Over-Protective..Paranoid..or Just Realistic

Growing up, my sister and I ran the streets... Literally. 
We would come home from school, possibly finish our homework, then we were gone until dinner. 


I remember times like this from the age of 6... 


Out at different friends houses... 
Riding bikes all around the neighborhood...
Walking down to McDonalds hoping we could afford some french fries.. 


Every weekend we either spent the night at a friends house, or someone spent the night at our house. 
There were endless birthday parties and sleepovers... 


We had fun. We loved our freedom and nothing bad ever happened. 


My son's childhood looks NOTHING like this.


We do not live in a neighborhood where I would feel safe letting him even walk down the street... But we live in a neighborhood in a house that I can afford, with all the bills paid on time, food on the table and a ridiculous amount of video games occupying his room.


My son spends and extra hour and a half at school after class ends. I have to work till 4:00 and we do not live close to the school. (Not that he would be walking home.. it's just not that kind of neighborhood..) He gets to play with the other kids that stay late too... but it's not the same.


His evenings consist of homework time while Mom makes dinner.. then some play time with Mom... then bed time.. with Mom. 


Drew does not go to his friends homes... unless I am with him.. the entire time. Play dates are allowed... just not DROP OFF play dates. I trust my son as much as you can trust any 8 year old... but I do not trust the rest of the world.. There are too many "What Ifs" running through my head... 


He has attended many birthday parties for friends from school... and I've been right there the entire time for every one of them... I am not a DROP OFF kind of parent. 


There's a family that practically begs me every other weekend to let Drew come to there house to play for a few hours. Their son and Drew are in the same class and get along really well. Every week I get tempted to do it... especially when Drew gives me his little puppy dog eyes and promises that he'll be safe... just breaks my heart. 


But every time, my brain wins.. over my heart. Safety first... always. 


I would rather my son be a bit disappointed than have the unthinkable happen.... and for me, the list of the unthinkable is pretty long.. 


Eventually I know I won't be able to chaperon every activity in his life.. I know at some point I have to trust the rest of the world with my baby... I just don't see that day coming any time soon.  

Toothless Joe is Spoiled

This boy and his teeth. 


When he was five we used to wonder if his teeth were ever going to fall out. The other kids in kindergarten had already lost a tooth or two, but not my little man.


Fast forward a couple years, and now we can't seem to keep the freakin' teeth in. 

First we have the top two teeth that fell out in February and refuse to come back in.... 

Then last night he pulled out the bottom one. That tooth had been loose for weeks, but I forced him to keep it in at least until they took the school pictures. So last night when I saw that the tooth was barely hanging in there anymore, I made him pull it out. I say MADE because this drama-child of mine who's been begging to pull this tooth out seriously cried and almost threw up when I told him to pull it out. He is his mother's child.... 

So now he is known as Toothless Joe.. 

And around here Toothless Joe is currently being extra spoiled. His birthday is at the end of the month, and last week we officially started the countdown. 

Last year I made him this birthday advent box so we could count down the days till his birthday. Each day he gets little things like candy or a dollar, and some days there are notes that say "Open a gift" or "Donuts for breakfast". 

This way we get to celebrate his birthday all month long. He loves this box and it's the first thing he asks to do every morning when he wakes up. I sure do love seeing that smile... missing teeth and all. 

Come to think of it, maybe I should stop giving him candy in that box and maybe his teeth might stay in a little longer!

The Joys of 3rd Grade

I miss 2nd grade.... 
Not my 2nd grade class, but my son's.


I was not a fan of his year spent in 2nd grade... but right about now I'm missing it. 


Homework is harder... spelling tests are not given on Fridays... there are new kids in this class that I don't know... my kid is expected to be RESPONSIBLE. 


Now I'm all for kids being responsible.. especially mine... but as much as I wish he were, Drew is just not the responsible type... he's never really had to be since his mom is super over involved in his life. 


I like the notes that came home in 2nd grade that gave me at least a few days notice before supplies were needed for a project. I miss the daily conversations with his teacher and review of his classwork so that nothing was ever left incomplete. 


