Somebody Pinch Me!

I'm almost afraid to put this in black and white, in fear that I will be disappointed and proven wrong once again. But I think Boo Boo may be done with diapers. Finally. Once and for all. I think this because today HE said he didn't want to wear them. No candy. No prizes. No bribes.

He was complaining about having his diaper changed before we headed out today, and I simply said, "You wouldn't have to do a diaper change if you wore big boy pants and went to the potty like Samuel." (Samuel is Boo Boo's new best friend of two weeks, whom he utterly adores.) And Boo Boo said, "I don't want to wear diapers anymore. Diapers are for babies, like X-Man." I affirmed him, then confirmed and reconfirmed his new conviction before I dug out the underwear and training pants.

So far, he's had no accidents and gone potty for me without complaint three times. Keep your fingers and toes crossed that this is it!

UPDATE: Only one #1 accident yesterday; none as of dinner time Friday. Every time I ask, he still wants to wear big boy underpants. Praise God! Now, let's just hope he'll start telling us when he has to go...

Phenomenal Moment of the Day

For Christmas, Boo Boo received some lovely books on our country's forefathers. He prefers the one on Abraham Lincoln to Benjamin Franklin, of course; what's better than young Abe fighting off pirates on the Mississippi River? (And who knew he was such a brute!) Still, he has only sat through it a few times, as it is close to 30 pages long.

Boo Boo has also been very interested in maps lately, so we've been going over the U.S. map and pointing out the states. (I even sing him the "Fifty Nifty United States" song that I learned in grade school -- thanks Mrs. Sederstrom!) He always finds Texas, even on a world map. I'm about ready to send him to the Jay Leno show to prove someone can find the United States on a map.

This morning, he asked me to tell him about the states again. When I say, "Minnesota" he always says, "That's where our old house is." When I say, "Virginia," he always says "That's where my cousins live." But today, when I said "Kentucky" he said, "That's where Abraham Lincoln lives." And he's right, of course. Lincoln was born in a log cabin in Kentucky. Doesn't everybody know that?! ;-)

Sometimes I think that Boo Boo's only limitation in learning is what I haven't taught him yet. No pressure!

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Dear Husband left last night for his business trip to New Orleans. It isn't Mardi Gras yet (that's Feb. 5 -- Lent is uber early this year!), but I guess he'll get to see a few parades as they rev up for next week. And then there are sumptuous dinners at some of the city's best restaurants. And a top-floor hotel room with a view of the historic quarter. I don't think "work" has ever been so enjoyable! ;-)

(Yes, we've been tempted to tag along on these excursions. But due to the recent ER visits, general traveling stress and Boo Boo's fun new allergy to mold, we've decided against it.)

I'm not worried about DH whooping it up too much; he almost packed his bow tie. Plus, he called as soon as he got to his hotel room and said he missed us already. The feeling is mutual. Boo Boo awoke at 6am in a daze, asking where Daddy was. I bundled him back to bed with a snack, and snuggled him extra long. I'm not as good as Daddy, but I try!

Life, in other words

I just had to share possibly the most accurate -- and currently, the most poignant -- statement ever:

We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be. -- C.S. Lewis

Amen, brother!

(Hat tip to Danielle Bean, another personal hero of mine.)

The Last Days of Babyhood

It's taken me a few days to post the video of X-Man walking, so he's really gotten up to full speed now. It's as if he never crawled, and he's never looking back.

I'm grateful for this next step in his life, not only because it is a great advancement for him, but because it has been a good reminder for me.

The last few weeks, I have dreaded nursing X-Man. Something has got his diaper in a bunch, so he's been doing marathon sessions, with four sharp, tiny teeth bearing down, and screaming if I don't let him get his fill. Every night, around dinner time -- when I'm daring to cook and eat myself -- he stands next to me and cries pathetically, wanting to nurse.

So I sit in his room, in the dark, rocking in an uncomfortable chair, feeling like a prisoner for 30 minutes two to three times a day. I try praying for a while, or listening to the radio, but it still ends up being somewhat of a penitential practice. I keep thinking about everything that needs to get done around the house, and everything else that I'd rather be doing.

