Daylight Saving Time is for the birds

Saturday morning Randy took Trey to the Fly Fishing Expo in Albany and I have most of the morning and afternoon to myself.  At my house.  This has happened probably less than five times since Trey has been born and I don't even know what to do with myself.  Don't get me wrong, I have had plenty of alone time since Trey has been born, but it's almost always when I go to do something out of the house, and I rarely have time at home alone.

The last few weeks have been pretty uneventful which I don't see as a negative.  There have been so many people around me affected by so much stuff - good and bad - that a few even keel weeks feel good.  Julie and Tim are going on the journey of parenting two boys under two years of age, and it's been...well, exhausting.  Case has been an awesome baby and seems to be pretty happy.  Grady, on the other hand, is adjusting to having a baby brother, and I don't think he's all-too-thrilled.  He's also entering into that stage of toddlerhood that I found to be the most difficult so far with Trey - the pre-language-he-knows-what-he-wants-mood-constantly-changes hell of being 17 months old.  Combining sleeplessness with trying to work from home with parenting a whiny toddler with nursing constantly, and it's amazing that Julie is still functioning.  She's an awesome mom, and I can't wait for Trey to grow up with her two boys.

I have a colleague whose daughter has cancer, and we just found out yesterday that it has relapsed.  I am heartbroken for him and his family.  It brings me to tears so I'm not going to write much about it...just that I try to keep in mind how fragile and short life can be when I am feeling whiny about something small in my life.  I also told Randy last night that knowing about Cassie and what her family is going through makes me want to spoil Trey like crazy...not with material things but with as much love, affection, and attention as I can give him.  If you're interested, you can follow Cassie's journey here: Cassie's Angels on Facebook or here: Caring Bridge

On to lighter topics (as I wipe away more tears), I think one thing I've been very grateful for the past few weeks is living so close to my sister.  I have loved being able to drop by at the last minute, easily take her a meal, or pick something up from the store.  One night a few weeks ago Tim went to play poker with some buddies and Julie was alone with both boys.  Grady was in his crib crying and she was downstairs with Case feeling a little...well, nervous.  I offered to go over and hang out which resulted in me a) missing doing bedtime and b) drinking wine with my sister and holding Case.  Sounds like a sweet deal to me!  As I was driving over there that night, I thought to myself, "Mom would be really happy that we are neighbors."

Trey came home in this outfit, and it amazes me that he was ever this small.

A month or so ago Trey and I went to the Children's Museum and he sat and sang while holding a baby doll for quite a while.  It was so stinkin' cute.  Here is a video that I didn't have uploaded when I did that blog entry:

We went to my dad and Sandy's for President's Day weekend and had a great visit.  I got to see Sarah Long twice, got sushi, got my hair cut, and got to watch Trey and my dad have some quality time.

Bedtime stories with Papa

I got Trey a farm playdough set which both he and Randy enjoyed quite a bit. 

Randy and I went out on a date night on Saturday night and decided to try a new brewery in Eugene.  We were so excited about their beer menu and these flights of tastes.  Well, they all sucked.  ALL OF THEM.  Our glasses looked almost like this when we walked out and left them on the table (we paid, of course).  What a disappointment.

Sarah and Curtis came over to play on Sunday.  

It was so much fun to watch Trey and Curtis play together.   

Cute boys 

My life's joy at 2 years 8 months

I can't believe we are closing in on 3. 

On Monday we went to the fish hatchery before we left.  

Close...

 Closer...

Even closer!

While Randy prefers OMSI, I like the Children's Museum better, so that is where Trey and I have been spending our time.  The pictures below crack me up because if you know Trey, you probably think he is a reserved quiet little boy.  His love for music, humor, and performing is starting to shine through, but he still doesn't often show this side in public.  When we found the stage at the Children's Museum, Trey couldn't get enough of the "microphone" which was actually just a post on the stage.  He stood there and "sang" for quite a long time.  It was adorable.

