Camping Out

Jay had a camp out for Cub Scouts on Friday night. Nick and I joined them but we did not spend the night. Mike had the biggest tent! As a kid, Mike did not enjoy camping but yet when he and Jay started camping out together he went out and purchased the biggest tent he could find and with the tent he bought a heater, cots and sleeping bags. It's a nice set up! It will only be a matter of time before Nick is in Cub Scouts and Mike will have both his boys camping out!

Nick's 3 year check up

I took Nick to the doctor yesterday for his three year check up. The good news is I have a perfectly normal three year old, he just has allergies. He was 38 inches (50%) and weighed 33 lbs (75%). He had to identify animals and did a great job minus identifying a big dog as a coyote. Actually Dr. Knoll was rather impressed by that because he was really using his imagination. She also wanted to make sure that Nick was putting two - three words together in his speech. I had to contain my laughter! Nick narrates everything he does and one has no problem understanding him. Now if I could just figure out how to slow time down just a little bit!

Indulgence

During the summer months, my good friend, Laura and I walk almost every morning at the crack of dawn. She is a really good friend of mine and I have a lot of A-Ha (as Oprah would say) moments at 5am with her. After the conclusion of our long holiday weekend both of us noticed that as the weekend progressed our older children wanted/demanded our attention constantly. By Memorial Day, we were exhausted!! We are both good mothers and only want to spend as much time as we can with our children and because we both work we have the big GUILT FACTOR. On the weekends I really bend over backwards so the boys can do what they want. Honestly, my weekends are way more exhausting than my work week. On Sunday, we were at my sister's house swimming and I didn't get in the pool. Jay was ticked and let me know it. He couldn't understand why I wouldn't get in and swim with him. As usual my mommy guilt kicked in but then I realized once again we had spent the entire weekend doing fun stuff that ranged from going to the beach, staying up late, watching Phineas and Ferb, going to Aunt Mimi's birthday party and playing outside. I told Jay that if he couldn't swim/play by himself for awhile and let me relax then it was going to be a long summer. Not to mention, Nick was there to play with him. It really made me question myself as a mother. Am I making things too easy on my boys? I have always had a problem with instant gratification and impulsivity and I wonder if I'm unintentionally over indulging them. I want them to appreciate what they have and be thankful for it and overall they are but there is still much room for improvment. Laura and I agreed we can't conquer all of this overnight but what we are proud of the fact that we recognize it and are aware of it.

We have a yard.....well almost

TThis upcoming September will mark five years that Mike and I moved into our house and we just got around to planting grass seed. The bad news was we planted late in October (2008) and the frost killed what little grass got started. The good news is Mike re-seeded about four weeks ago and wha-la....we are starting to get grass. The boys are bummed that they can't bask in the mud like pigs anymore but I am thrilled. We finally have enough grass that Mike is actually mowing!

Maybe I'm too old

I went shopping today at lunch and found a new shirt! Normally this would not be a big deal but today when I got the shirt on I had my first over 35 thought............Am I too old to wear this shirt? A thought like that never entered my mind until after I turned 35. As my blog reflected last week, I wasn't unhappy about turning 35 but suddenly I'm questioning my youth or lack thereof. I've wondered if my hair is too long for 35!!! And no, mother, if you're reading my blog, I'm not seriously thinking of cutting my hair. But I do find myself wondering if I'm buying the right face cream to prevent wrinkles and give my face more of a "lift" and then I've recently wondered if I start saving now could I actually afford that chin job that I've always wanted when I turn 40? These are just things I did not think about before age 35! But as I wrote earlier, I guess it's good to be 35 if you're me!

Separation Anxiety

Based on my blog title of "Separation Anxiety," one might think I would be writing about Nick today (since 3 year olds tend to have more separation anxiety) but oh no, this blog is about Jay. Last Thursday night before I left for Chicago, Jay was not happy. He told me I did not need to go to Chicago and when I asked him why he said........."Because I'm use to having you here." Precisely my point!!! He even got a little teary-eyed about it. On Friday afternoon when Christy (my daycare provider) picked him up from school she told me he was weepy again about me not being home on Friday night. Jay was the first to greet me with a huge hug on Saturday afternoon when I returned home. On Sunday, my mom asked him if he missed me and he replied..."Yes, a lot," and went on to say that he missed me so much because I read to him at night and I say stuff to him.....hence, I actually have conversations with him, something Mike isn't always so good at (hee, hee).
Jay was my toddler who did go through some heavy duty separation anxiety but it passed. Now, he's just my kid who likes to be at home with his family. He likes a mother hen who wants all her ducklings around! Needless to say I felt appreciated and it felt good to know he still likes to have me around.

A mother "torn"

As a working mother, I have guilt everyday. My guilt starts first thing in the morning when I have to wake my sleeping children from their warm slumber then it escalates to rushing them out the door. At night, I wonder if they wonder if I actually hear what they are saying because I'm in such a rush to get dinner on the table. Then, there is always the illness factor to add more to my guilt. How long do I stay home with a sick child? When do I take them to the doctor? And are they sick enough to stay home from school? I feel torn everyday. I try to be the best worker, wife and mother...........knowing full well that being a wife and mother rank way before worker but I still feel torn. I don't want to be the person that everyone gossips about because I have to stay home with sick kids. No matter how you dice it, being a mom is hard work and guilt seems to be just part of the job description.

