The Apple is Red

When I was going to school to be a teacher, I decided that I liked the 3rd to 5th grade range the best. Junior high kids scare me, I didn't want to teach high school where they were all bigger than me, and I didn't want to go lower than third grade because that was when you taught kids how to read and write, and that was my biggest fear: being responsible for the literacy development of twenty kids. So, I am now teaching high school. Ironic, I know.

Then, we wanted to start a family. We were so excited about the baby, and what to name him, and what he would look like, that I forgot about all my fears. Then this little angel was born, and for over a year, I've been watching him grow up and just been amazed at how fast he's growing up and all the things that he's learning.

Then, I hear a bunch of other parents of toddlers talk about all the things that they are teaching their children. And, suddenly, my fear returns. I don't think I'm teaching him all the right things. Or even ANY of the right things! How do I know what to teach him first? There are so many things, and I don't even know developmentally where he's even supposed to be right now!
He learns new words everyday, he knows to say please if he wants something, and to say thank you when he gets it. He pretty much can communicate exactly what he wants with either words, gestures, or grunts. He can recognize many different objects by either their picture or looking out the window, he can tell you what cows, horses, chickens, ducks, Mickey Mouse, dogs, monkeys, lions and a few other animals sound like, and he can name a whole bunch of different body parts and point to them when you ask where they are.

But are these the kinds of things I am supposed to be teaching him? Are there more important things we should be working on instead of colors and how many pencils are in the picture? Why didn't anyone tell me when he was born all the kinds of things he's supposed to be able to do by certain milestones in his life? And don't even get me started on potty-training...

Can't we just go back to seeing if he can raise his head and roll from his tummy to his back?

What he says goes!

When I was pregnant, both sets of grandparents talked about what they wanted to be called by the new baby when it was old enough to talk. Jonathan and I both agreed that whatever the baby decided to call them, that was what everyone else would be stuck calling them for ever after. It was a big responsibility for such a little person, but we knew that our little one would do just fine.
The grandmothers, though, had different ideas. Both of them have aversions to certain names because of the grandmother before them, and both of them have one name that they just really don't want to be called. His mother didn't want to be called "Mamaw" because that's what we call her mother-in-law. My mother didn't want to be called "Grandma" because that's what we called her mother-in-law. So, his mother decided she wanted to be just plain Grandma, and my mother wanted to put a little bit of a flair on an old thing, and she decided she wanted to be called "Grandmama", with a rolling "r". It sounded very aristocratic.

Well, little Micheal is now at the remembering people and their names stage, and both of his grandmothers are here every month, alternately. So, he knows them pretty well, and he's working on calling them by name.

Grandma has been pushing her name, and Grandmama is working on hers. The only problem is that they aren't coming out the way they wanted. Micheal calls them both "Mamaw". So, while my mom was here, we tried to change it a little bit so that there was a difference between the two at least. So, my mom now answers to "Memaw" and we saved "Mamaw" for his mom. Now we just have to work on the two "Papaws". He doesn't quite see them as often.

So, the lesson of the day is that you can't always have it your way. Grandkids don't follow the same rules as Burger King.

Blessing in Disguise

This week has been pretty painful, and I don't think it's over yet. I will probably have to return to work and somehow convince the kids that I really can't talk louder than a whisper and they need to be quiet enough to hear me. We'll see how long that lasts.

At home, though, has been a different story. I have been able to sit back and, without commenting too much, watch my little one be himself. Micheal is getting so big every day, and this week, I got to watch him grow up just a little bit more. Usually, I work all week long and get to hang out with him on the weekends. So, I look forward to weeks off from school so that we can hang out longer. The neatest part, though, was that I got to just sit and watch. I didn't have other stuff that I just HAD to get done, or a meal that had to get finished, or anything like that. I got to watch him play, I got to watch him interact with my mom, and her puppy dog, and I got to hear him add more words to his everyday growing vocabulary.

Sometimes I forget exactly how far he's come from just a short eighteen months ago, and sometimes I forget that eighteen months really is a short amount of time, not a long one like it gets to feeling like sometimes.

So, this year, when people ask me how my Thanksgiving went, I'll be able to tell them that it was WONDERFUL! (despite the fact that it really was pretty painful.)

Now, I really can't wait until Christmas! :)

New Weight Loss Trend

I have decided to write a book and sell it for $19.95 each, plus a nominal fee for shipping and handling. There are so many other ideas of how to lose weight, and none of them are as fast acting as this one.
The only drawback is that it's a one-time deal, and it may not work the same for everyone. So, I guess it won't sell a lot of books. Good thing I'm not quitting my day job.

Monday before we left I weighed myself, just to see if I could remember how much I weighed beforehand. As of this afternoon, in three days I have lost seven pounds. So much for a water only diet.

I guess this means that I'll probably gain it all back once I start eating again, but I don't see that being tomorrow, either. So, while everyone else is stuffing their faces with turkey, dressing, cheesy green beans, fruit salad, deviled eggs, sweet potato casserole and hot buttered rolls, I'll be enjoying liquid pain medications, ice water, and a lollipop that makes my whole head numb.

Ah... there are things to be thankful for this season...

This is my only voice now

Well, surgery this morning went fine, and I was out of there in a short three hours. So, no big deal. The worst part is that I can't talk. It hurts to swallow, it hurts to think about swallowing, and it feels like there is a cotton ball stuck in the back of my throat. Yuck.

I would never tell him this, but I am getting more and more thankful that my mother will be here tomorrow. Jonathan doesn't understand that he has to be the one to watch what his child is doing every minute the little man is awake, because there is no guarantee that I'm going to be awake and watching him, even if he is in the same room as Mommy.

Anyone have any other suggestions on what I can eat, though? Ice cream and yogurt and pudding and popsicles are all dairy based, and they are all causing that crap to stay in the back of my throat. I need something that won't leave a milky aftertaste. Doc said I couldn't have hot soups yet, though, because I don't want to lose the scabs on my cuts. Yuck. Colder is better.
So, ice water and grape juice are my new food favorites... no matter how much I want some fried catfish, or some Doritos, or the chicken dish that a friend brought over for dinner, I just can't.
This bites.