It's funny how I have been pretty anxious/neurotic/worried/a pain in the ass about napping and at some level eating, but I could really give a shit about potty training.  It's the new thing (at Trey's age) that everyone seems to ask me about.  Is he potty trained yet?  Has he started potty training yet?  NO!  AND I DON'T CARE!!!  I could care less if Trey is potty trained, but I also think I'm assuming he'll be late at it since he was late at everything else.  Nevertheless, I have a potty in the bathroom which Trey has almost ZERO interest in.  He's showing other signs that he's getting ready, and he's also peed in the potty at school, so I know we're getting closer.  I've been told by numerous friends that if if you wait until they're ready it goes a lot faster, so I am waiting until he's ready.

Getting ready

Randy's really trying to turn Trey into a skater.  And it's working.  Here is Trey's first time on the skateboard without holding on:

Here is Trey dressed up in his "outfit".  Randy said, "looks like he's headed somewhere else..."

Last weekend Randy said, "I was going to pick Trey up at daycare and take him to happy hour so you could have some time to yourself."  Ummmmmm...okay?  I headed down to Woodburn to meet my Nellie Muir friends at Yun Wah's.  Dora is leaving soon for Mexico, so this will be our last complete get together for a long time.

 From the bottom left corner clockwise: Dora, Cindy, Ardis, and Stacy

It's hard to believe I've been gone from Nellie Muir for 6 years.  

It's also hard to believe that out of all of us, Stacy is the only one still there (sucker).

Grilling on the deck 

I think the main reason I avoid Pinterest is that all of the crafty shit moms do with their kids makes me feel bad.  I am not crafty now nor will I ever be crafty.  Sometimes I can pull something out of you know where, but it's far and few between.  I have been avoiding painting forever (and that's not even crafty) but I decided it was time to balls up and do it.  Trey, of course, loved it.

 Trying out each color

Standing behind Trey watching him mix colors (within the paint jars) was painful for me (type A), but I let him explore his creativity and "mix the colors" just like they do on Blue's Clues.  

And then it got messy... 

Letting him go to town was a proud parenting moment for me.

On Sunday my dad and Sandy came up to see the boys.  We had some good family time at Julie's house, and it is fun to see Trey and Grady play together.

Grandpa and Case 

 The boys in their unplanned matchy-match striped shirts

 Someday we will get a picture of them both looking AND smiling.

Sunday night we took Trey to see Yo Gabba Gabba Live.  I was SO EXCITED to see Trey's reaction to his favorite TV characters show up on stage.  If I could have taken a picture of the sheer joy on his face when DJ Lance came on the big screen, I would be so happy.  Instead, I will remember it in my heart because it was just perfection...the kind of moment you want to see on your child's face all of the time.

On the MAX on the way to the show 

 Dyer and Oliver

Getting ready...and so happy! 

Some of the Yo Gabba guys on stage 

After the sheer joy, this is how Trey looked for the rest of the show. 

Trey and Oliver waiting for the MAX after the show 

We went to Hopworks afterwards for dinner and it was basically impossible to get both boys to look at the camera at the same time:

Last week I babysat for Grady so Julie and Tim could go out to dinner (with their baby in a basket).  Grady was easy-as-always and went to bed in about 5 minutes.  Oh, how I miss those days!!

Trey had to stay home sick on Tuesday due to some fluke puking on Monday night (in the car downtown, no less).  He seemed perfectly fine on Tuesday, so we went to meet Randy for lunch and then stopped by Powell's.  Trey made himself comfy in the bear's lap and read a new book.

Then he pulled Clifford off the shelf and sat and read him a story.  So freakin' cute:

When I started this blog entry, Randy and Trey were out having some boy time.  I proceeded to have the morning to myself, went to lunch with Jen, and met Mindy for beers.  And it was sunny out.  About as perfect as a day as I could've asked for.  Today Randy, Trey, and I have spent the day together.  We went to the skate shop so we could get some elbow and knee pads for Trey and his new bike.