But then God gives me a gentle nudge, as usual. Since X has began to walk, a little voice in my head has been saying, "Look at your son. He's not a baby anymore. He is becoming more of a little boy every day. You will not nurse him forever; probably just a few months or weeks more. And you might even miss it when he's done. So stop wishing your blessings away!"

Thank you Lord, for these last few times that I'll hold his warm, little lithe body in the dark. Thank you for giving me the ability to nourish him and help him grow into a little boy. Thank you for this time we share alone, with no other distractions. Thank you even for little teeth that clench me, and a little voice that screams because he needs and loves me that much.

X-Man Walking

True Confessions

* I have been awake since 3:45 a.m. for no good reason, and cannot go back to sleep.

* I have been browsing my friends' blogs (especially this one) on the internet and thoroughly enjoying myself! I am snuggled in blankets, in the silence, and in the dark, and I am quite content.

* I am totally in love with my husband. My dear cousin (THANK YOU, E!) watched the boys last night while we celebrated Dear Husband's birthday with an incredibly enjoyable fancy dinner on the town. We were so, so pleased to share a quiet, delicious meal. Then we went shopping at Whole Foods for the boys' special food. How romantic, huh? But as I've been telling him lately, I'd happily dig ditched with him; I just like being around him, whatever we're doing!

* I locked the keys and X-Man in the minivan by himself after Mass on Sunday, and he was stuck in there for about 20 minutes. (Boo Boo escaped this fate because he was visiting the onsite Marian shrine that he runs to after every Mass. A life lesson in itself!) The police, fire department, AAA and a few tow trucks all showed up in short succession and got him out. What joy to be reunited! An extremely kind parishioner stood outside in the cold and kept me company while checking on X periodically for me. (I couldn't let him see me, as he'd scream even more!)

* We took our boys to a brewery tour Saturday with Dear Husband's colleagues and most of the populations of the local universities. One of his co-workers and wife brought their infant, and there was one other scandalous family with boys about the same ages as ours. Half of the crowd was amused by the boys jumping in puddles. The other half looked at us like they'd never seen a baby before. We did feel a little -- I'll say it! -- white trash, kind of like that scene in "Sweet Home Alabama": "You have a baby ... in a bar!" But it was a fun time hanging out with friends and the picnicking beer lovers. St. Arnold, patron saint of brewers, pray for us! =)

Gratuitously Cute Photo of the Week

Here's Officer Boo Boo -- talking on his walkee-talkee -- in his adorable policeman outfit. (Thanks, Aunt and Uncle!) Doesn't it look like he could go on tour with the "Village People"?

Just Can't Get Enough

It seems we can't stay out of the ER for longer than two weeks. Tonight, we ended up there again -- though not due to asthma or allergies, thankfully.

After dinner, Boo Boo was riding his spring horse. I was sitting on our futon couch, and asked him for some "Boo Boo wove" -- special hugs and kisses from him. He scrambled down to oblige me and slipped, slamming the back of his head on the futon arm and hitting his face and mouth somehow.

Now, I can't tell you how many times the boys have hurt themselves and I've had to turn them over and look for blood. Until tonight, I'd never seen it. But Boo Boo had really whacked himself, and I could see a cut in his scalp open under his hair. (Thank God he's buzzed, huh?!) He also was bleeding from his mouth, but I couldn't tell where from. We tried to clean him up and applied pressure to slow the bleeding.

Praise God that Dear Husband was home, and we could make the quick decision to bring him to the ER. Boo Boo was acting fine otherwise, but he was NOT in the mood to be examined. He threw the biggest fit I've ever witnessed from him -- totally hysterical. It took three of us adults to hold him down and get his mouth open to examine it. He had ripped the tissue that connects the upper lip to the gum; nothing could be done about that.

Then, the wise and experienced medical team swaddled him in a blanket (a straighjacket really!) for the examination of his scalp. The doctor cleaned it out and put two staples in it, which was completely surreal to watch happen. He'll get them removed in a week.

Once the doctor was done and left him alone, he recovered quickly. "Mama, could you read me that dinosaur book over there?" he asked shortly after. Then he doodled on the doctor's notepad until we left. (You can see in the last picture that he is back to his old self -- still refusing to smile nicely for the camera, as usual!)

