Marshall Turns 3

I'm now the proud parent of a THREE year old. Sounds weird to me. He went to the dentist for the first time. It was a very positive experience overall, aside from them telling me that he'll need extensive orthodontic work starting at age 6. The darn thumb, so soothing to suck, so disastrous for the teeth.

Marshall had a doctor's checkup last week and there were many firsts: having his blood pressure taken, using the "real" scale instead of the baby bucket scale, being scared of a shot. He seemed so grown up! The pediatrician pronounced the 3 ft tall, 26lb. little peanut in wonderful health. Our only "homework" is to start encouraging potty training even more, which Marshall has resisted firmly thus far.

As in previous years, the weather was less than ideal for the party we had last weekend. It poured rain on Friday. Saturday, the day of the party, was sunny but rather soggy and chilly. As in previous years, it did not put a damper on the day at all. Marshall had a blast playing with friends and it was great to have both my parents come to town to celebrate. Of course he was most excited about the cupcakes, cake and ice cream.

Marshall's two favorite activities these days have been playing "hamburger stand" and watching the "sand lady bideo." If outside, he uses a neighbor's rock outcropping as his hamburger stand and if he is indoors, the couch cushions suffice. He'll ask us how many burgers we want and what we want in them. Sometimes he'll throw in an enchilada or something else random in his pretend cooking. The sandy lady video is a clip from YouTube of a woman using her hands to draw amazing images on a lighted sand table. Fascinating. At first that is...after approximately 200+ viewings, I am rather tired of it. Marshall requests the video every morning at breakfast, so it has become a habit, one I'd like to try and break. Ha!

He has two new big boy toys: a bike with training wheels and a baseball machine for batting practice. It's pretty cute watching him try and hit the balls off their hanging stand, which he hasn't the force to do. He seems to prefer trying to catch his dad's hits. The bike is being put together this afternoon so I'm not sure yet how it will go over. Stay tuned!

Having b-day ice cream with Ainsley (no, that is not their wine)

B-day cupcake
Wearing grandma's shoes

Women's shoes must be especially interesting to him!

First dentist visit

Not Nice

Today was not a feel-good day for the mom lady. We surprised Chris at his office for lunch (which I thought would be fun) and two of his older, male co-workers were joking with Marshall, "who is the boss in your house, Marshall? Mom or Dad?" Marshall replied, "daddy," to which he received high fives, whoops and hollers from the office boys. Not so much fun.

Tonight at dinner, I was telling Chris about some photos I'd downloaded. I mentioned that Chris was looking especially handsome and thin in the photos. Marshall declared (I am NOT kidding here), "Mom, you not cute. You fat." The little boy obviously has forgotten where his bread is buttered.

To be fair, we had a very touching moment last week. Something I read had vexed me so I yelled some PG swear word. Marshall came over to me, crawled in my lap, hugged me, patted my back and said, "it's ok, mama, it's ok."

So compassionate one moment, yet so cruel another!

The controversial photo: thin dad, adorable boy, fat mom

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."