 Skate heaven...definitely his father's son

Then we went to IKEA to get a piece of furniture for the snake/play room and got Trey a new big boy bed.  Who knows how long it will take us to get the big boy bed put together (aka when we will take the plunge and f#$% up bedtime once again), but Trey loved the bed and IKEA.  He cried when we left...so not his father's son.

A boy needs elbow and knee pads to get through IKEA, right? 

The day out concluded with a lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings (aka hell).  That place is the worst.  Terrible food, way too much stimulation and noise, and they don't use real dishes.  I can't even begin to imagine the amount of waste they go through.  If you want to read a good book about different food industries in America, read The American Way of Eating.  I will never look at chain restaurants the same.  And if you want to know who wins worst-restaurant-mother-of-the-year award, come talk to me.  At one point, Trey was on the floor trying to find the cheerios he dropped and god knows what else he ate.  And then there was the time when he...or when he....I can't even tell you.  I'm embarrassed as I type. Good thing that restaurant is loud as hell and hopefully we will never go back again.

Baby Case Has Arrived!

Case Laine Johan McGuire

Born 2/6/13

The big news of the past few weeks is that my sister, Julie, had her baby!  I am now an aunt - again!  Trey is now a cousin - again!  Julie is now a mama - again!  And, most of all, Grady is now a big brother!!!

Meeting Case shortly after birth

Grandpa Gerts and his third grandson 

 Mama gazing at her new baby

Case Laine Johan McGuire was born at 1:00pm on Wednesday, February 6th.  He weighed in at 7 pounds something and was, I think, 19 inches.  Julie called me on Tuesday night around 10:30pm to say that her water had broken and she needed to go to the hospital.  I quickly drove over (another reason I am so grateful that we live 1.1 miles apart) to stay with sleeping Grady until Tim's mom arrived.  Then Julie and Tim headed to the hospital where only 14.5 hours later Case was born.  Her labor was faster and easier than the last time which was a blessing.  (I really want to tell you that she only had to push for 13 minutes, but I don't know if she'd like that...)  My dad and I were there waiting in the hospital and we got to meet Baby Case about 30 minutes after he was born.  You forget how small they are when they come out!  Case's middle names are special because Laine is after our mother, Elaine, and Johan is after our maternal grandfather.  He was known as John after he emigrated from Sweden to the  United States in the early 1900's, but the name he was born with was Johan.  Julie has always had a sweet spot for all things Swedish, so it's no surprise that she kept the original spelling.

Here are some pics and stories from the past few weeks:

As you all know, sleep (well, naps) has been a notorious problem for us.  Since we decided to move, put the house on the market, and consequently moved, Trey has had some bedtime issues.  Then as soon as we thought it was getting better, he got sick and it got worse again.  We've never been a big family bed family, but there is something so absolutely sweet about having Trey next to me sleeping.  It's a slippery slope because as soon as we do it once, Trey always wants to sleep in "mama's bed," but as much as Randy doesn't like it and as little sleep as I get when we do it, I secretly really love it.

I mean, can it get any sweeter than this? 

A few weeks ago, Trey and I met Marika and Vivi, his old daycare provider and her daughter (Trey's BFF), at Hopworks after music class.  Trey and Vivi picked up like they hadn't missed a day, and it was really sweet to see them together.  Marika and I hope to keep the relationship going, and I think (with my history of maintaining friendships) that it is a distinct possibility.

Vivi and Trey, together again

Trey is really in to role play right now.  Like REALLY into it.  Like it makes me want to poke my eyeballs out.  He has a variety of characters he likes to play between him and myself such as Steve and Joe (Blue's Clues), Porter and Bailey (the dogs), and Jonah and Tallin (Marika's boys).  Then we get into the figures and he could play with these guys making up stories ALL DAY LONG.  His favorite seem to be Bert and Ernie.  We have two sets.  The regular set which you see below, and then Baseball Bert and Baseball Ernie which is in the picture below that.  It is constant and it is KILLING ME.

