason my DS has decided to make tonight the third night in a row that he's up late. Sigh!

In The Way

Have you ever felt like you are in the way no matter how hard you try NOT to be? Tonight I got a healthy dose of that feeling. My step mother basically told me that she is feeling crowded and that she and my dad need some space - oh and while you are at it, pony up some cash to help with bills. This last thing was something my dad and I had already discussed and come to an agreement on.

What really gets me is I've tried very hard not to be in the way, not to be intrusive on their privacy, and to be respectful of how she wants her house kept. She's very much a "neat freak" and me, well, I'm not. I have a toddler and have come to accept that there is no avoiding the mess a toddler makes. Since we moved here two months ago I've tried very hard to keep his mess in check, and I thought I was doing a pretty good job of it. Guess not...

And one of the things she asked me was how long we were planning to be here. Um, well, I thought the invitation to come up and stay was for the time DH is over seas. Apparently she didn't understand this, or I didn't understand it may not have been. I'm not sure which. This just adds to my uncertainty about whether I should have stayed in AZ, moved in with my dad or moved in with my mom. During my sometimes two hour long commute the last couple weeks I've been really questioning this. I spend very little time with DS any more and, to be honest, the pay at the museum is hardly worth what it is costing me in gas. This job really is to gain experience so I can (hopefully) move on/up in a museum when we go back to AZ. I'm definitely not in it for the money.

So I'm thinking I need to re-evaluate my work schedule at the museum. I'm going to ask them if they can schedule the bulk of my hours (preferably 8 at a time) on Tues/Thurs/Sat and then see if I can pick up something part time closer to home. I hate the idea of working two jobs but it may come to that. The alternative is to pack things up and move to my mom's, uproot DS from his new daycare that he is finally adjusting to and try to find a new one closer to work, and really piss DH off. I haven't decided if I'm even going to tell him about any of this. I don't want to worry/upset him.

Peace and Quiet

There are days when I long for peace and quiet. You know those days - the child is clinging to your leg and/or whining, the phone is ringing, you are trying to make breakfast and lunch at the same time, put on your makeup and not lose it because you can't find the child's favorite video and he's dying to watch it right NOW. These kinds of days can try the patience of a saint, which I definitely am not! I think to myself what I really want is to be able to sit in a quiet room and hear myself think.

And then I find myself in that quiet room, DS is tucked in bed and sleeping like the angel he is, my dad and step mother are out for the weekend - it's just me, myself and I. And I'm bored. Seriously! There is nothing good on tv, the book I'm reading is not appealing to me at the moment, and it's too late to call anyone.

When I really examine it, it's not boredom so much as I don't want to have to think. The thoughts in my head are the typical ones - finances, how can I squeeze in a few more hours at work this week......and why the heck am I watching a show about 9/11. Mostly I'm trying not to think about the close call DH had the other day. I'm not doing a very good job of distracting myself.

A Close Call

It's interesting how a person in a Nyquil induced sleep can be shaken awake. I remember the days when I used to be able to take said medicine and be out for hours. Not even an earthquake could wake me.

I have a head cold, and a week of work(because I have no sick time) and dealing with "monkey children" yesterday, forced me to bring out the heavy duty medicine. I only took a half dose so I could still be semi functional if DS needed me in the middle of the night.

But it wasn't DS who woke me, it was a phone call from DH. You know when a conversation starts out "I don't want you to freak out but..." that it's not going to be good news. Luckily for our little family the news wasn't as bad as it could have been - as bad as it has been for so many families. DH is ok, and so are the other soldiers he was with, but it was a close call with an IED. I don't know the particulars, and quite frankly that's ok with me! But I could hear the anxiety and fear in DH's voice so it had to have been a pretty damn close call.

Slacker With a Capital "S"

That's me! I'm ashamed to admit that DH has been gone almost a month and I have yet to even send him a letter. We talk almost every day. I don't have anything else to write!

I do have a care package ready to send out but had a hard time getting the last couple of things. I've got them now and the box will be going out tomorrow.

As for AF, well she's still a no show. I'm pretty sure I'm not pg. DH would have to have super swimmers as our timing couldn't have been worse! My cycle has been as long as 35 days before so I most likely won't test before then. I hate that solitary line staring back up at me from the bathroom counter;-) I'm betting it's just the stress of starting a new job and all.

Vomit, Laundry and Early Morning Insomnia

The worst thing in the world is waking to the sound of your child screaming hysterically. Really, how's a person to ever become comfortable with the idea of their little one sleeping in their own room, even a room just next to yours.

Yet I now find myself wide awake at 2:00 in the morning due to this very reason. And it's my fault. You see, this morning while putting away groceries I realized that there were some grapes sitting in the crisper of the fridge. I thought we didn't have any! So I rinsed them and picked through them and they looked pretty good. My DS decided he wanted to eat some of them so I set him up at the table with some grapes and juice. All seemed well. However when he woke from his nap he was running a little fever. I gave him some tylenol, it worked great and I thought nothing of it. Fast forward to 5 min to 1:00am...

