My Countdown to Bliss!!

Okay, so I am starting an official countdown today. 18 days. 18 more days and then bliss. If you are doing mental calculations you might think I am off by a day (entirely possible, as my husband always points out that math is not my best subject), but I assure you on this particular topic I am right. It is not February 14th with all the accompanying hooplah that I started my countdown for. Don't get me wrong, Valentine's Day should be fun this year. Bryan was deluded enough to think that the 'Boys would actually beat the Eagles to make the playoffs. The bet was planning and executing Valentine's Day this year. I will enjoy being pampered.

But no. That is not what I am counting down to. Instead, I am counting down to February 15th. I think about this great day at least once each day. Does anyone know what is so fabulous about this day? Okay, I will end the suspense. That is the day the stores bring out the EASTER Candy!!!! Easter M&Ms are far and away my favorite candy in the whole world. I can't explain it, but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are far better than traditional M&Ms and any other holiday colors. They taste better, and they are pretty. And yummy. I go through several bags a year. If I were Catholic, I would have to sacrifice them for Lent. Luckily, I can devour them instead.

Yum. Yum. Yum. So excited! (If you think I am pulling your leg, ask my friend Minda. She knows the depths of my devotion to this candy).

And Now for a Break from Robby's World...

And into what is admittedly a pretty soap opera-like land--the land of Seattle Grace. I have been a fan of Grey's Anatomy since the first episode of the first season. I still remember watching that first episode after Desperate Housewives (long since abandoned by yours truly). There have been some amazing seasons and some not so amazing seasons, but this season I was seriously considering jumping ship. I mean, I love Denny Duquette, but his arc was beyond what I felt I could take. He is dead people. DEAD! Last night, however, things started improving. Could I be so lucky? Are we really getting rid of both the very handsome Denny and the super annoying Izzie? Also, I loved Rome on HBO, and the new love interest for Christina was a main character in that show.


But, what has swayed me beyond anything else to stay loyal is this:



That's right peeps, right in front of a pic of Derek kissing Meredith is...my name!...Clearly it is a sign that I am not meant to break up with Grey's Anatomy just yet. Derek, Meredith, Christina, George, Bailey, Sloan, Little Grey, Torres, cough *Izzie*, I am here for you still!

Big Boy Eating

When we took Robby for his 15 month check up, I asked about when babies typically start using utensils to feed themselves food, and she told me not to worry about that until after his 18 month birthday (one month from today, incidentally). So, I haven't. Imagine my surprise last night when Robby gets some yogurt out of the fridge (how he is always right under foot when that door is opened?), and his daddy opened up the container and handed Robby a spoon. He ate almost the whole container by himself without making a ginormous mess! Now, Bryan did hold the yogurt the whole time, but Robby managed the spoon very well. He still has trouble keeping solid food balanced on the spoon all the way to his mouth, but I would say that he is well on his way to eating with a utensil. Sometimes I wonder the things that he is capable of doing that we just have not thought to ask him about yet....

On a side note, but speaking of things he is capable of that we didn't know about, yesterday Robby decided to go for a more freeing afternoon than normal and twice dispensed of his pants when we weren't looking. Both times he took them off outside of the room we were in, so I am not sure how he is pulling this off (haha). Let's hope it doesn't start happening in public though :)

Reasons Why Being a Mom is So Worth Any Sacrifice!

This weekend we basically just hung out at the house and relaxed (though I have been fighting some sickness due to side effects of a medication). There were several moments where I was forcibly hit with just how wonderful being a mommy can be!:

1. When Bryan got home on Friday evening, Robby just about flew into his arms and would not leave his side for the rest of the night. (Bryan works late several days a week and so doesn't get to spend time with Robby every evening any more). It was so sweet to see how much he loves his Daddy, but it is always sad when he refuses to come to me. But then...

2. On Sunday, we went for a short walk in the neighborhood where Robby rode on his new tricycle and Bryan and I walked next to him. For much of the walk, Robby wanted to hold my hand. This was very special because on the whole, he is not much into hand holding, and usually only when he is scared. It was a clear sign of affection for me, and it made my heart swell to whole new proportions.

3. Then, after his nap, we all wanted a snack, so I popped some popcorn and put some plain M&Ms in it. We all sat on the couch (Robby between us) and ate popcorn and watched the Steelers blow out the Chargers (yay!). When Robby found the M&Ms it became like a treasure hunt to find them and eat them as fast as possible. But, he apparently noticed that mommy was doing the same thing (well, I can't have him eating too much sugar--it was a parenting tactic I tell you!). So, he started feeding me the M&Ms when he found them instead of eating them himself. That, my friends, is true love right there!