Bert and Ernie on "the Street" 

 Baseball Bert and Baseball Ernie at the "yellow house"

(my old Fisher Price house which I love)

The sickness hit our house about four weeks ago and while I think we got lucky overall, it wasn't the greatest time of our lives.  Trey got sick first, then me, then Randy.  Somehow, I was the one who stayed sick the longest.  Luckily, there was no flu and no puking (knock on wood), but the sore throat was the worst I have ever had and the nagging cough is still lingering FOUR WEEKS LATER.

Here's Trey on our sick day at home together.  Of course, he wouldn't nap for me and I was too tired to do a car nap so I decided the nap wasn't going to happen.  Later in the afternoon, he fell asleep on my lap while watching a show.  The dog decided this was a good time to try and climb on me, and if I had had something harder and bigger than the remote control in my hand, that dog would have gotten hurt.

We have recently joined the Children's Museum, and, for me, it's a nice break from OMSI.  Trey and I went here on a day when Randy went fishing, and we enjoyed ourselves.  You may notice that Trey's outfit leaves a little to be desired.  I was feeling too shitty to care about what he wore.  So sue me.

He sat on this bench holding a baby doll singing it a lullaby for a VERY long time.   

He also enjoyed the water table for a long time.  This made mama's day.

On Super Bowl Sunday Trey and I went to Stacy, my friend from Woodburn's, house to have a little goodbye party for Dora.  Dora is a dear friend who was the Home School Contact while I taught in Woodburn.  Everyone around this table is special to me and from my days at Nellie Muir.  I love that I have been gone six years and we still see each other regularly.  

Ardis and Trey (with Susan in the background)

Trey has a special thing for Ardis.  

It probably helps that she comes bearing gifts every time she sees him. 

Trey's new preschool had a penguin show where the kids did songs and a performance.  Trey was dressed as a penguin and it may have been one of the cutest things I've ever seen.  He didn't know any of the words (to be fair he had only been in the preschool for a few days before the program), but he followed along with the group and was as cute as a button.  He did great until he saw me in the audience, and then he wouldn't stay with the kids and only wanted to sit on my lap.  Oh well.  He's two.

Trey is the second from the right. 

Cute penguin

This past Saturday Trey and I had a fun day together.  We went to music class and then to Muddy's for banana bread and lunch.  Trey fell asleep on the way home (all according to my plan), and then we met Mindy and Camille for happy hour at Hopworks later in the afternoon.

Trey enjoying his banana bread

 The two of us waiting at Hopworks for our friends

Trey and Camille 

Trey came home from preschool last week with a homework folder!!!  I couldn't believe it.  I thought I had a few more years reprieve before homework started.  We sat down on Sunday night (waited until the last minute, of course) to do his work.  It was pretty cool because he could do most of the tasks except for the fine motor component.  He could count the pictures and match it to the number, he could choose the correct colored item, and he could identify the letters.  He just couldn't trace the P's or circle the numbers on the math worksheets.  I felt pretty proud of his early readiness skills.

We made Valentine's Day cookies, and Trey was in heaven.  He LOVES cookies and he LOVES the frosting.  On the night we baked them, I told Trey he couldn't have any until after dinner and then left the room to do something else.  I came back, and he had moved the stool around to the side of the counter with the cookies and had one in his mouth.  The expression on his face is priceless.

Randy was excited to introduce Trey to Hot Wheels. He went and bought some cars and some contraptions.  The two of them are so cute when they play with the cars together.

And then the frosting of the cookies and the decorating.  Trey hasn't learned yet that sprinkles are a pain in the ass to clean up from the floor.

Tonight we made some Valentine's Day cookie deliveries, and Trey got to meet his new cousin Case.  He wasn't very interested in the baby - just how he was with Grady.  He loves Grady now, so I know Case will grow on him too.

 the whole McGuire family!