Busy February

The month of February was rather active. I spent the first weekend of the month in Monterey with my long-time friend, Darcy. We abandoned our mom/wife roles for the weekend and went window shopping, wine sipping, and strolling along the beautiful coast. It was a much needed, very relaxing get away.

February was a big birthday month. We celebrated with our friend Britt one weekend. Her girlfriends kidnapped her for a movie, lunch and pedicures. We met up with our respective gentlemen later that night for margaritas at a local Mexican restaurant. It was a long, fun celebration. The next weekend, I celebrated my birthday with a relaxing evening drinking wine with girl friends.

The end of the month brought about some kitchen drama. We noticed some dampness under our kitchen sink, which was unwisely ignored for a few days (maybe it would magically go away??). When we realized water was seeping out from under the far end of the cabinets, we knew we had a big problem. Chris ripped out some drywall under the sink to find a lake of slime. Dry rot, water damage and mold were all unfortunate byproducts. After a lot of work by Chris, our neighbor plumber, and our handy friend Tom, the leaks were repaired, the mold removed, and the backs/bottoms of our cabinets all replaced. Being home with a hungry toddler and a non-functional kitchen was rather inconvenient! We're on the tail end of the project now (painting, faucet replacement, minor cabinet repairs). I am hoping to have the kitchen put back together in the next day or so...my mom arrives this week and the guest bed has been the temporary home for pots, pans and tupperware.

Marshall continues to advance by leaps and bounds...it seems like his speech become more complex almost daily. We're gearing up for the big 3rd birthday, less than two weeks away. Every time someone asks Marshall what he wants for his birthday, he responds, "cake, cupcakes, ice cream AND cookies!!" He is thinking in terms of desserts, not gifts. Funny!

Seriously?

Some recent entertaining moments:

• We introduced Marshall to Chris' associate, Mr. Fergueson. Marshall proceeded to refer to him (to his face) as "Mr. Fergelizer."
• Marshall telling me, "go away, mom. I don't like you."
• "Mom, my cars are red, blue yellow, pink and vanilla."
• At dinner I told him he needed to eat two more bites of carrot before being excused. He took a tiny carrot stick, broke it in half and proceeded to count, "one, two" as he ate each half.
• Marshall asked if he could watch a movie. I told him that he could watch one this weekend with daddy when I was out of town. He asked, "can you go out of town now?"

I wish I could remember every funny thing he says...I laugh multiple times a day.

Feeling the Love

Last week, Marshall was at his absolute worst. Tantrums all day, every day. Shrieking, hitting, kicking, and the newest abomination: biting. I know no one would believe it possible so I was glad my mom was in town as a witness (and to help). I'm not sure if he was acting out for grandma, upset because Chris was out of town, or out of sorts because of a bad cold. Either way, it was a difficult time.

Thankfully, this week my sweet, cheery little boy has returned. In fact, this morning he made my day (week/month/year/life). As I was helping him clean up his oatmeal mess, he looked up at me, smiled and whispered, "mom, you the best. I love you." How wonderful that there are moments like those to balance out the questionable times.

This is what happens when he hangs out with older female friends!

Christmas '09

We haven't taken down the tree or put away the decorations yet. Marshall is still watching The Polar Express with endless fascination. I can't let go of Christmas, despite us moving swiftly into January. Since our garbage service's tree pick-up is tomorrow, I think I know how we have to spend our evening tonight. So sad.

We had a wonderful Christmas. We spent a couple nights at my dad's and a couple more nights at my mom's. My grandparents spent Christmas day with us. The day after Christmas, we visited Chris' cousin/godfather, Bud, and his wife Linda. Their daughter, Lisa, was there with her husband, Ken, and their 6-year old son, Ben. Ben and Marshall played very well together, despite the age gap. They colored, zoomed toy cars, and drank large quantities of hot chocolate. In addition to the family time, I also got to briefly see my childhood friends Darcy and James and their respective families. Santa was extremely generous to us all, Marshall in particular. He is thrilled with all his new toys: guitar, lawn mower, books, doctor's kit, and fake food.

