Great Job Review

Well, at least that is what I am calling it. I don't get reviews. I don't get a raise or promotion. Nope...not even a pat on the back. My boss is a big complainer and expects me to do everything for him. But today I got a good job review! Connor can successfully identify about 20 letters. I am so proud. It makes you feel like maybe...just maybe he occasionally listens when I am trying to teach him. I am sure that some of his success is from school or his numerous learning toys but I am going to give myself a little boost and say that I taught him his alphabet (almost).

I have a parent/teacher conference the first week of December and I am very curious to see what they say. How do you judge a two year old's school performance? He can stack blocks and do a puzzle. What else does a two year old need to know?

For now I am going to basque in this small victory. Now on to getting the kid to eat something besides goldfish.

Favorite (aka Ghetto) Things From The Fair

A 50 something woman wearing red Sperry Top Siders, a khaki skirt and a t-shirt that said "Bazinga"

The 400 pound black woman who had her pink and black leopard print thong sticking out of the top of her daisy dukes

Corny Dog

Fried cookie dough

Fried frito pie

The 15 year old hispanic couple who had their four kids with them including the newborn (we're talking DAYS old) who was drinking juice

And...My number 1:

The 18 month old wearing a wifebeater, floor length shorts, fubu tennis shoes and a skullet!

Old Sucks

So I had a birthday last week. Ho hum. Aging is for the birds. I just finished getting ready for bed and slathered on myriad creams and goop to try to prevent the inevitable. WHY does this happen?! If I am already this saggy and wrinkled what am I going to look like at 50?! Eye wrinkles, sun spots, double chin, boobs that point to the ground, saggy eye lids, and my least favorite: the extra stomach. Until about a year ago I didn't know what the extra stomach was. Here is my best description. No matter how hard you suck in that flap on your lower abs just hangs there. You know, that portion of your stomach with the stretch marks between your hip bones and below your belly button. So gross. Why can we not get better looking with age? I sure wish someone had told me that when I was 16 and complaining about being "fat" that I was the best I was ever going to look so I better just shut up and enjoy it!

Cream of Wheat

Chris loves and loves to feed Connor old school Cream Of Wheat. I am fine with that. I don't want to eat it but if they do, more power to them. The only thing I ask is that the finely ground powder disaster that is cream of wheat is contained within a large plastic bag. It is not a good sign when your Monday morning starts off by opening the pantry door to get your son breakfast only to be showered with a nasty dusting of cream of wheat that fell off the shelf. Time to vacuum already at 7 am.

Older

Well...another September 23rd, another year older. I had such a fabulous day thanks to my sweet family and friends. Chris and Connor let me sleep late and then woke me up with a big pile of presents. Chris is so great about making birthdays special. I had lunch and a pedicure and Chris even came home early to spend some time with me. He surprised me with a dinner at Eddie V's while Lea Ann watched Connor. He also hired my nephew Zach to install two new fans upstairs so now every room has a functional air circulator!! Woohoo!!

For the past few years on my birthday I always feel like things aren't quite right. I always had crazy expectations about what I would be like a certain age. When I am 21 I will be engaged. When I am 23 I will have a child and get my first promotion etc. This year I feel like I am completely so far beyond what I ever thought my life would be like at 28. I sometimes don't know how it is all possible. I have THE husband. I don't deserve him and he is so wonderful to me. I have the sweetest, funniest little son who challenges me and cracks me up every single day. I have parents and sisters who I love and who will do anything for me. I have several friends who I am pretty certain would come bail me out of jail in the middle of night if I called (although I don't intend for this to ever happen). I mean really...what else could a girl ask for?

Now if I could just do something about the belly flab and eye wrinkles that seem to keep getting worse.

On To The Next Hurdle

Last night our lovely child decided he was no longer going to sleep in a crib. Chris put him to bed and a few minutes later he walked out of his room. Again, Chris but him to bed, took his pillow away so that it could not be used as a step, and then caught him walking down the stairs a few minutes later. This morning Chris and I were awakened by Connor walking into our room saying, "Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii." So with great hesitation and dread we decided to take the rail off of his bed to convert it to a toddler bed.