When I got home I was exhausted, and handed him over to his father. Then I got to clean the pen marks from the couch cover due to his continued doodling and rinse the blood out of his and my shirts. As Dear Husband and I like to say, especially on nights like tonight, parenting is not for wimps!

But thank God for his guardian angel; he's working overtime these days!

Turkey Lurkey

Boo Boo asks to eat roast beef every single day, so every week I roast some meat, carrots and potatoes. He devours the beef, and eats a carrot or two, but he'll only consume a piece of potato in order to watch a video after dinner.

Tonight was the usual routine of bartering for TV time, until he finally put a potato in his mouth and ran into the living room to watch "The Odyssey" animated video. At some point during the evening, I noticed that one of his cheeks seemed bigger than the other ... but they are so fat, who could be sure?

Hours later, I was finishing up his tooth brushing before bed when I came upon a smooth, tan chunk of food in the pocket of his chipmunk cheek. So that is how he had gotten rid of the despised potato! What a First-Class Turkey! =P

Another Quiet Week

Two weeks ago, the boys were sick. Last week, Dear Husband and I were sick. This week, DH and I are not fully recovered, and are limping along in our duties. I continue to go to bed by 8:30 every night! Praise God!

Unfortunately, my poor Dear Husband has had to stay at work astronomically late every night this week, and we've missed him quite a bit. So we made the valiant effort to visit him for lunch at his office and bring him a home-made card.

We had a lovely time with DH and his coworkers, but by the time we loaded them into the minivan, I was feeling wretched. But God is good. Boo Boo fell asleep on the way home and slept for an hour and a half in the car in the attached garage. And I was able to put X-Man down for his afternoon nap, too. So, I actually was able to rest for a bit. Bliss is a silent house, with both children sleeping simultaneously!

Leaps and Bounds

The last few days have been full of remarkable moments for X-Man; it's been one of those weeks when you can just tell he's growing in wisdom and stature.

* X is now choosing to walk, unprompted. He'll start out across the room, and I won't even notice for a few seconds. Then it hits me that he's upright -- and he's not falling down! He's still faster when he crawls, so that remains his primary mode of transportation. But I have the feeling that when he gets the hang of this, he'll start running and never stop!

* I am proud to report that he is finally out of most of his 9-month clothing. Now, at least for his pants, he is sporting 12-18 month clothing, which is a real breakthrough for him.

* X has also become a signing machine, doing a new sign almost every day. (In the photo, he's doing an "X," imitating his father and brother when they salute him with his nickname.) Today it was "thank you." Yesterday, it was "fish." He's also doing about 20 other signs, including "walk," "all done" and the letter sign for his big brother. And he's signing "milk" like CRAZY, stalking me around the house and making clicking noises (which I make at him when I want him to latch on when nursing). It's kind of like Captain Hook being chased by the ticking crocodile in "Peter Pan."

Quite a hilarious and delightful little man! What a blessing he is to us...

My Blessed Husband

God bless my husband.

He's been as sick as I am -- even sicker sometimes -- all week and has dragged himself to work every single day.

He has come home every night exhausted, but with a smile for me and the boys. Somehow, he has mustered the strength to rumpus, play football and fight swords with them, to boot.

He hasn't complained that the house is a complete disaster due to my bare-minimum, horizontal parenting for the last week.

He expects no special treatment when ill; he doesn't mope around and complain like I do. You'd hardly know he was under the weather if you missed his hacking cough. He's been so cheery lately, I keep forgetting how sick he really is.

And yesterday was his birthday -- his 30th birthday. There was no cake. No party. No fanfare for him at home. I put a card in his lunch box, and he got to have apple pie and ice cream at work, but that's about it.

The minute we got the kids in bed last night, I turned into Crank-o-saurus Rex and refused to watch a DVD with him -- opting for an early bedtime instead. So he stayed up and watched. Alone. Without complaint. Because I am married to a veritable saint.

A Full Tank

I had planned to get the boys each a fish for Epiphany presents, but we were feeling pretty cruddy on Sunday.

But today at the store, two fish caught my eye: a big straight-finned gold fish with a black goatee and mohawk; and a little fluttery white speckled one with a red face.

The boys were thrilled to have them, of course, so we took them home. I have named the former one "Spike" and the latter one "Little Red."

The old and new fish are literally swimming circles around each other, figuring out the territory. We'll see how they all get along!