Weekend with girlfriends

My friend, Jenny (middle) and I went to visit our good friend, Mary (left) this weekend. Mary lives in downtown Chicago and she spoiled us, as usual. We shopped in the pouring rain on Friday and went to dinner that night. We then just hung out in Mary's beautiful apartment that overlooks Navy Pier. We drank, watched Twilight (which I can't figure out what the attraction is to that series) and had lots of laughs!
*And the picture at the top is the breakfast I had on Saturday morning. Mary treated us to breakfast for my birthday. It was the best breakfast I have ever had. Take a look at that french toast. Everything melted in your mouth. It was a little piece of heaven.

Mad Eyes Vs. Mad Mouth

Nick has this new "thing" now where if he's mad at you or doesn't want to do something he breaks out his "mad eyes." It looks like he's had bad laser eye surgery or something. It's driving me nuts. Tonight he got so mad at Mike that he simply pointed to his eyes, it was a "warning" that his mad eyes were about to make an appearance. So, here is Nick in this picture with his precious cousin who is smiling contently and Nick with his mad eyes.
Jay had what I like to call, mad mouth. He was SASSY at Nick's age! This year his sassiness has really toned down. I will say it was much easier to tame a mad mouth than it's proving to be to tame mad eyes!

Happy Mother's Day Birthday

In addition to it being Mother's Day, it is also my 35th birthday! All three of my boys cooked me breakfast this morning (eggs and waffles) and from here on out the three of them will be making and planning one weekly dinner. Now, that is a fabulous and thoughtful gift! I loved it!
I feel pretty good at age 35. I am finally at the weight I want to be. I am happily married with two beautiful boys. I have a good job and I'm surrounded by my immediate family members (my mom, dad, sister and niece). I have good, solid friendships with girls who I've been friends with since my early 20's and they still think I'm funny. I guess if you're me, 35 is a pretty good age to be!
Since it is Mother's Day I decided to relfect on something I feel I do well and something my mom did well. I think as mother's we are our own worst critic so it's hard for me to admit something I do well. It's much easier for me to name all the things I don't do well. I think I do a really good job of balancing everything and providing a very structured and loving home for the boys. I know that seems so basic but I work full time and also have a one hour commute to add to my day but somehow I get a warm dinner on the table every night and the four of us sit down to that warm meal each and every night of the work week. In addition, the boys get their time playing outside. We get homework done, baths and I still have the boys in bed by 8:00 (on school nights). However, I would not be able to do this without Mike. Maybe I would but I'd be pretty bitchy about it. My mother is also very good at this! But if I were to name the one thing she did really well it would be she somehow taught Kim and I self-confidence and with girls, I think that's a big deal! We feel good about ourselves as women and are well aware of what we can accomplish. Thanks Mom!

Progress

As the school year comes to an end I have spent some time over the past week reflecting on Jay's year in first grade. To me, Jay has made excellent progress and despite some of the obstacles, overall it's been a good year for him and us. I do not think he has ADHD. I am glad that Mike and I waited and did not rush to seek a diagnosis of ADHD. We will see what second grade brings but the decision we made this year was the right one.
Tonight, Jay read to me with such ease and excitment. I had to wipe my eyes a few times to keep him from seeing the tears that were welling up! In September Jay would wiggle, squirm, argue and sometimes cry when he had to read. Now he happily puts on his glasses (which are pretty darn cute on him) snuggles next to me and reads fairly fluidly. Occassionally I'll catch a glimpse of those brown eyes looking up at me for assurance that he has read the right word. What great progress my son has made! And an added bonus is he's had his glasses for about 6 weeks and hasn't lost them!!

Age 7 and 3....What great ages!!

I do not want to rush time with my children but I have to admit I was looking forward to when I didn't have to keep a constant eye on Nick and to the day when the boys would have more interaction with each other. The day has finally come and I couldn't be happier! Certainly when we're out in public I have to keep a constant eye on Nick but at home I know he's safe and he's either in his room playing or following his older brother around. It's so nice. He's able to walk up and down stairs by himself, get his shoes on and go to the bathroom himself. What milestones!
The boys are four years apart so it's taken awhile for them to actually "play" together due to the age difference. Nick's daycare provider got him a pop up tent for his birthday. On Friday night, Jay asked if he and Nick could sleep in it. I thought..........Why not? So, the boys nestled into the tent at 8:30 on Friday night and I'm happy to report they were both sound asleep by 9:30. It was so cute to hear them talking together and reading books together during that hour before they fell asleep. They were both up by 7am on Saturday morning and they actually curled up on the couch together to watch cartoons...............miracles really do happen!

This is how Nick fell asleep on his birthday night.....googles and all!