4. His vocabulary and grasp of what we say is just exploding, and he learns new things every day. Right now he is very into finding planes in the sky to show you and to show you his and/or your belly button. So, this morning, he was a little fussy as we got ready, so I thought we would work a little on learning our body parts. I asked him where his ear was, and he pointed to his ears. Surprised (he has not been that consistent with body parts outside of nose and belly button and foot), I asked him where my eyes were. He obligingly showed me exactly. Boldly now, I asked him where his mouth was. No surprise at this point, he pointed to his mouth. While this was no declaration of love, it was just amazing to see how quickly he has gone from sometimes knowing these words to having a very clear grasp on them.

Oh yeah, and update on the daycare situation--when I went to pick him up the day I posted they said after I left he had a great day, and each day has been even better than the last. Today was the first day that he did not cry at all when I left. I think the move was the right decision after all!

Robby's Transition to a New Room

First before I start, let me say--HAPPY BIRTHDAY CURTIS!!! I can't believe my little brother is 24!! We love you :)

So, Robby moved up to the next level room at daycare yesterday. There was some drama about this because the daycare director was going back and forth on whether or not Robby was ready for the move. I was confident he was. When I picked him up from daycare yesterday, they said he had a good day with a few rough patches, so I thought things were going smoothly, but today when I went to drop him off...let's just say it was a whole different story.

I want to preface by saying that Robby is a very independent little guy, and he never wants his mommy to hold his hand as we walk in to daycare, but today he was clutching my hand the whole way. Then, when we got to his new room (which was empty because everyone was outside playing), he would not walk in at all. So, I picked him up and put up his stuff in the room. We then went outside where his friends were, but Robby would not let me put him down. This is more than unusual. Normally Robby runs outside without even a backward glance of goodbye for Mommy, but today I had to pry him off of me, and I could hear him crying all the way to my car.

I think that this move is good for him, but my mommy heart has been set at Worry all day long. I am ready to go get him and see how his day has gone...

12 Great Things about the 2008 Holiday Season...

In no particular order:

* Sweet Mafia games with the Sloan clan where I proved to be a genuis cop (sweetie, remember listen to me and the game will be won) and an idiot townsperson (who knew that if you say "Fine, kill me," they actually will??)

* The ability to now print pictures from the comfort of my own home office (thanks Mom and Dad!!)

* Learning about lots of new family members to be added to the family in 2009 (two sister-in-laws and a niece/nephew!!)

* Building a gingerbread house with my brother's fiancee while watching one of the best girl movies ever--Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.

* Watching Marley and Me with my sisters-in-law and unabashedly crying through almost all of it. Seriously, I loved this movie, but don't go see it without plenty of tissues, and I think you might skip out on the mascara just to be on the safe side.

* Getting to eat lots of my favorite holiday goodies (can we say peanutbutter kiss cookies, monster cookies, snickerdoodles, oatmeal cookies, sausage balls, cheese balls...)

* Two full weeks with no work involved. I'm not kidding. That actually happened. True story.

* Meeting my new good friends Ted, Barney, Marshall, Lily, and Robin. For the uninitiated, I am speaking of How I Met Your Mother. In the span of three short weeks, we have now watched the first three seasons. And they are Legen...wait for it...dary!!! (Thanks Curtis and Jenna!)

* Saying goodbye to 2008, a very bittersweet year, and ushering in 2009 in the arms of my best friend who still rocks my world 6 New Year's Eves later.

* Lots of sweet new jewelry, especially necklaces. My favorite piece Bryan picked out for me from ChinaBaroque. Check it out. She is amazing!

* Robby's First Tricycle (see pic above). Okay, so he can't reach the pedals yet, but he loves his bike. He "helped" me put it together, and he fully comprehended what it was long before all the pieces were on. I had to physically move him off of the bike to add the seat because he was trying to sit where he knew the seat would be. {note: Putting together the tricycle does not make the list of best things about this holiday season.}

* The Ball Pit. In our bedroom we now have a 6 foot soccerball pit filled with 300+ balls that we romp around in. It is AWESOME!! (Thanks Toloallaro)

Ouch :(

Today when I picked Robby up from daycare, he had fallen when trying to climb out of the sandbox and busted his lip open. The face I saw broke my heart. As a rational human being, I know that this ouchie is very minor on any scale that it might be measured on, but as a Mommy, it felt like a catastrophe, and I wanted very much to do anything to fix it. So, we went to the park to swing, but that did not work very well. He was very fussy, and nothing really made him feel better. One major crying fest later, and we found ourselves upstairs in his room, rocking in his chair. That worked, sort of. He was not truly better until we resorted to the one thing guaranteed to fix all things bad in toddlerland (or, most people's lands for that matter): ice cream. In this case, Mint Chocolate Chip.