Buzzed Boo Boo

Due to a lack of communication between me and Miss Tonya, our family barber, Boo Boo has been buzzed.

She did a wonderful job cutting X-Man's muskrat mullet, but she forgot to ask what I wanted for Boo Boo. Miss Tonya got out the clippers when I was busy handling X, and by the time I tuned in and asked, "Are you buzzing his hair?!" it was too late.

As all things, it was providential. Both Dear Husband and I had noticed that Boo Boo has resorted to his old habit of pulling his cowlick hair, and forgot to mention it to the other.

So, now he's back to his buzzed glory. It's actually endeared him to us even more, as it makes his beautiful fat cheeks even more striking, and he looks like a baby novice monk. What could be better?

Not-So-Well Child Check-up

I took both boys to the doctor today -- X-Man for his 15-month well child check-up, and Boo Boo for a follow-up from last week.

The good news is that X-Man is getting taller; he is 20 lb, 3 oz (still fifth percentile) and 30 inches long (25th percentile!). The bad news is that he has a cold of his own and is hacking away.

Boo-Boo's ear is looking better, but he still has a wicked cough. (I did end up taking him into the ER on Sunday for a chest x-ray, which indicated that he did not, in fact, have bronchitis or pneumonia.) Our much nicer doctor recommended a stronger neb treatment twice a day for the next three months. He's really gonna love that! We're also going to check in with an allergist, which we normally do annually...

Meanwhile, I have come down with a serious sinus infection again that has just wiped me out for the count. And Dear Husband awoke this morning hacking and aching like the rest of us.

We're quite a sorry lot! =P But at least we're all in this together...

Welcome to the Jungle!

Some people envision Texas as a desert, but we certainly live in the jungle!

Yesterday, I found this magnificent bug in our garage. I called everyone out to look at him. We have absolutely no idea what kind of bug it is. (I always wonder what God had in mind when he created these incredible creatures...) He was so cool that we couldn't bring ourselves to squish him; we shooed him out the door without incident.

Anyone who can identify him gets a gold star!

Phenomenal Moment of the Day

Yesterday morning, Kim and I were preparing to head out to pick up some breakfast for everyone. X-Man saw Kim put on her jacket, so he immediately crawled over to his shoes and picked them up. Then he crawled to the door and signed "car." We weren't planning on taking him, but he seemed pretty determined to come with us! His clever little self got to go along for the ride.

(Here's a photo of him signing "hat" with Dad.)

Mi Vida Loca

I'm considering getting "Mi Vida Loca" tattooed across my knuckles due to our crazy day yesterday: it was the second time Boo Boo and I wound up in an emergency room in two weeks.

It all started on Wednesday night, when Boo Boo sat on my lap and I could feel his body emanating heat. His temp was 103.6 (it was a little terrifying to see that number on a thermometer) and we called the doctor's after-hour line. A nurse told us to give him Tylenol and watch him; the fever went down, but a cough began. We nebbed him, as usual. He awoke me in the night, coughing. Again.

Thursday morning, he didn't have a fever, but by 10am his cough was persistent, deep and disturbing for me to listen to. I called his doctor to make him an appointment, and he couldn't get in until after 3pm. It seemed like an eternity to me to sit around and watch him get sicker and sicker. After lunch (which he hardly ate -- not at all like himself!), I tried to put him down for his nap. But his kept hacking, his coughs racking his little body and making his eyes tear. He also had another fever of 103 and looked sicker than I'd ever seen him. I'd had enough at that point. I called the doctor again and pleaded for him to be seen; they were booked. I asked where the nearest urgent care was, and decided the $100 copay was worth it if Boo Boo could be helped sooner.

I bundled Boo Boo out the door (Praise God that Kim could stay home with X-Man) and drove to the urgent care. But as soon as we hit the waiting room, BB had perked up and was acting fine. I was bewildered. The receptionist told me that we were in a full-service emergency room -- NOT an urgent care, as I had been told -- and I'd have to decide whether he was sick enough to warrant emergency care. Of course, by that point, he wasn't. I thanked her for her candor and went back home.

In the meantime, my sister called me with the sad news that my dear 94-year-old grandma has fallen and broken her ankle in two places -- this after breaking a hip two summers ago. It was heart-wrenching to imagine her in pain, having surgery and facing a long recuperation.