I am the lucky one who got first try at putting him to sleep. He was acting super tired so I decided about 12:45 that it was time for the attempt. We read a few books and then I told him that I would read him one more book but he had to lay in his bed. He picked out "Dinosaur Roar" and we walked to his bed and read it. I handed him his book and told him it was nap time. The second I took my hand off of him he jumped out of bed and followed me to the door. This series repeated five times before I finally realized he was not going to stay in the bed long enough for me to get to the door. I ran to his door and yelled night night. I sat on the floor outside of his door holding the door knob for about ten minutes while he screamed and cried and tried to get the door open. He gave up and I heard him walk to his bed and get it. He read his books out loud for another ten minutes or so and then the noise stopped. I was too afraid to move so I sat outside his door for another few minutes and said several Our Father's for good measure. I am shocked! So please cross your fingers, hold your breath, knock on wood and pray that tonight is as easy.

My Kid Didn't Kill Me

Well, Chris is back!!! Wahoo! Now that he is home and everything is all right I can admit that I was not only scared for him to climb a mountain but I was also scared to be alone with my child for five days. Really...I was afraid of my almost two year old.

I think I am a pretty good mom (most of the time) but by about 3pm I start to count the minutes until Chris is coming home. I honestly just run out of things to do with Connor. We play blocks, puzzles, cars, coloring, play dough, go for walks, kick the ball, go to the park (weather permitting) and even end up driving around the neighborhood if it comes down to it. He wants to be constantly entertained and I just don't have it in me sometimes. OK, most of the time. As soon as Chris gets home from work Connor is a new man. He gets excited and chases his dad around until it is time to go to bed. Hearing the garage door is such a relief.

That being said, the prospect of Chris NOT coming home for five nights in a row terrified me. I pulled out all the stops. We went to the lake over the weekend so Nana and Papa could "help out." Aka take care of Connor so I can sleep. We had a hundred playdates. We went swimming, shopping, walking, to the library story time, to the park and even went to the gym EVERY day just so that I could drop him off at the nursery and have a few minutes if alone time. It seemed to get a little less frightening each day and I think the next time Chris leaves town I will be in much better shape. Not that I will ever allow him to try something like climbing a mountain again...ever.

To Lake or Not To Lake

Chris is on his Mount Ranier climbing trip and I am a nervous wreck. All can say at this point is thank goodness for my parents! I went to the lake and spent the night last night. I tend to go there when Chris is out of town because I like having my parents around to jump in when Connor is on my last nerve. This weekend was no different. The problem is that Connor has never slept well at the lake house. NOT ONCE. I don't know if it is being in a different place, room too dark or too light, hating his pack and play, etc. Usually when Chris is with me one of us deals with the screaming kid while the other sleeps and vice versa. I was not so lucky last night. My darling son woke up about every half hour until 3 am or so. I tried letting him cry it out in his pack and play. I moved him to the bed with me (twin bed no less). I tried letting him sleep in his own twin bed. Nothing kept him asleep for more than 45 minutes.

Next weekend is labor day and we traditionally go to the lake to visit. My dillemma is; do I go and risk having another stinky night of sleep or just go for the day and not get to spend as much time with my family. Decisions, decisions.

Now, I am going to sit here sleepy and worried and wait for Chris to call after his day of mountian climbing training. I won't get to talk to him again until Wednesday. Aaahhhh! Pray for my sanity.

Connor's First Day of School

OK, I admit I have fallen into the blog trap. But I mean what did you expect with as much as I like to talk and brag about my family?! Another online outlet to do so...of COURSE I jump at that!! Now to explain the name...The School of Bass. It's a double meaning here. School of Bass, like a school of fish (Chris, Connor and Me are the school) and the school as in we are learning as we go. Weird, I know. I couldn't think of anything witty.

Today was Connor's first day of Mother's Day Out at CCDC. He went this summer so when we walked up he got a little apprehensive. We walked into the room and he sat down in the corner to survey the situation. EVERY kid was crying so he had to join the party. I quickly told him goodbye and left feeling a little bad about it. About an hour later I got an email from the school director with a picture of him playing with some blocks with a huge smile on his face. Whew...feeling much better. I picked him up at 2 o'clock and he was super tired.

Thus is my test blog post...

Test