So now we are both sitting here, wide awake. I had to do a load of laundry to wash his sheets, and his beloved Ojo bear. She, unfortunately, took the brunt of the vomit since he has taken to sleeping ON her lately. I need to go check on her and the rest of the sheets. Then maybe we can see about getting back to sleep.

Oh, and being awake at this time of the morning has allowed me to wonder just where the hell is AF?! She's a day late and counting.

Fall

My commute to work usually takes me through one of the valleys in the area. This particular highway is one of the older ones, flowing two lanes in both directions. It's well used!

This week, as I mentioned, I've been going into work earlier than normal. The last couple mornings I've noticed a distinct chill in the morning air.

As I was coming down the hill yesterday morning I noticed that there was fog in the berry fields that line the roadway I was turning onto to get to the highway. It wasn't very thick fog. And as I drove along the highway winding through the semi-rural area that runs for about 10 miles before we get into more densly populated space, I noticed that those fields too had a light layer of fog. The fog stretched it's fingers toward the road, but did not cross over it.

I couldn't help but shiver a little (even though the heater was on in the car) and think Mother Nature is getting in some practice runs. It was beautiful and sad at the same time. Fall is around the corner!

Better

Just to update, DS is fine. This morning you couldn't even tell he'd been stung. By bed time last night the swelling was gone and you had to look very closely to see the sting site. When we talked to DH and told him about the sting, DS showed him his elbow! LOL!

Today was a much better day on a couple other fronts. Along with the bee sting yesterday DS also got "written up" for hitting. We sat on the steps and talked and I reminded him he needed to use his words. This is only something he does when he's really frustrated. I know I sound like the my-child-is-never-wrong parent when I say this but...I wonder what the other kid did to irritate him? About the only thing that will cause DS to hit is if he's "defending" his toy or the other child gets right in his face. DS is very particular about his personal space;-) I know that doesn't make it right, which is why we talked about it when I saw the write up, it just helps me to understand what is behind the behavior.

As for me, this week I'm working with the summer camp kids at work. What a challenge! I'm getting a glimps of what is to come with DS. Most of the kids in our group are really good kids, but of course there is always one or two that spoil it for everyone. Well today, that one kid didn't come back to camp. I do feel sorry for him, as I understand his father isn't terribly engaged in raising him (though he lives at home with the kid). It has to be tough when you have to earn your parent's attention. But it sure did make today go much more smoothly not having to deal with this child!

Another First

OK, my DS is now 2.5 years old so you'd think we were about done with "firsts" but we had another one today. He was stung by a bee. Luckily the worst of the reaction was a slightly swollen finger. Better than the stopped heart I had when they called to tell me about it.

The Sweetest Sound

There is nothing sweeter to me than the sound of my DS's laughter. He's a great fan of physical comedy and will laugh the loudest longest belly laugh.

Jinx

I think I jinxed myself. DS is having a harder time adjusting to his new school than I thought. The last two mornings have been crying fits and a little boy clinging to my neck for dear life as I try to leave the room. It just rips my heart out!

There is nothing wrong at the school. His teachers tell me he settles down just fine after I leave. He's well fed, changed, and kept as clean as a 2.5 yo boy can be while he's there. It's just the adjustment period to a new environment and schedule. You see, when we moved DS had been going to his school since he was 7 weeks old. It was all he'd known. I hate that he has to go through this!

My job is going well so far. Of course it's just the first week, but I think that things will be just fine on that front. I've learned more about airplanes and aviation than I EVER thought I would. And the funny thing is - it is interesting!

New Job, New School

So today was my first day at the museum. It went really well. I'm exhausted! My feet hurt because I was on them all day. They haven't hurt like this since I worked at the airline many moons ago. Note to self: don't wear new shoes on your first day at work when you have to be walking around and standing on concrete in 85 degree heat with little shade.

This job could be fun! I will most likely get to dust off my acting/theatre skills and participate in the living history program. Time to read up on the early part of the 1900's!

DS also had his first day at his new day care today. It seems like he enjoyed himself. He didn't cry when I dropped him off today. We'll see how it goes tomorrow morning. He was one tired little boy tonight! He went right to bed without a fuss (finally!).

We also got to see DH tonight using our web cams. Unfortunately his connection in his room isn't the greatest so he's still going to have to use the "cyber cafe" on the base. It was worth a try! I'm not going to complain because we still get to see him and talk to him.

So life is finally starting to settle in here.

A Piece of Cake

Lately my DS has been asking for birthday cake - it's what he calls all cake. It started about 2 or 3 weeks ago. I have no idea why.

So the other day I was in the grocery store and saw this cake. I bought it and brought it home so we could share it with my dad and step mother. We cut into it on the 10th, and we wished Ryan a very happy birthday while we were doing it.