Finally, 3pm rolled around and Boo Boo and I set off for the doctor's office. We had to go to a new guy, and I didn't like him from the start. He was a condescending white-hair type who made it clear that he thought I was a little crazy. (I was, of course, but his attitude was the last thing I needed!) He asked me to lay BB down and hold his wrists to the table. I thought he was going to do something extraordinary to him, as I've only been asked to do this when they've had to draw blood or give a shot. But the guy was just CHECKING HIS EARS! Of course, BB went ballistic when pinned down, as any sick -- or well -- child would. Before I got over the shock of what was happening, it was over. But I was quite angry with the doctor. Was that really necessary? Couldn't he have pretended to look for bunny rabbits in his ears like everyone else? Had he been tormenting children like this for decades, and no one had ever told him it wasn't standard operating procedure to pin children to exam tables like they were animals? Good grief!


The doctor concluded that BB had an ear infection, and was suffering from an acute asthma attack. I said I had a hard time believing an ear infection would give a kid a temp of 103, and asked if BB might have pneumonia or bronchitis. The doc said BB's lungs sounded clear, and reluctantly said we could do a chest x-ray if we wanted to double check; he'd send a nurse in to set it up. A few minutes later she came in, and directed us to a hospital at which we'd have to go through the emergency room for an x-ray. Well, that was the last thing I was willing to do by that time, so we left the office and went home with a stack of prescriptions.

Boo Boo fell asleep on the short ride home, then had some dinner when he awoke. I left the boys with Kim while I went to Wal-Mart to pick up the prescriptions and a few other things. The very kind woman at the pharmacy collected the bags of prescriptions and rang them up. Then she took a good look at me and stopped. "Are you OK?" she asked, with genuine concern. I stopped too, and thought for a moment. "No. I'm not OK. It's been a really long day." And to her surprise and mine, I started to cry.


I cried because I was sick of having a sick child. I cried because he might be chained to a nebulizer and dependent on medicine so he can breathe for the foreseeable future. I cried because every time he laughed, or played or ran too much -- anytime he actually had fun -- he coughed uncontrollably. And I cried because there is so little I can do to help him.

I know it could be worse, much worse. Our last ER visit to Children's Hospital in St. Paul a few days before Christmas was a poignant reminder of that. We were blessed enough to go home that day, unlike many other, much sicker children.

Later that night, after I put X-Man to bed, Boo Boo was waiting for me in the dark of his room to say goodnight. I went in, snuggled him, and prayed with him. I asked Jesus to heal him, and help him, and help us understand God's will for him in his sickness. It's the one thing I can do for Boo Boo. I can pray. Only God can take care of everything else.

Family Fun

Dear Husband had Monday and Tuesday off of work, so we all headed downtown New Year's Eve for a day at the aquarium. It was gorgeous outside, with temps in the 70s! Love it!

Boo Boo delighted in seeing all his favorite deep sea creatures behind glass, but shied away when he finally had a chance to touch rays, sharks and horseshoe crabs in a special open tank. (I'm proud to say that I am the only family member who did, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.) Boo Boo did wholeheartedly partake in no less than three rides on the merry-go-round, though. He was OK on the ferris wheel (which Auntie refused to go on), but not as interested as X-Man, who was desperate to peer over the side, no matter how high we were!

On New Year's Day we drove across town to Mass for the Solemnity of the BVM and had my cousin's family over for dinner.

They introduced us to the Southern tradition of eating black-eyed peas (in a dish of Hoppin' John) on New Year's Day for good luck in the upcoming year. We'll take all the luck we can get! =)

Eat poor that day, eat rich the rest of the year.
Rice for riches and peas for peace.
- Southern saying on eating a dish of Hoppin' John on New Year's Day.

A Jolly Holiday with Auntie

Auntie Kim has been with us since Sunday, and we've been enjoying our time together. Actually, that would be an understatement for the boys, who revolve around her like planets orbiting around the sun.

And who can blame them? Mommy and Daddy are nowhere near as fun or energetic as a 14-year-old, delightful girl. It's going to be a rough time when she leaves; the boys have been so spoiled that now they'll expect us to play with them like only a very young woman can!