Toddler Tidbits

Between the holidays, taking a mental break after posting 30 days in a row and a visit from my folks this weekend, I have, unfortunately, neglected this space. I apologize.

As a reward, here are some funny scenes from my little comedian from the past few days:

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The hubby has been chuckling about the last post since last week. So, at dinner last night, he started a little teasing...

The Hubby: I eat like a man.
Peanut: I eat like a man.
Hubby: I burp like a man.
Peanut: S'cuse me like a man.

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This weekend, peanut was all about Grandpa. Where is Grandpa? Need to squeeze Grandpa. Want to hold Grandpa's hand. Need to wake Grandpa up. Sit next to Grandpa. After they left, we asked peanut what his favorite part of the visit was...

His response: Grandma!

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In an effort to teach peanut gratitude, we include him in grace before dinner. It used to be he would just listen, but now he likes to list things to say thank you for. It usually includes a litany of whatever is for dinner, the silverware, milk, napkins, whatever friends we saw that day, etc...

During breakfast Sunday morning, we were discussing Christmas music or something and I was telling my mom about a performance of Amazing Grace I had seen on TV recently. As soon as the words "Amazing Grace" were out of my mouth, peanut put down his fork and said, "We didn't say grace" and grabbed our hands. I have to say, in that moment, I was certainly thankful for a lot more than the scrambled eggs!

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We eat occasionally in our dining room so that peanut can adapt his developing table skills to "nicer" settings. Because he's two, however, we enjoy the majority of our meals at our kitchen table where it is safer to make a mess and much easier to clean up. Now that peanut eats at the table in his own chair, we ate our meals this weekend with my parents in the dining room so that we'd have the extra room that our large dining room table provides.

Somehow, peanut heard something a little different than dining room and he's now calling it the "diamond room." I kind of like the fancy spin that puts on it!

"Walk Like a Man, Talk Like a Man, Walk Like a Man My Son"...

Peanut and I stopped today at a local restaurant for a bite of lunch while out doing some Christmas shopping and Georgia run-off election voting - you know, typical Tuesday activities. He insisted on sitting in the big boy seat - no high chair, no booster - and was actually doing a commendable job of sitting still and not bouncing off the walls. I was enjoying my chicken pesto sandwich in relative peace.

Suddenly, peanut announces to me:

"I eat like a man."

Considering he was eating with his fingers, had tomato sauce all over his mouth and was licking his fingers instead of using his napkin, I couldn't argue. The only thing missing was a huge burp.

He did that once we were in the car.

30 Days of Thanks: Day 30

Today I am thankful for...30 days of thanks!

I did it! Wahoo! 30 posts in 30 days! I'd get up and do a happy dance except I'm too busy cramming Parmesan and herb crusted pita chips in my mouth. Mmmmm. (Note: Today I am also thankful for Parmesan and herb crusted pita chips.)

When I first thought up this challenge, I was worried I wouldn't be able to think of anything to be thankful for. After all, I'm in the midst of the terrible twos with peanut and I was afraid I'd be thankful for his bedtime for 30 days straight. That or wine. Don't get me wrong. I am thankful for those two things, especially when peanut's bedtime is followed by a nice glass of chardonnay on the sofa with the hubby. But I found myself, throughout the month, very mindful of the fun moments, the silly moments, the oh my gosh my life would not be the same without peanut moments.

I found myself also more aware of those little things that the hubby does to make our family life fun and my load as primary care giver and house "manager" easier to bear. I always knew he was doing these things. I try to thank him for these things. But during this little exercise, I found myself appreciating them in a new way. In a way that made me bite my tongue about how he was doing something and just let him do it. In a way that made me see how alike the hubby and peanut are. In a way that made me see just how lucky I am to have these two as my family.

Each day, I found myself ticking off a laundry list of things I was thankful for. Peanut's stellar behavior in church. The nice bagger at the grocery store who helped load the car with groceries. The ridiculous nekkid baby time before bath with what seemed like a choreographed series of events repeated over and over for at least 20 minutes with the hubby and I in tears laughing. The attempted phone conversations peanut had with his family on turkey day and how much that meant to him later in the evening when he recounted each and every one of them again and again. The safe and healthy arrival of two new babies this month to two mommy friends. Peanut's "I did it!" exclamations after zipping up his own pants, putting on his own socks or peeing in the potty before his bath. The quiet moments I found with a book or a cup of tea. The snuggle moments with peanut before his nap. The snuggle moments with the hubby while watching a movie. The list goes on and on...

The difficult part was choosing something to write about. And some days, the hard part was just writing in general. This exercise, however, forced me to sit at the keyboard and put thoughts to text and I know I will grow from that experience. I hope, along the way, that I picked a few things that some of you could relate to or could share a laugh about or at the very least kept you reading! After all, I am most thankful that you all take a few minutes out of your day to stop in and see what self-indulgent topic I'm writing about on any given day. I appreciate you stopping by and commenting both here and when I see you in person.

