Curtain Call...
I love to read my friend Steve's blog. He has links to other really funny and cool blogs as well which I also read. A few days ago he posted on his blog The Hamburgler about how his daughter Kayla is growing up and learning new things. I was highly amused given that Kayla is 7 and his other daughter Peyton is almost 5. The reason his blog is so funny is because he writes about his girls from a father's perspective, which is like reading about a clothing review from a cross-dresser. It's always funny.
Being the parent of a fifteen-year old girl and a 10-month old boy, I've got a lot of space in between children and a ton of memories about what my oldest was doing at my youngest's age. There are considerable differences, and no two children are ever alike.
Today's worries with Deanna include boyfriends, teenage pregnancy and STD's, body piercings and tattoos, what colleges she'll apply to along with PSAT's and SAT's, driver's learner's permits and the insurance premium that goes along with it, and all of the drama that goes along with being a young woman. While I don't particularly care for my ex-husband (let's face it, I think the jackass should have kicked off a long time ago, and the feeling is hughly mutual...) I am quite amused at hearing about all of the issues "my daughter" is putting him through. We raised this child together in the hopes of her becoming a shining example of human morality and values. My attitude is this; if she becomes a lesbian pedophiliac axe murderer, may she be excellent at it, I'll love her just the same. She's a terrific kid, she shows common sense, she asks questions, she gives her father plenty of heart palpitations, as she should. She's a girl! I'm a mother, and I don't view things the way her father does, nor do I stand by the front door waiting for her date with a shot gun behind my back. That's just something Dads do. Moms do intense investigative FBI checks on these guys and keep the results to themselves if all checks out. The amount of rope I give Deanna to hang herself with is far greater than the amount Chris gives her, but once again I iterate; HE IS HER FATHER! Daddy's little girl is growing up, and it's making him a raging mess...it couldn't happen to a nicer guy. She can always move home to Georgia when she's had enough of her father's whining.
Jackson presents a whole other set of challenges. He may be younger than his sister, but the worries with this child include cracking his head open against the fireplace, being scratched by the kitty for trying to bite his tail, teething, crawling, temper tantrums for not moving fast enough to meet his needs (what few there are...) and falling over when he tries to stand up! I have a ton of patience with Jack; I'm a mother. Ken is teaching his son to be a little man, and I get a huge laugh out of it as well. He's mommy's little boy, but not a momma's boy, and I look forward to Pop Warner football and Pee Wee baseball, and girls and "the sex talk"and providing him with a bullet-proof vest and a condom before a date and having to meet a young lady's father, and telling him to pull up his pants or put on a belt, and to wear his seat belt when he's driving, and to not get drunk and drive (with others or by himself) and to call me if he needs to get home safely.
Boys and girls present different obstacles, but you love your children and hope that you can raise them right and to do the right things when faced with life's issues. Does it always happen? No. Do you disown them because they turned out other than the way you wanted them to? No. Do you eventually have to let them live their own lives they way they want to? Yes. We never stop being parents, and the job is never done whether your kids are 9 or 29. You still lay in bed at night hoping you didn't mess them up too badly, but in the end when all is said and done and the curtain falls at the end of the show and you hear those four words, "I love you Mom", it's so worth it. Then you get to make the parenting curtain call and you become a grandparent...then the real fun begins...sweet revenge!
A Busy Week...
So Oma has been here for a week, and I've been working like crazy in preparation for my opening in Lithonia. I've been blessed to have Lydia here, as I've been at work constantly, as has Ken. We're both a little worn out, but the bills are current, Jack's happy to have time with Oma, and we even got to go see a movie when she got here!
