One of my favorite times of the day is right before the bus comes to pick up J for school -- no, not because I might get a moment to myself, but because of what has become our special daily routine.
Somewhere between 11:50 and 11:55 we sit in the living room and just hang out. Sometimes we talk about stuff; sometimes we play one of his many made-up games; other times we just sit quietly. What goes on isn't really as important as the time we spend together just the two of us without the pressures of getting his backpack together, his lunch on the table, his shoes and his jacket on. It's our time to just chill.
Once the bus gets here we do the same routine of walking to the door where he hugs me, kisses me, and then it's my turn to return the favor in the exact same order: Hug. Kiss. Next I persinar him (bless him) both in English and in Spanish; and not until then is he ready to walk out of the door and onto the bus.
This is one of those rare, organically derived things that just became a part of our daily weekday lives. We don't' talk about it, but I know we both enjoy the moment.
Growing up, my mom would do something similar to my bro and me. Each morning before we walked out she would bless us and send us on our way. Whether it's done physically as we're about to board a plane back to what is now home or just mentally before she goes to bed, her bendicion continues to be with us to this day. Again, it's not something I think about all the time, but it brings a subconscious comfort to my being.
This last week has been full of a much-needed yet out-of-the-ordinary splash of sunshine so we decided to take our little party outside. I wasn't sure what to expect when the bus arrived as far as our good byes went, but nothing was altered. There were hugs and kisses on both ends and the international dose of blessings. He wasn't shy or embarrassed by our antics. It was the most normal thing in the world for him.
A couple of nights later, D took over the usually divied-up bedtime routines. I normally get M; he, J. After he came back downstairs he told me that when he walked M into the bonus room to say good night to J, he blessed her -- both in English and Spanish -- and he asked if this is something he usually does. It isn't, but he probably figures I do it each night before putting her to bed as I do to him.
Did he think that because I wasn't the one taking her to bed that night she wasn't going to be blessed??? That was the only thing that swayed from the norm and the only logical explanation I can muster. Even D was touched by the small gesture of the loving big brother.
Sweet blessings like this -- literal or not -- may or may not last forever.
Sweet blessings disguised as little boys not being embarrassed just to be seen with mom let alone hug, kiss, and engage in some awkward gesture while his friends look on, won't.....
Monday, February 22, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
No Scrubs
No, I don't want no scrubs
a scrub is a guy that can't get
no love from me ~ TLC
Because of her egg allergy, M has been to more than her share of doctors. In addition to her regular well checks we've been to Seattle several times to see the allergist.
On Monday, we made the drive up north for her H1N1 booster.
Poor thing has had enough and decided to make a statement.
Once inside the examining room she was happily playing in the corner until she saw the nurse walk in at which point she got up, practically ran over to me, and started yelling. There was nothing about the nurse that was intimidating. On the contrary, she was a young, pretty girl with a sweet smile and a soft voice. But a wolf in sheep's clothing as far as M was concerned. She wasn't fooled by any of the pleasantries. She knew that not far behind was the black pen that would mark the spots on her back where the dreaded little needles would poke around for the red spots that threaten to block her airwaves.
The drill goes something like this: Do skin testing for egg content in the vaccine; wait fifteen minutes; inoculate; wait half an hour to make sure there's no respiratory
reaction and/or dermatological one; get the okay to go home.
To avoid another trip there next month, on this particular day we also scheduled a follow-up visit. The doctor came in to see how she was doing. He's a big man with strong features and a much deeper voice than the nurse, but M had no concerns. We were on the home stretch, I thought. Another few minutes and we'd be off to Ikea without any further ado.
And then the skin-checker guy walks in and the yelling, running, scared-to-death look returns. That's when it hit me. The common denominator was right there in my face and
draped on his body:
SCRUBS!
Of course. After all, at her pediatrician's office it's not Dr. Harvey with her cute Goldilocks self that gives her the shots, it's scrub-wearing Karen that has the honors and the horror of that is too fresh in her mind to just let go.
Scrubs are scary. Yes, they are. They're a fashion nightmare. And they also posses the power to drive an otherwise sane little girl to the brink.
No, I don't want no Scrubs...