Bud, Lisa, Chris, Linda, Marshall, me, and Ben (in front)

Morning at the beach
Our little musician

Grandma the doctor

Great grandpa, Gram-Gram & Aunt Stephanie

Marshall and Papa

The Toddler

Prior to having a child, I was wary of toddlers. It seemed like they always had runny noses, were throwing tantrums, and were incomprehensible. Now that I have a toddler, my initial opinion of them has not changed much. It seems like Marshall has had a snotty nose for most of the latter half of the year. He throws some fantastic tantrums (laying face down, flailing on the sidewalk was a recent gem). I am "that" mom in the grocery store. I liken changing diapers and getting him dressed to wrestling a shrieking octopus. My patience is tested daily with the whining and lack of logic/empathy. The other night during an especially rambunctious moment, Marshall kicked me in the face and split my lip. He looked at me with a defiant smirk and said, "cry mom, cry." Who knew I was raising a sadist?

Stereotypical awful toddler moments aside, Marshall is one of the sweetest, most mellow toddlers I have ever encountered. He sleeps great at night and still takes decent naps every day. He is quick to smile and laugh. He plays well on his own and plays exceptionally well with his friends. He indulges me with kisses and hugs more often than not. Marshall is a super conversationalist and we often get comments from surprised strangers at the quantity/quality of his vocabulary. He is very observant and is always saying, "mom, look where I pointing." Some of our funnier recent moments:

• As I was doing dishes, Marshall asked me to come play with him. I told him I'd join him when I finished. He replied, "mom, I going to count to three. Don't make me count again."
• "I need to cover my eyes because the blender is too loud."
• He asked for a cookie for breakfast. When I told him no he replied, "ok, I want a lunch cookie."
• At a stop light he asked, "mom, what that man doing in his car?" Keeping my eyes on the road, I replied I did not know and asked him what he thought the man was doing. He said, "that man picking his nose. " I looked over and sure enough, that is exactly what the man was doing. Marshall then said, "I pick my nose in the car too."

I echo the sentiments of a close friend who recently wrote, "I continue to be overworked and underpaid in my job as stay-at-home mom, which is the best job I've ever had."

Season's Greetings

Every time I sit down to update the blog, I am struck by how fast time is racing by. I think I probably mention it in every post too. Seriously, December? The end of 2009? We've enjoyed a nice December so far, not too crammed with holiday activities but a nice mix of relaxing and fun. We did our annual birthday outing for our friend, Kathryn, which was a riot (as usual). Going out for a fancy adult only dinner with friends and riding in a limo is a great once-a-year treat!

We got our Christmas tree and had a nice evening decorating. I think only one ornament was a toddler casualty. Marshall's first words every morning are, "want to look at colored Christmas tree lights." His current age and level of enthusiasm is making this holiday season all the more enjoyable. He loves singing carols, his favorite being Jingle Bells. We are getting a kick out of his adaptation: "dashing through the snow, in a one door hope and sleigh."

Last week we had some very abnormal Bay Area weather, very stormy and freezing. Pleasant Hill didn't get snow but neighboring towns actually had it stick and nearby Mt. Diablo and all low hills were covered. This past weekend we drove up to the top of Mt. Diablo and found a tiny patch of snow still left. Marshall was thrilled.

Modeling my scarf and apron (and randomly, a party hat)

Adults out to dinner
Marshall and Amica helping Chris study
Bundled up for snow

Halloween & Boy Stuff

Pre-Marshall, I did not really care for sweets. At office birthday parties, I passed on the cake. On my birthday, people were more likely to shower me with chips & guacamole. I'd sample desserts on social occasions but that was it. These days, I crave sweets like a maniac. Cake, ice cream, candy, Twinkies...I'm not very picky. Sometimes I eat ice cream straight from the carton, standing up at the counter. For some reason, I rationalize that is better than sitting down with a big bowl of it. I always wondered why people bemoaned Halloween and the large quantities of candy. Now I understand. It is a truly evil holiday. Marshall went trick-or-treating for the first time and was quite good at it. He happily chirped "Happy Halloween" at every house and got lots of practice with his dinosaur roar. Subsequently, we have a lot of candy laying around. And I'm eating it all.

Sticker Face (he was actually quiet for a brief moment)

Fixing the gate
Watching football

Playing football

Happy Halloween!