Now on to Star Wars Episode III. I was not at all interested in seeing this movie, as episodes one and two put me right to sleep, but Ken showed me the trailer for episode three and it looked better than the first two, so I relented and decided to go see this movie. We went on Monday night, to the last showing of the day and were two of seven people in the theater which was fine by me. We got there as the movie previews were starting, settled down with our super-sodas and for the next two hours got to watch a movie that didn't make me fall asleep. I was a huge fan of the original Star Wars movies, and when Deanna wanted to go and see the first two prequels I schlepped along and slept through them, but this was actually a decent movie; not great but not bad, and it did leave us with a lot of answered questions. I thought that Anakin becoming Darth Vader was pretty cool after his big fight scene with Obi Wan, and then I understood how all of the humanity left him after he asked about Padme being alive and the Chancellor lying to him by telling him he killed her, so it was pretty gripping, but otherwise it was what it was, just another movie, but more like the original Star Wars movies than the last two. It was fine, and it was a nice night out with Ken.
I have my last shift in Dunwoody tonight for three weeks, and a lot of laundry and packing to do tomorrow, so this will be my last post for a while. I'm sure I'll have plenty to say when I get back, so stay tuned and have a great Memorial Day weekend y'all!
Bonding with Oma...
My mother-in-law will be here on Sunday. She's coming because I'm going to be opening a new restaurant about 60 miles away, so I'll be gone for two weeks, coming home on my days off. She is going to be taking care of Mr. Jackson in my absence and she's thrilled to be getting all of this time with him. She hasn't seen Jack in the flesh since Christmas, but she get's her daily picture via e-mail.
I'm lucky to have a mother-in-law who cares enough about us to come down when opportunities like these present themselves. I like doing new restaurant openings and I'm good at them, and I was going to stop doing them when Jack came along, but Lydia assured me that she would help us in any way she could if an opening came along that I wanted to do. It's good money, lots of hard work, and it's a few weeks away from home. (this I am not looking forward to actually, as I will miss both of my boys terribly, especially Jack!) Oma is coming a week before I leave to get familiarized with Jack and his routine. If you'll remember, she came when Jack was three months old to help us establish a new routine for him...she was incredible and we got lots of sleep! Now she's dealing with a more independent baby, someone who actually knows how to communicate his needs, (in his own ways, but still...) and who sleeps through the night soundly.
He's quite active, as Oma will find out, but she should have a blast with him, with a lot of help from Ken, who has been ordered to take over the night shift so that his mother doesn't get too tired or burned-out. Jack can be a handful, but we're used to it, and she's not.
I have no worries about how things will be while I'm gone, and I'm happy that Oma will have time to bond with her grandson...the light of her life. Like I stated months ago, I hope that people with kids appreciate their in-laws...without my mother-in-law I'd be a basket case at times, but I'm just lucky I guess. My former mother-in-law was a nightmare, so I guess I deserve a good mother-in-law for a change!
A good week so far...
There's really nothing new to write about. It's been a good week so far.
Things with Jack are moving along, Ken's busy at work as am I, we've got our days off together this week, which is always cool, and I'm thinking of taking Jack over to the community swimming pool this afternoon.
Nothing's really changed for us. We're wondering why we keep seeing the same five episodes of kiddie shows on Nick Jr. I think kids are smarter than we give them credit for. Can Jack possibly be happy watching the same stuff over and over again, but on different days? I think Nick Jr. needs a wake-up call for new episodes of their kiddie shows...or they should be forced to sit there and watch the same things over and over the way our kids do. Think it'll work?
A Small wish with a Huge meaning...
Happy Mothers Day to all of the women in my life. To those who have children, have the most wonderful day, and for those who are eventually going to have them, learn to appreciate what the day is all about because when your time comes, it'll make it that much sweeter. To those without children, may you have taken your own mother to an extremely expensive Mother's Day brunch at Shanghai Red's or the Universal Hilton, or cooked her dinner or breakfast in bed.
Happy Mother's Day Sharon and Lydia and Carla; I love you so much, and because of you three I am the woman, wife and mother that I am...you are each wonderful, special women and I hope you enjoy your day.
Also, a special mention; Happy 50th Birthday Lady Diana...you ARE getting older, but your also getting better; that's what I think. ;-P I love you.