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Thank You. He's 6.
I'm not real sure when exactly it happened. I'm pretty sure it was a gradual slope and not just a giant fall, but we've reached the destination that I always knew we would: The day when people just don't constantly tell me how cute J is.
For the first few years, no matter where we went we were always getting compliments, looks, and smiles of admiration for our little guy. Every single time we took him somewhere we heard it several times during the outing. I know that we're not alone; every parent hears the same. After all, babies are just cute. There is something about them that lures people into their little spell. They're soft, they're chubby, they're cuddly.
As he morphed into a toddler, he was still adorable. A little roley poley man wobbling around, trying to keep his balance while getting from here to there all with a huge, one-tooth smile full of slobber on his face.
( J @ six months )I am not exaggerating when I say that he thought Cute was his middle name. At the mention of the word in his presence he would look over to the person speaking it and expect some sort of acknowledgement.
At his two-year checkup his pediatrician told me to prepare myself for the day that he stopped looking like a toddler and more like a little man. then one day about a year later we were walking through the airport. He was in front of me in his little Jordan sweatsuit holding Bunkey on our way to the gate. People just stopped to see him. They smiled, waved, and uttered several adjectives to describe his appearance all of which are synonyms of precious. I wondered how much longer that would last.
It's inevitable. Every parent stops hearing it eventually, or at least on a daily basis.
We're now three years removed from that day at the airport. He turned six on Saturday. Something about this age really had him excited. He woke up that morning shouting, "I'm Six, I'm Six." Throughout the day he told anybody that would listen -- and that was a lot of people -- that he was six. That evening when my bro, his kids, and my mom called to wish him a Happy Birthday they all got the same response: "Thank You. I'm 6." When my Tia Nena called a few moments after, "Thank You. I'm 6."
These days, the compliments are much more spread out and they usually come in the form of the more age-appropriate, "What a handsome boy." We can't walk by an older Asian woman without hearing something along those lines. Apparently they have a bias for half-breed little boys with radiant skin and beautiful brown eyes. No longer taking it for granted, I feel humbled and thankful for what really seem like genuine words.
Let me make this clear, to me he's as adorable as he was on Day 1; as he is to his Dad and both of his grandmothers. You can't tell me otherwise. Try as you might, I'm not listening.
While the rolls, slobbers, and coos of the little baby may be gone, a little man has emerged. A little man that along with the occasional compliments about his physical appearance hears a lot about his demeanor. "He's so smart. He's so well-spoken. He's so polite." We will never get tired of sucking up the comments about his cuteness, but the others are the ones that really matter. It's a testament to the work we, as parents, put into the rearing of our kids. The fruits of our labors are emerging as well.
I usually don't know how to respond to that. Next time, however, I'll sum it up with,
"Thank You. He's 6 ."
(and on the day he turned six years)
Monday, January 25, 2010
Girl Gone Wild
Get out of the womb --let the great baby race begin.
It starts about five minutes after they're born: the questions, the numbers, the comparisons, the charts. Is he/she latching on? How many wet diapers do you get a day? What about poopy ones? It goes on and on. Sleeping through the night yet? Talking? Walking?
Quit Stalking!!!
I don't fall into the trap easily, but people that do are really annoying, and although I don't usually have the nerve to say it, I have the perfect response: "The day they start issuing scholarships to Harvard for being the first to (insert milestone here), then that's the day I'll start worrying, until then, I'll let my kid be a kid for as long as necessary. In the end they'll all be (insert milestone here) and (insert milestone here) and if they don't, then we'll have bigger problems to concern ourselves with."
Both of my kids are talkers, not walkers. M has been babbling about for months. She met her quota for 18 months long ago. J was the same way. By two years one could have a pretty good little conversation going. But the steps didn't come easily or early. J was about 14 months when he started his upright journey through life.
At M's 12 month appointment, the doc told me that if she wasn't walking by 15 months to give her a call. Fifteen months came and went without any significant mileage clocked and so I called. "Give her one more month," she said, "if she's not walking by then we may have to send her to physical therapy just to be sure it's all okay."
