Come Out, Come Out Wherever You Are

Yesterday, after arriving home from Reeves' (completely unnecessary) haircut, I did the same thing I always do when we get home at naptime. I carried Bennett inside with Reeves following me. I went straight back to Benny's roomand put him down for his nap. As I was rounding the corner to the hall, I noticed Reeves taking off his shoes. Perfect. One less thing for me to get him to do before he goes down for his nap. When I came back to the den, there was no Reeves. Not thinking much of this, I called him. No answer. No big deal. He often likes to huddle himself under and between the pillows on the side of the sofa. But he wasn't there. I checked his room, thinking maybe he had followed me down the hall and snuck in there while I was putting Bennett down. Nope. I was admittedly starting to get a little concerned now, but not too much. He must have gone outside to play in the car or ride his bike. Not there. OK, starting to freak out. Maybe he somehow got into Benny's room without me noticing. So, despite the fact that I had just put him down, I went bursting into Benny's room looking for Reeves. Not there either. At his point I am screaming for him and wondering how I am going to explain to Bryant that I lost Reeves. You know how it is in moments like these. Your mind runs through each and every possible worst case scenario. I hate that. I checked every one of Reeves' favorite hiding spots and still couldn't find him. Finally I heard movement from Bryant's closet. My whole body relaxed. I finally stopped holding my breath. He had had a little accident and was hiding in there. I explained to him that he should never hide from Mommy or Daddy like that. If he wanted to hide, he always needed to tell me, and then I would happily look for him. We addressed and cleaned up the accident. All was well, finally. But those were the scariest five minutes I had had in quite some time. Momma don't like to play dat!

Baby Steps

Bennett has been toying with the ability to walk for some time now. He is still a hard and fast crawler, but a few weeks ago at Doro's house, he up and took 4 or 5 steps across the floor. Since then, he has been diligently practicing and is slowly perfecting his technique. He hasn't been able to piece together more than 6 or 7 steps at a time, but he always tries to walk before falling down. I think watching his brother carry things around the house is going to be his biggest motivation to strut his stuff. He is beginning to get frustrated with wanting to have a toy with him in some other area than the one he is currently occupying.He's content to hold your hands and walk forever, at least it seems like forever when you're only slightly hunched over. You have to pry your fingers from his grasp, and before he realizes it, he's taking steps. We have learned not to applaud while he is walking. Rather than encouraging further forward progress, when he hears the clapping, he stops and starts clapping himself. This, of course, only leads to a breakdown in the precarious balancing act he is preforming, and he topples.
We're really trying to treasure these teetering moments because, although we look forward to the day when he is officially a toddler, we will miss the unmarred softness of the bottom of his feet - that kissable, delectable spot reserved only for those few precious months before a child takes off running, and the soles of his feet are never the same again.

You go, Benny Boy!

It's Just a Little Roachie, Lolly!

OK, disregard the last post where I was all lovey-dovey with Aunt Lolly. After last night, she no longer resides in that warm place in my heart reserved for people who make my life easier. B and I had Bible study, and Lol graciously agreed to come babysit, at the last minute, for both boys, while she was supposed to be helping Mom with Leeze and William. At first glance, she was doing me a huge, huge favor. That being said, I have always remembered the axiom from my tenth grade Economics class - TINSTAAFL - there's no such thing as a free lunch. Apparently, there's also no such thing as a free babysitter. Even if you don't pay her in money, you will, somehow, ultimately pay for her services.
When I left bible study, I called Lol to let her know I was on the way home. She informed me that Reeves was not yet in bed because, even though they had played in his room, read numerous books, and even gone so far as to turn the lights out, he still needed to get up to go potty. No problem. Here's where it gets bad. She told me that when they got into his bathroom, there was, quoting Lol here, "a three foot long roach" in there. Of the numerous ways this situation could have been handled, she probably chose the worst one with the longest lasting consequences for me, the mother. She screamed, grabbed Reeves up, ran out of the room, and slammed the door behind her. Wonderful! Now I have a three year old son who up till now had happily stomped roaches outside with Daddy. Suddenly he is now scared to death of them. He met me at the door with tears in his eyes, telling me about the big, big roach in the bathroom. He was afraid to go down the hall without me holding him. When Bryant walked in later, Reeves, even after having been calmed down, again broke down when telling his father the tale of the giant roach. Somehow sleep finally overtook his fear of the beasts.
I don't know when this phobia will move on, but for Reeves' sake, I hope it's soon. Sorry, buddy, it's tough to live in Charlie-town if you're afraid of roaches. It's kind of like not really liking salt water or drivers who refuse to use turn signals. It's a fact of life here. So, Lol, thanks for that. If it gets really bad, I'm calling you to come over every night to put him to bed! I see now what an evil grin you have in this pic. I wonder if you are even really afraid of roaches or if this was just some sort of sordid plan to make my life difficult....