So today, although I am thankful that I am officially done with this public, month-long gratitude journal, I hope that I continue to be mindful of all that is good, funny and blessed about my days. Maybe we'll see 30 Days of Thanks revisited or reconfigured...who knows. Bottom line, I'm thankful that I did it and that you all were along for the ride.

Thank you!

30 Days of Thanks: Day 29

Today I am thankful for...Christmas decorations.

I am admittedly a "damn Yankee" - a Yankee who moves South and then refuses to leave. My parents moved to North Carolina from Massachusetts when I was 5, my sister was 2. Our formative years were spent in the South and I consider myself more a Southerner than a New Englander...although I do still have a taste for coffee ice cream, prefer a rocky beach to a sandy shore and still call ice cream sprinkles "jimmies."

I do remember how every year while I was growing up my mother would proclaim (and probably still does) surprise at the overwhelming Southern tradition of putting up your Christmas decorations immediately after the Thanksgiving meal is over and taking them down practically after Christmas dinner. My mother's northern tendencies always had us putting our tree up slightly later and taking it down on or after New Year's Day.

Since getting married, we have tended to follow my mother's lead. I have never put my tree up before December 1st, although we do tend to put it up on the early side of the season simply because we're always gone for Christmas and want to enjoy our decorated home as long as possible.

Well, with the shortened time frame between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, and the fact that it's raining and we're home alone for an unprecedented four-day weekend, we went and purchased a Christmas tree this morning. I'm eagerly anticipating getting the house decorated this afternoon and explaining it all to peanut as I unwrap each ornament. I'm not sure how much he'll retain this year or how much to explain to a two-year old about a nativity scene, but I'm excited nonetheless.

So today, I'm gonna:

"Haul out the holly;
Put up the tree before my spirit falls again.
Fill up the stocking,
I may be rushing things, but deck the halls again now.
For we need a little Christmas
Right this very minute
Candles in the window,
Carols at the spinet.
Yes, we need a little Christmas
Right this very minute."

30 Days of Thanks: Day 28

Today I am thankful for...four day weekends.

I know I'm lucky as a stay-at-home-mom that I'm not a slave to a corporate clock-in and clock-out schedule. Oh, I have to worry about naps and meals and snacks and play dates, but overall, the flexibility is fantastic. It's definitely not something I take for granted.

But boy is it nice to have a four day weekend with the hubby home. It's like a little vacation for me to be able to take a long enough shower where I can wash my hair and shave my legs on the same day. Or to pee with the door shut. Or to have the option to leave the house during nap time. Not to mention, playground time was so much more fun today when the three of us went.

So of course I'm going to take advantage of these four-days of extra help and get something done I typically don't have time for during the week! Something productive. Something exciting. Something...

...Ah, who am I kidding? We had turkey leftovers for lunch. I'm going to eat pie and lay on the couch. Mmmm, vacation.

30 Days of Thanks: Day 27

Today I am thankful for...so much.

We are blessed to have a healthy, funny, adorable child who has brought more laughter, happiness and fun to our lives than I ever thought imaginable (and I imagined a pretty big amount!). I am blessed to have a husband of 10 years who is my best friend, my confidante, my sidekick and my parenting partner in crime. We are blessed to have a family who supports us, celebrates with us and provides us grounding. We are blessed to have a home and community that sustain us. We are blessed to have the life that we have.

My Thanksgiving wish today is that you all are blessed with the family, love and hope that will provide your heart with peace and joy not just during the holidays, but every day.

Happy Thanksgiving!

30 Days of Thanks: Day 26

Today I am thankful for...the smell of apple pie baking.

Although I am sure we made the right decision to not travel for the holiday, it has been a strange day. No packing and calling the folks to let them know we're on the road. No maniacal house cleaning before family arrives here. It's a bit sad to be on our own, but the upside has been a relaxing, soaking in the moments kind of day.

My sister and I always made the apple pie together. She and her husband often arrived at our house first. We'd open the wine and start cooking Wednesday evening which always led to fits of laughter and a series of inside jokes that would keep us busy the rest of the weekend.

Today, the peanut and I came home from the park and he became my new apple pie assistant (sorry High Heeled Sis!). He loved dumping in the flour, sugar and the cinnamon, patting down the crust and sprinkling the cinnamon and sugar on the crust. Now, it's baking, peanut's napping and the smell of Thanksgiving is filling the house. And it smells GOOD. I wish there was a scratch and sniff hyperlink so you all could take a whiff. Mmmmmmm.

It's amazing how I immediately felt relaxed, at peace and excited about the big feast tomorrow simply by inhaling that heavenly aroma. Just because it's the three of us doesn't mean it won't be meaningful, delicious and fun. In fact, because we can truly relax into it, it might be more so.

No matter what, I know there will be yummy pie. The trick will be not devouring it this afternoon. Easier said than done!