Even that didn't concern me. I knew M would walk and I didn't care if she had to go to PT before she did. She stood, balanced, and took a few steps here and there, it just wasn't her primary means of transporting herself around yet.
And then on January 22 it was.
The girl went to Charlie's Safari and checked her inhibitions at the door. She let loose and hasn't slowed down. Today at BabyGym she was climbing up the steps on the slide where last week I still had to sit her on top of it.
We now have a walker and a talker in the house, but who's keeping score anyway?
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Random Things
About a year ago this was going around on Facebook. It seemed dumb at first, but then I started to read some of them and they were fun, so I fell for it and authored one myself. It described me in a nutshell at that time in my life.
I don't know that my kids will ever have access to my FB page and for that reason I decided to make it an entry so they could see what their mom was thinking in January 2009.
I received this a couple of times and I wasn't going to do it, but after reading some of the others, it was a really fun way to learn more about my friends especially since many of you I just met in the last year or so. Even those of you that have known me for years will probably learn a thing or two about me and I hope to do the same once I read your entries.
1) I was born in East Los Angeles and was surrounded by Spanish-speaking people. No matter where we went and what race they were, they spoke Spanish. It wasn't until I was about five that I realized the whole world didn't speak Spanish in addition to English. My parents didn't get out much I guess. :)
2) When I was 10, we moved to Sacramento, CA. Probably because we were always in the little bubble that is East LA and the fact that it's a mostly Catholic population, I had never known anybody that was divorced before that move. I was baffled by the number of kids whose parents were no longer together.
3) Because of my time in Los Angeles, I've been to Disneyland tons of times. The last time I counted (many years ago) it was almost 30 -- I'm sure by now I've probably reached that point. I loved it then, and I love it now, and I can't wait to take J and M.
4) When I was little, we went to Mexico two times a year to visit my maternal grandparents. Even when I was in school, my mom would pull us out for two weeks to go. It probably didn't do me any good academically, but it did wonders for my childhood. I have great memories of hanging out on the farm with my grandfather. He taught me how to milk a cow and ride a horse. My grandmother taught me how to break a chicken's neck and make chicken soup. They both died when I was way too young. I'm thankful for those times together and the awesome stories left to tell.
5) I never met my paternal grandmother, she died when I was about a month old. Many years later, when I was an adult, I went to the cemetery in the little town where she died and found her burial site. I sat at her grave and let the tears flow. I never thought I could cry so much for a woman I had seen only in pictures. It made me aware of how deep the bonds of family are rooted within us and I'm grateful to my parents for instilling that in me at a very young age.
6) On a much lighter note, I'm a sucker for lip glosses, animal prints, and Law & Order reruns.
7) I love to read. My two favorite books are 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Star by Danielle Steele. The spectrum is wide. I eagerly wait for a new James Patterson book to hit the shelves so I can go out and get it.
8) I've been in seven car accidents (none of which I was the driver) where there have been serious injuries, and by the grace of God I've walked away with only a few scrapes and bruises.
9) I've been lucky enough to do some pretty cool things in my life, among them: watched the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain and slept outdoors alongside thousands and thousands of people; watched the space shuttle launch; got lost in Paris -- three nights in a row -- rode the train from Rome to Amsterdam with a handsome Italian boy and engaged in hours of pasted conversation in Italian (which I don't speak), Spanish, and English (which he didn't speak.)
10) I may be the only person in the world who doesn't think the Grand Canyon is that cool.
11) One of my biggest regrets is not getting my BA.
12) I never longed for children of my own. Of course, now that I have them, it goes without saying that I wouldn't trade them for anything; however, I am not one of those moms that say, "I don't remember what I did before them." I DO remember, and I miss it sometimes. :)
13) Even once I had children, I never thought I'd be a stay-at-home mom. This "job" just fell onto my lap when we moved to WA and I didn't pass the court-reporter examination. I know that it is the hardest and most important job that I will ever do. And while there's still the occasional day when 7-Eleven is looking pretty appealing, I think I'm finally getting this mommy thing down. I'll eventually take the exam again, pass, and venture back into the working world. I feel very lucky to have that option.
14) I have moved three times in the last seven years: Sacramento to Phoenix; Phoenix to Germantown, Maryland; Maryland to Olympia. I love the Pacific Northwest.