Happy Birthday, Aunt Ya-yee!

We had a great time celebrating your 26th birthday with you. The dinner was good, but the company was even better. Just look at how loved you are. The children adore you and can't stand to leave you alone (thanks for being so patient with them), and to top it all off, you got your very own caramel cake! Long live the caramel cake! You are one very special sister and one super aunt. We love you!

Look! My Keyboard Works!

It's a good thing we have a wonderful network of blogger friends who do their best to keep us on our toes and keep us up to date with our blogging. I don't know why, but I have found it difficult to blog recently. It's not for a lack of things to blog about. There are always funny and important things to jot down with two growing boys in the house. I think what I need to do is put a "Blogging Appointment" on my calendar at least twice a week. It's so easy to get on the computer during naptime and although I do it nearly everyday, I find myself reading and not writing. So, from here on out, I will make a concerted effort to update more regularly, even if it's just to note something silly or momentous one of the boys has done.
In the meantime, I did find this great site where you can upload your pictures and make a short slideshow with music. As long as you only do the quick "movies", it's free. I spent (wasted) an hour or so playing with the other day. I can't figure out how to get it on this blog. It keeps going to my photo blog, so I've just embedded it as a gadget here. Hope it works.

And So It Begins

It's going to be a long autumn. The Democratic National Convention started tonight and so did Bryant's yelling at the television. Great. I can't wait for the back to back political ads to start. Time to turn of the tv. At least I agree with him.

Why have all the recent presidential elections all been about choosing the lesser of two evils? When are we going to get someone decent to make it all the way to the White House?

First Day of School - 3 Years

It began today. Reeves is now in the three's, half days, MWF. (I was really spoiled last year with full days! These three hours seem to fly by.) We went for open house on Saturday, and he did great. I think it will take him some time to adjust to the fact that Mrs. Ledbetter isn't his teacher, but when he went in this mornig, he seems to have settled right in. They are reading The Kissing Hand this week. It's a book where the mother racoon puts kisses in her baby's hand for him to take with him wherever he goes, so Bryant and I both gave Reeves plenty of kisses to take with him. He told me on the way that he had put them in his pocket. Eliza is in his class, and it is always good to have a friend around. Reeves was very excited she would be there. They greeted each other with a big hug when we got there. Unfortunately, while Eliza wanted Reeves to come play with her, it turned out he would rather play with the trucks than have a tea party. Luckily, she didn't seem too upset. Maybe if she offers him some make believe cake, he'll join the tea party.

We will definitely miss having Henry in the same class, but hopefully we will be able to sneak Henry out with us a few afternoons so he can come play with us at home.

Last year was tough for me. I was sending my baby off to school, still in diapers and jonjons. Today, it's our little boy taking these big steps. I can't believe how much he's grown in just a year. We are so proud of him, and I can't wait to hear how his first day was.

The Bopsy Twins

Poor Reeves. I hope Leeze starts letting Aunt Lolly brush and fix her hair soon! Apparently Lol needs an outlet. Of course, Reeves loved every moment of it.

It Does A Body Good

Well, after three years, we are now (knock on wood) and allergy free family. Reeves had his milk challenge last Tuesday and passed with flying colors. Over the course of four hours, he consumed about two cups of milk. First they pricked his arm, then rubbed on the cheek, then rubbed on the lips, then the tongue, then he was finally able to actually imbibe some, in increasing amounts every ten minutes, of course, always looking to see if he started breaking out. It wasn't the easiest allergy challenge because towards the end, he wasn't the easiest child. I had to do some transitional breathing and make some outrageous promises to get him to drink, in a timely manner, the last few cups. Needless to say, we walked out of there with a lot of lollipops and enough stickers to cover his entire body. Truly though, for the most part he was an angel patient. He played with the toys in the room (luckily there were some dinosaurs and legos), and in the third hour, when the toy fascination wore off, he was content to sit and watch a Tom and Jerry video. I was so proud of him (other than those few moments when I was ready to sell him on ebay).