Everyone just enjoy the day...I know I will!
Hernias and other fun stuff...
Last year just before I gave birth to Jack my mother had surgery for a herniated navel. It meant that she wasn't able to be here for Jack's birth, and she has had continual problems since the surgery. She saw her surgeon on Monday, and he is at a loss as how to treat the problem to completion. He's treating her with silver nitrate on a weekly basis and will monitor her progress until it's either fixed, or he finds a way to successfully fix it through surgery again. This is un-nerving to me, but my mom seems to be handling it fine.
I spoke to my friend Hamburg yesterday for the first time in about six months. He had me rolling with tales of his e-bay purchases, (Darth Tater...the Darth Vader potato head, and a binery clock...such a geek.) and the theory of who's worse, the geek or the geek-lover? I'm still trying to figure that out, since I'm married to the Alpha-geek myself! I miss talking to him, as we grew up together and re-connected last year before Jack was born. He was one of my best friends and has become that again, so it's always nice to be able to talk with those that you love, who are familiar with you, and who don't judge! Steve has the opposite family situation to mine; he's surrounded by the female gender while I'm living in an all-male society here at home. He's a good man, and I miss him when we don't talk...oh well, that's life and family and work, right?
Ken played me the trailer for the last "Star Wars" installment. I was so resistant to seeing this movie, as the first two were absolute shit, but this actually looks awesome. I guess we'll be getting a sitter on May 19th in order to go see the movie. I'm actually waiting for the June 15th premiere of "Batman Begins", in fact I'm foaming at the mouth to see it. Christian Bale is gorgeous, and I think he makes the perfect Batman actually!
Mother's Day is Sunday, and I'm hoping to get tickets to see the Braves play at home against the Astros. We'll see how Jack feels about it, but I'm willing to take the chance. I haven't seen one game at Turner Field since he was born, so I think it's time...Jack can just get over himself and deal with a day out in the sun! I wish there was a good place to have brunch, but Southerners don't "do" brunch like we do back home. God, I am going to soooo miss Shanghai Red's this Sunday. I can almost taste the Bloody Marys and Eggs Florentine now! I can have it here at home, as Ken is a terrific cook, but it's still not the same, ya know?
I've covered the week so far so until something "out there" happens I'm destined to write about absolutely nothing. I'll try and keep it lively at least, so my readers don't fall asleep! Pillows and blankets anyone?
Growing up Gorgeous...A baby's perspective.
It's not easy being a good-looking baby. My mommy and daddy are both good-looking, but boy am I a mix of spirits!
I now have two teeth, I crawl like the wind, I chew on everything that's not nailed down, and I eat like the biggest chow hound on the face of the earth! I love to watch Sesame Street and Piper O Possum, I play until I drop, I can hold my own bottle, and I love it when mommy takes me out for walks when the weather is good. I just got a pool floaty and can't wait to go swimming for the first time!
Mommy and Daddy say I'm growing up gorgeous. What do you think? I like it here on earth a lot more than I did being inside mommy's tummy. I can be a bit high-maintenance, but mommy says it's me exhibiting all of her worst traits and all of daddy's best ones. I'm a happy baby for the most part, and I'm really excited that my Oma Lydia is coming to visit for a few weeks because mommy's going out of town for work. Boy is Oma in for some surprises! I hope she's been eating her Wheaties!
Life for me is pretty cool. My parents are fun, but mommy kisses me a lot. I have the most fun with my daddy; he throws me in the air and makes silly noises to keep me amused. I like his computer a lot too. I can't wait to have one of my own. I like my cat Smokey a lot as well, although he's a little needy, but mommy says he's like me, just a little guy growing up.
Well, that's it from me...mommy's fingers are getting tired and I need a nap, but it's nice to put my thoughts out there on occasion. Being a baby is all good, now if only I had a girlfriend who lived a bit closer than Baltimore. Boy do I miss Gracie!