15) I am obsessed about keeping the house clean...doesn't always happen, but the obsession is there. I like to joke that there's medicine for my condition.
16) I love the "idea" of scrapbooking. I have a closet full of scrapbooking supplies. When I do make a page, I love it... Okay, I'll say it: I think I'm pretty good at it, but I hardly ever do it. I am so behind...at this point I may never get caught up.
17) I have no athletic abilities. I hate to exercise but feel really good after I do. I don't have the best of eating habits. I drink very little water. I have about 20 pounds to go before getting back to pre-baby weight and have no doubt that I'll lose them but please don't ask me how because I have no idea. :0
18) I like old school rap music. I nixed having a band at our wedding because I didn't think they'd get the rap songs down. I had a DJ instead. My wedding was so fun. The dance floor was packed all night. I have no regrets.
19) Speaking of weddings, I refused to let Dennis see me before walking down the aisle. I didn't care that the photographer always took pictures of the couple beforehand. I will never forget the look on his face when I walked in. To this day it brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it.
20) I believe that nothing lasts forever-- good or bad. Enjoy the good times and ride out the bad ones any way you know how. One of my favorite sayings: When you are down to nothing, God is up to something.
21) I was petrified to have a girl. I felt like the weight of the world was on me to show her the way. Now that she's here, the fears have been replaced by inspiration. She inspires me in a way that no one ever has. Her smile melts my heart.
22) I am very proud of the two men in my life: D for his work ethic and for being a great dad, and J for the little man he's becoming. He makes me smile every single day. It's an honor to hold the titles of wife and mommy to those two.
23) I've been blessed with a wonderful life. I try to remind myself of that every day.
24) I admire my mom more than anyone. She is one of the smartest people I know. She is selfless, strong and beautiful. She is my rock.
25) This was pretty fun. I can keep going and write another 25 things if anyone is interested. :)
As I read it now, I think that maybe learning that not everyone spoke Spanish at five was a bit of an exaggeration. I may have been about three or four....but seriously, there was some Chinese folks who owned the corner store down the street from my house and they spoke great Spanish.
And sadly, I have to add another accident to the seven that I wrote about, Both J and M were with me when we were rear-ended, but we walked away okay, albeit, with some lingering backache. I'll survive. Once again, thank God.
Other than that, it's right on.
I don't know that my kids will ever have access to my FB page and for that reason I decided to make it an entry so they could see what their mom was thinking in January 2009.
25 Random Things About Me
I received this a couple of times and I wasn't going to do it, but after reading some of the others, it was a really fun way to learn more about my friends especially since many of you I just met in the last year or so. Even those of you that have known me for years will probably learn a thing or two about me and I hope to do the same once I read your entries.
1) I was born in East Los Angeles and was surrounded by Spanish-speaking people. No matter where we went and what race they were, they spoke Spanish. It wasn't until I was about five that I realized the whole world didn't speak Spanish in addition to English. My parents didn't get out much I guess. :)
2) When I was 10, we moved to Sacramento, CA. Probably because we were always in the little bubble that is East LA and the fact that it's a mostly Catholic population, I had never known anybody that was divorced before that move. I was baffled by the number of kids whose parents were no longer together.
3) Because of my time in Los Angeles, I've been to Disneyland tons of times. The last time I counted (many years ago) it was almost 30 -- I'm sure by now I've probably reached that point. I loved it then, and I love it now, and I can't wait to take J and M.
4) When I was little, we went to Mexico two times a year to visit my maternal grandparents. Even when I was in school, my mom would pull us out for two weeks to go. It probably didn't do me any good academically, but it did wonders for my childhood. I have great memories of hanging out on the farm with my grandfather. He taught me how to milk a cow and ride a horse. My grandmother taught me how to break a chicken's neck and make chicken soup. They both died when I was way too young. I'm thankful for those times together and the awesome stories left to tell.
5) I never met my paternal grandmother, she died when I was about a month old. Many years later, when I was an adult, I went to the cemetery in the little town where she died and found her burial site. I sat at her grave and let the tears flow. I never thought I could cry so much for a woman I had seen only in pictures. It made me aware of how deep the bonds of family are rooted within us and I'm grateful to my parents for instilling that in me at a very young age.