So now we're working on drinking "cow's milk". Unfortunately, who knew?, he doesn't really like it. The first time I gave it to him at home, he handed his cup back to be and told me the milk was old. He still isn't crazy about it, but luckily, the Hershey's chocolate seems to mask the "old" taste of it. He is, however, loving all other things dairy. He always wants cheese on his sammies now. He picked up the box of Cheezits, proudly took it to Bryant, and told him he could eat these now. I can't wait for him to try a milkshake and goldfish.

We went to a birthday party yesterday, and it was unbelievable how much more relaxing it was now that we don't have to inspect everything before he eats it. The freedom is amazing. I had only imagined how wonderful it would be to drop him off at the nursery or school without having to put a "MILK ALLERGY - NO GOLDFISH" sticker on his back. I am so happy for him. And for everyone else who no longer has to worry about whether he accidentally gets something with milk in it while he is in their care. We're all breathing a heavy sigh of relief. And the other good news is that Bennett doesn't show any signs of a milk allergy, so neither boy has to watch his brother eat something he can't. Yeah! One less sibling quarrel we have to deal with!

In a Handbasket

What is happening to our society? While some may blame Colonel Sanders (before him, the only thing to eat food out of a bucket was a hog [J.G.]), my vote is currently for Wal-Mart. I don't know whether it's the "always low prices" or the fact that you can buy a car battery, underwear, and blue cheese all in the same place that makes people forget any semblance of courtesy, or the fact that no matter what time of day or night, the place is packed with droves of people. Personally, I believe it is because, even though there are at least 25 registers possible, the brain trust that run that place only open about 5 of them. Even the self-checkout lanes only have 2 of 4 open. Really!? Would it require that much more work from your crack team of employees to let us check ourselves out by opening those two other self-checkouts? I would rather you just get rid of the unused registers because seeing them sitting there, an untapped resource of efficiency, makes me more frustrated than just waithing in your neverending line. It doesn't matter that each line is backed up past the main aisle of the store. It doesn't matter that half of the employees seem to be aimlessly wandering the store looking for something to do (or probably trying to hide from having to do anything). For some reason, customer satisfaction no longer exists when it comes to actually paying for your things and leaving the store. Trust me, if this is some sort of corporate mind game to make me stay in the store longer and buy more things, you've only accomplished the exact opposite. It makes me never want to enter the store again.
Anyway, my most recent encounter with the dregs of society was on Monday. After naptime, I took the boys to pick up a couple of things. Unfortunately, there was some sort of accident between me and the other nearest grocery store, and traffic was backed up and not moving, so I headed to Wally World. I actually got a decent parking place, picked up 5 items in all of 8 minutes, and went to check out. Welcome to 30 minutes you'll never get back. I was paying cash. I got into the 1 of 2 open self-checkout lanes, behind approximately 10 people. Prepared to settle in for the subsequent whining and fidgetyness, I started counting the minutes. But then! What's this? A cashier is opening up in the lane next to me. I, my two children, my five items, and my cash make our way over. Suddenly we are nearly hit by a teeny bopper sorority chick with a cart full of things. Technically, it was a tie, but, being southern, I said, "Oh, may I just go ahead?", fully expecting freedom from this hellhole in a matter of minutes now. She said, "No!" I was dumbfounded. Are you kidding me. What a bitch! Furious and knowing that if I opened my mouth it would surely make it onto the six o'clock news, I went back to my previous lane, luckily, there was a very nice woman who let me back in. I think she was a shocked as I was. How rude!
I regret not saying anything. I had thought that if I bumped into them on the way out, I would say, "This will come back to you." and leave it at that. Luckily, there was no such encounter. I was still fuming and probably couldn't have kept my cool like that. At home that night, B actually gave me what would have been the perfect thing to say. I should have looked her straight in the eye and said, "This will be you someday, two children, the witching hour, a few items in your cart. I hope you bump into someone just as rude and inconsiderate as you are and remember this day." Why didn't I say that!?!? I feel like George Costanza coming up with his "Jerkstore" comeback later in the day. UUGGGHHHH! The only saving grace to the whole thing was that, even with her obnoxious behavior, I still made it out before her.
But wait, there's more. Later that night, at the movies with my peeps, we noticed a man speaking very loudly during the previews. No big deal, we were sure as soon as the movie started he would stop. Only he didn't. Although I'm sure he was constantly talking, I only occasionally noticed it, probably due to all the songs in the movie. Anyway, the last time I noticed it, about three quarters through the movie, it was incessant and loud. We took it for a while, then, bolstered by my reticence at my earlier encounter with rudeness, I finally got up and said something to him. I wasn't rude or loud, I just went up to them and whispered that they were being a little loud. Shortly after I sat down, they got up and left. I didn't feel bad about it or sorry for them. If they had wanted to get together for a chat, they should have gone to a restaurant. I mean really, this was a middle aged couple. Shouldn't they know better?
I think it's time we all stood up to rude and obnoxious behavior. I'm tired of sitting by and letting jacklegs ruin what should be enjoyable times for the rest of us. It's hard to always come up with something to say spur of the moment, but remember, if all else fails, you can always hit them with, "Yeah! Well, the Jerkstore called, and they said they're all out of you!"

