May 28th, 2008
This is a blog. A what? A blog. A what? A blog. Oh, a blog.
See here? Blog. There’s this weird thing of not updating for a few days and then it feels awkward like hello blog, sorry I haven’t updated in so long, so now it’s sort of awkward and so then I keep not doing it even though this is the exact sort of reason why I don’t have very many friends.
My mom is back in Dallas. It’s a good thing in adult life to reach the point where your parents don’t drive you insane. It was a great week, and now we all miss her. And right after she left, perhaps unrelated and perhaps not, Graham stabbed himself in the eye with a straw.
Then he cried until he fell asleep at 6:30. Then at 11:30 pm he woke up and said, “Mama? Maybe this can be our party.” With one eye squinted half shut, and the rest of him still half asleep he stumbled around the living room and said, “Mama? Some people fall down.”
At certain kinds of parties, yes they do.
But he’s fine now, his eye is fine and the party was nice.
He still has his Mitten Hands, by the way, and he also still has his tiny invisible princess. Did I tell you he has a princess? I think I did. She’s very small. He trapped her a couple of months ago and now she loves him very much. He’s constantly dropping her though, or leaving her in Petsmart so we’ll be buckling him in to leave and he’ll say “Wait!! I forgot my PRINCESS!!”
His new thing is elaborate pantomimes. Nobody taught him to do this, unless he is sneaking out at night to go to improv classes at the community college. Possible. As he walks around through the day he unlocks and opens imaginary doors, then steps through and closes them behind him. Earlier we went outside and he baked and served an invisible cake. We were about to eat it when he said, “Wait! You need a fork.”
He toddled over to what we assumed to be the kitchen, opened a drawer at eye level, then stood on his toes to reach in there and dig for a fork. He even closed the drawer.
So that’s Graham. He stalls, he hugs, he hassles his brother. He has a rock garden and I swear he thinks rocks are going to grow in it any day now. He asks everyone we meet their name and age. He declares in front of strangers, “Mama? Maybe this lady doesn’t love me.”
The potty training project is on hold. What he apparently took from the library potty video is that big boys sneak off to other rooms to try and change their own diapers. I admire his ambition, but anything that causes me to step in poop twice in one day has to stop. So Nicolaus is off the project. Me too, actually.
More soon, I’m working on a Friday deadline but had to write down all the reasons I like Graham in case he poops on the floor again and I almost stop loving him because OMG.
May 29th, 2008 at 2:59 am
Just put some paper down and wack him with a newspaper if he misses it. What could possibly go wrong?
May 29th, 2008 at 7:58 am
Oh yuck. I swear I’d forgotten about the horrors of potty training the first one. Though, mercifully it was easier this time around.
May 29th, 2008 at 9:47 am
Wow to the pantomime! That’s fantastic! We have loads of imaginary animals and princesses and princes and sisters and whatnot who tend to go places and dine with us here, as well. :) Awesome.
May 29th, 2008 at 9:48 am
I think he’d make a great mime! Too bad he stabbed himself in the eye, should’ve mimed that one. He does get it now, that grandmas come back, right?
May 29th, 2008 at 11:24 am
I’m like that too, with the losing touch thing, people, blogs, projects, whatever. And having the big project of raising kids doesn’t make it any easier.
Graham sounds like lots of fun, if a little too… uhm, independent thinking for your own good. He tried to change his own diaper? I am not looking forward to potty training.
May 29th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Do you always go back and get his Princess or do you wait by the car until Graham says that his Princess has caught up and found you guys?
May 29th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
Ha! It’s more like “Oh look! Here she comes!”
Or Kevin’s approach - “No, I got her and put her in my pocket - here ya go.”
Rowena, potty training sucks. Never do it!
Squirl - yeah, he was okay with it. Just misses her, but wasn’t mourning or anything.
May 29th, 2008 at 4:36 pm
You totally just described why I don’t have friends and my blogs keep failing. LOL I’m trying - really, I am. I owe you an e-mail and some pictures. I think we’ve picked a vacation date! :D
May 29th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
Eeew! Good call on writing down some reasons you really, really, really love him because Wow! if you’re going to continue to be stepping in poo when you least expect it (seriously, though, when WOULD you expect it), you’re going to need some reminders laying around. Hey, maybe the princess would like him to be potty trained? Has she also stepped in the poo unexpectedly?
May 29th, 2008 at 9:34 pm
That last line had me rolling!
And also made me very afraid. Very very afraid. My little guy is going to be a year old in two weeks. When does the floor pooping start?
June 3rd, 2008 at 9:14 am
Too Funny,
My kids are all grown now, so your writings describing the roller coaster of the daily grind, poop horrors, and undeniable joys of navigating the world with little ones make me literally, LOL as I remember the days when… :) We had a poop fairy in our house… long story :) You and your little ones are charming. Can’t wait to come back and see what else you all are up to. Have fun!