6) On a much lighter note, I'm a sucker for lip glosses, animal prints, and Law & Order reruns.
7) I love to read. My two favorite books are 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Star by Danielle Steele. The spectrum is wide. I eagerly wait for a new James Patterson book to hit the shelves so I can go out and get it.
8) I've been in seven car accidents (none of which I was the driver) where there have been serious injuries, and by the grace of God I've walked away with only a few scrapes and bruises.
9) I've been lucky enough to do some pretty cool things in my life, among them: watched the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain and slept outdoors alongside thousands and thousands of people; watched the space shuttle launch; got lost in Paris -- three nights in a row -- rode the train from Rome to Amsterdam with a handsome Italian boy and engaged in hours of pasted conversation in Italian (which I don't speak), Spanish, and English (which he didn't speak.)
10) I may be the only person in the world who doesn't think the Grand Canyon is that cool.
11) One of my biggest regrets is not getting my BA.
12) I never longed for children of my own. Of course, now that I have them, it goes without saying that I wouldn't trade them for anything; however, I am not one of those moms that say, "I don't remember what I did before them." I DO remember, and I miss it sometimes. :)
13) Even once I had children, I never thought I'd be a stay-at-home mom. This "job" just fell onto my lap when we moved to WA and I didn't pass the court-reporter examination. I know that it is the hardest and most important job that I will ever do. And while there's still the occasional day when 7-Eleven is looking pretty appealing, I think I'm finally getting this mommy thing down. I'll eventually take the exam again, pass, and venture back into the working world. I feel very lucky to have that option.
14) I have moved three times in the last seven years: Sacramento to Phoenix; Phoenix to Germantown, Maryland; Maryland to Olympia. I love the Pacific Northwest.
15) I am obsessed about keeping the house clean...doesn't always happen, but the obsession is there. I like to joke that there's medicine for my condition.
16) I love the "idea" of scrapbooking. I have a closet full of scrapbooking supplies. When I do make a page, I love it... Okay, I'll say it: I think I'm pretty good at it, but I hardly ever do it. I am so behind...at this point I may never get caught up.
17) I have no athletic abilities. I hate to exercise but feel really good after I do. I don't have the best of eating habits. I drink very little water. I have about 20 pounds to go before getting back to pre-baby weight and have no doubt that I'll lose them but please don't ask me how because I have no idea. :0
18) I like old school rap music. I nixed having a band at our wedding because I didn't think they'd get the rap songs down. I had a DJ instead. My wedding was so fun. The dance floor was packed all night. I have no regrets.
19) Speaking of weddings, I refused to let Dennis see me before walking down the aisle. I didn't care that the photographer always took pictures of the couple beforehand. I will never forget the look on his face when I walked in. To this day it brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it.
20) I believe that nothing lasts forever-- good or bad. Enjoy the good times and ride out the bad ones any way you know how. One of my favorite sayings: When you are down to nothing, God is up to something.
21) I was petrified to have a girl. I felt like the weight of the world was on me to show her the way. Now that she's here, the fears have been replaced by inspiration. She inspires me in a way that no one ever has. Her smile melts my heart.
22) I am very proud of the two men in my life: D for his work ethic and for being a great dad, and J for the little man he's becoming. He makes me smile every single day. It's an honor to hold the titles of wife and mommy to those two.
23) I've been blessed with a wonderful life. I try to remind myself of that every day.
24) I admire my mom more than anyone. She is one of the smartest people I know. She is selfless, strong and beautiful. She is my rock.
25) This was pretty fun. I can keep going and write another 25 things if anyone is interested. :)
As I read it now, I think that maybe learning that not everyone spoke Spanish at five was a bit of an exaggeration. I may have been about three or four....but seriously, there was some Chinese folks who owned the corner store down the street from my house and they spoke great Spanish.
And sadly, I have to add another accident to the seven that I wrote about, Both J and M were with me when we were rear-ended, but we walked away okay, albeit, with some lingering backache. I'll survive. Once again, thank God.
Other than that, it's right on.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)