Bennett at One Year

365 days. What a drop in the bucket, and yet I find myself marvelling at the fact that you have been with us for more than even a week. You came rumbling into our lives two weeks early, and while I thought we weren't prepared for you at all (no infant clothes washed, Reeves still in the crib), your easy going demeanor and precious smiles made you fall right into place, and we all grew around you. It was like you came into the family and filled in that missing piece. You completed our puzzle.There were some frustrating, exhausting times early on, namely the couple of weeks when you completely forgot how to latch on and refused to eat, but you have generally been the easiest baby ever. You have slept when you are supposed to and for as long as your supposed to, you eat when you're supposed to, and you put smiles on all of our faces because yours is so often lit up in happiness. It is the rare occasion that you are upset and not easily placated. You are on a wonderful schedule - a morning nap, an afternoon nap, and bedtime around 7:30. And heaven forbid you are forced to stay up much past that betime. There is nothing that can make your life better other than your crib and your blue blanket. Unlike Reeves, you are not one to be rocked to sleep. You fuss and fight until you are in bed. It's like you must have read Babywise in the womb because you have definitely made us be better parents in that respect.I must mention here your blue blanket. Never in my life have I seen a child so enamoured with a "blankie". Oh, Reeves loves his froggies, Lolly loved(loves) her Abby, and I apparently loved my Moppie so much that all that is left is a postage stamp sized piece of it, but you adore your blue blanket. Maddelle gave it to you, and you take the corner where your name in embroidered and scrunch it up under your nose with your right hand, put your left thumb in your mouth, and roll over. It's really the cutest thing. Even if you're not in bed, if someone gives you that blanket, your hands already have muscle memory and do the same thing. (This is why I have bought four more and had Maddelle embroider them exactly the same way as the original.)What is interesting is that you only suck your thumb when it's time for bed, never at any other times of the day. I hope it stays this way. Once we realized you were a thumb sucker, I started dreading the day we had to get you to stop, but honestly, if you only do it at bedtime, I'm OK with that.
You and your brother absolutely adore each other. Your face lights up (even more than it already is) when you see him. You let out a squeal of delight when he says hello to you. He greets you each morning with a "Hi, Benny Boy!" and a kiss on the forehead, and he sends you off to bed each night with the same kiss and a "Night, night, Benny Boy. Love you." The two of you are really starting to play together a lot. You are always interested in whatever he is playing with, and he is generally good natured about it unless it is something he has had to build. I have now permanently moved all my mixing bowls to the den as you and he thoroughly enjoy putting on a drum show almost everyday. Reeves also likes to hop from bowl to bowl, and I know, as soon as you can, you will be doing the same thing too. For the most part you seem to endure and even enjoy some of the physical pain he (lovingly) puts you in. Just this morning, I heard you cackling with laughter and poked my head around the corner only to see him pulling you around the room. Even though you loved it, I had to put a stop to it. It's not all about your enjoyment; it's also about training Reeves, and I'm certain most children wouldn't have enjoyed the same treatment, especially since, for most children, Reeves didn't hang the sun, the moon, and all the stars. Just a hunch.
You haven't started walking yet, but I have occasionally caught you standing up all on your own. I know perambulation isn't far behind. Probably my fault since I only recently brought out the walker toys to help you in your development. Oops! Funny how that happens with second children. You are making all kinds of sounds, but best of all, and much to your father's delight, you scream "DaDa!!" whenever you see him. This just makes his day, especially at the end of a work day. Of course, he doesn't always make it home before your bedtime, so you have also learned to associate the phone with Dada. It's pretty cute. I have heard you say "Mama", but never in connection with me, so I'll have to add that to the Honey-Do list. You wave at anyone who will wave at you and you never meet a stranger. You are possibly the happiest child I've ever met. I envy you your disposition and the fact that any problem you have can be fixed by food, drink, sleep, or a diaper change. How nice it would be if we adults could have life be so simple.
Benny Boy, you're a year old now. I can't believe we're not measuring you in months anymore. I don't want to blink. I look back at pictures of you from only a few months ago and wonder where the time went. When did you start looking like you? Certainly not when you were first born, but I can't pinpoint a time that that newborn look changed. When did you start being you? When did you blossom into this little boy, this baby on the verge of being a toddler?
But I know, from the moment you were born, you've been an amazing, precious child that God made just for us. You and Reeves are the most wonderful gifts we have ever been given. You make us all better people and parents, and with God's help, we will spend the rest of our lives molding you and Reeves into the wonderful men we know you will be.

And the Award Goes To...

I hate to break it to all you other mommies out there, but apparently I am, to quote Reeves Monday night, "the BEST MOMMY IN THE WHOLE WORLD EVER!" I'm not sure if I get a trophy, but I'm expecting a certificate in the mail any day now. Of course, this was after he had been reprimanded for something or other, but touch black, no take back. I have the award, and I'm not giving it up. I really want to thank the little people for this because without them, well, I wouldn't be a mommy, so I'd probably have to give it to someone else. Thank you, Seattle, we love you! Peace out!

Up, Up, and Away!

This is the child who, at the beginning of the summer would not even jump off the side of the pool into my arms. What a difference one half of a summer makes. This was on the Forth of July.

Of course, once you consider that the swimmies are actually HUGE muscles, you get as brave as a super hero. I mean honestly, who could stop a man whose biceps are bigger than his head. No mere mortal, for sure! (In the first frame, he is revving his engine like Lightning McQueen and saying, "Gentlemen, start you engines!")

Sullivan's Island

This year we were lucky enough to get two weeks at The Ark. It was bittersweet knowing that one of the reasons for this was because, with Poppa gone, it just wouldn't be the same for Grandmother to stay over there by herself, thereby freeing up the whole summer to be divided among the children. Big Laura was so kind to offer her weeks to us. It did make me feel better when Grandmother said how happy she knew it would make Poppa to see a whole new generation enjoying and falling in love with The Ark. There wasn't a day that went by during our stay that I didn't think of him. The walls drip with his essence, and I found comfort in knowing we were in a place that meant so much to him.

There truly is something special about that place, and Bennett seemed to pick up on it immediately. He slept better than he ever has, both at naptime and at night. After a few initial nights of up and down, Reeves napped and slept well too. This was perfect because it gave Bryant and me time to enjoy the breezy quiet of the front porch. I know it was tough on B because he had to work the whole time we were there, and I appreciate his making the even longer drive to and from work each day so we could enjoy the beach.

We had lots of friends and family stay with us or just visit for the day while were there.

Morn and Casey spent both weekends with us. It was so much fun to watch the cousins play together.

We had playgroup over there a couple of times. I wish I had gotten more pictures, but needless to say, the children wore themselves out between the beach, the slide, the den, and the porch. There was a lot of pitter patter of a lot of little feet on those days. It was wonderful.We even had some out of town guests. Bryce and Caulder stopped by one afternoon. Reeves is smitten with Bryce and asks about her all the time. When I remind him that he likes Caulder too, he stops me and tells me, "No. I love Bryce!" According to Reeves, you can only like (or love) one thing at a time, and no one else can like it either while you are liking it.

The Willises stayed for a few days after the birthday party. There's not really a too much more perfect time than late afternoons on the beach. The weather is usually nice and breezy, the crowds are small, and the sunlight is beautiful.

Towards the end of our stay, Mom and I went exploring on the golf cart and found a beach access just past Fort Moultrie. You could drive the cart up and step right onto the beach. I wish I had found this the day we got there. From then on, every night, B and I would load the boys up and drive down there. The sun set just beautifully over the city. Reeves could run and play. He loved climbing on the rocks and running from the waves.Bennett spent most of his time on his Daddy's shoulders, and I was able to get some great pictures. It was the perfect pre-bedtime jaunt.

On our last night at the beach, Bryant took off work a little early, and we were able to put the boat in. Reeves drove, which is astonishing as you would think he is too short to see over the console, but apparently, you don't really have to be able to see where you're going when driving a boat. You only have to be big enough to reach the steering wheel. And heaven forbid he get any help. "No! I do it by my own!"We went all the way around the island and behind Goat Island. Even though it was my suggestion to circumnavigate Sullivan's, I must admit, I did get a little nervous out there in the "big water". (Am I becoming my mother?)This was Bennett's first trip in our boat and his first time with a lifejacket on. He wasn't crazy about it at first but animal crackers (and, I suppose, the scenery) quickly helped him overcome his discomfort. While I was tooling around waiting for B to park the truck, I found it quite difficult to manuever and hold Bennett. Solution - I put him right where I put Sadie the first time I took her on the boat, on top of the console. Of course, Bennett is considerably bigger than she was at 6 weeks, but it seemed to work fine. It was a beautiful evening that made you really appreciate living in the Lowcountry. We watched the kiteboarders from the ocean and watched the boats going out the channel. The tide was so high we couldn't even see the jetties. We had to go back and forth under the Breech Inlet bridge a few times, yelling each time. We saw dolphins in the creeks and watched the flyfishers poling towards their prey. The boys loved it. We loved it. It was a perfect cap to a great two weeks.

As with all good things, our time at the beach ended too quickly. I am already looking forward to next year and crossing my fingers that we will be lucky enough to have just a little bit of time there. Summer just wouldn't be the same without The Ark. Thank you, Poppa and Grandmother!

What a Tangled Web

Well, today was a first in the growing up all too fast life of my older son. He lied to me. I couldn't believe it.
Bennett and I were in the front of the house; Reeves was playing in his room. It was Bennett's naptime, so I went to put him in his crib. As I entered the hall, I saw that the full length mirror at the back of the hall had been pulled from the wall, hangers and all. Luckily, it was propped up against a fan back there, so it wasn't broken and no one (Reeves) was hurt. I put Bennett down, went into Reeves' room and asked him what happened. I got no response. I asked him who knocked the mirror down. He told me that Bennett had done it. Enter the "Here Is An Important Parenting Moment So Take Advantage Of It" thought. I didn't blow my top; I didn't yell; I sat him down and talked to him. I told him that while I was upset about the mirror, I knew it was an accident, and even though he should know better, that is not what I was the most angry about. "I know you just lied to me about who knoked the mirror down." We talked about how bad lying is and how he should never, never do it. "You are being punished now, not because of the mirror, but because you lied about it when I asked you."
I hope I have handled this correctly. I think he got it. I suppose only time will tell, but he did mention to Pops later today about the lying, and Pops reiterated how important it is to always tell the truth. So somewhere in that three year old conscience of his he is beginning to understand right and wrong. I am glad this first experience with lying was so clearly black and white. There was no question who had done it, and as a result, I can sleep soundly tonight knowing I didn't punish him for something his brother might possibly have done.
He's growing up too fast. I'm not ready for the "shades of grey" that come with parenting as they get older. Sometimes it makes me long for those first three months of sleep deprivation. They were hard on the body but easy on the soul.

It's Fun To Stay At The...