Last night after dinner while we were just hanging out, Drew asked if he could use the computer to print some stuff. I said sure and asked what he needs to print.... 


Drew - "I need to print some animal pictures for my diorama."
Mom - "Ummm... what diorama? When are you guys starting those?"
Drew - "Well some kids started there's today, but I need to bring in a shoe box so I can start  mine."
Mom - "Wait a minute... when did you find out about this project and why haven't I heard about it yet?"
Drew - "Well she told us the other day and I was supposed to bring a box today but I forgot to ask for one at Dad's last night."


This kid is SOOO not ready for verbal instructions that he's supposed to remember to relay to his mother!! I need notes send home.. or emails.. or reminders posted on the door at school.


And in case that wasn't enough... on the way to school this morning he blurts out "today is Mrs. Williams' birthday."


How in the world am I supposed to be super-mom and bring the teacher an awesome gift with 3 minutes notice?!?!? 


Responsibility at age 7 is non-existent... 
But he turns 8 in twenty-two days, so maybe there's hope.


And then we have the "situation"... not the Jersey Shore kinda.. butt none the less, a situation.


Drew says his project partner in class is having a situation. 
I guarantee I gave him the most confused look imaginable.. and then I asked for details. 


Apparently this kid keeps finding other peoples's belongings in his desk and backpack. And of course this kid has no idea how these items got there. The teacher doesn't want to come right out and declare the kid a thief... which he obviously is... so she's labeled it as a "situation" that they're dealing with. 


I automatically give Drew a lecture on stealing and how a thief would be dealt with in our house. Drew automatically jumps to the kids defense and says "well Mom, we don't even know that he stole the stuff".... my poor gullible boy... 


So for now I am not a fan of third grade... hopefully it improves.. and soon. Until then I'll continue to scramble for last minute project necessities and label every possession in my kids desk and backpack. 

3rd Grade

It finally happened. 


I've known the day was coming for awhile (almost 8 years actually). But with this being our first full year in a private school with a year-round school schedule, it seemed to take forever. 


This morning my little man.. love of my life.. my son, my moon & my stars... started THIRD GRADE.

He's just so freakin' cute, it's kills me! (Yes, very proud Mama)

I had to force him to take the obligatory first day of school pictures before we left.

He's going to do GREAT. This boy is beyond ready for third grade... but he was still a bit nervous today. Right now I love knowing that my son's biggest fears are cursive & fractions... oh to be young again... 

Bring it on 3rd grade!! My boy can handle it.. and hopefully I can too. I'm anxious to hear how his first day went.... and to see how many stains I need to remove from his precious white shirt. 

And let me just add... that this is the first year that I didn't cry on the 1st day of school. 

Wow... WE really are growing up. 

The Randomness That is Us...

* How in the world is it already September?? Anyone want to tell me why 2011 is flying by?


*We had orientation for little man's class last night. Third Grade... don't even get me started on how my itty bitty is even old enough for 3rd grade... 


*I truly feel sorry for his teacher.. she will have to deal with me.. daily.. for the ENTIRE year. Yes, I am THAT Mom. The one that knows her child is the best thing to ever happen to the world, the mom that requires notification if her son so much as sneezes during class, the mom that needs to know 3 months in advance if there will be any field trips, class parties or projects. 


*Drew's room is currently under construction. While I am SOOO glad that this project has FINALLY been started, and involves my minimal involvement... It still stresses me out because I know that I will eventually have to put everything back in there. We have never moved since Drew was born so I had no idea how much STUFF that kid really had. It's a lot.. too much really. 


*And since my kid has sooo much junk... I might just have myself a little yard sale this weekend. Maybe... it's still supposed to be in the high 90's outside... and I really don't do outdoors unless it's at the beach... and I'd be doing it all alone.. so probably not.. but maybe.


* I have every intention of doing some unnecessary shopping this weekend. Old Navy has their NFL stuff out now and we both need new team shirts (Go Cowboys!!!), and Michael's just sent me come coupons in my email so I'm sure I'll find a few things I need there. 


*We have ZERO plans for Labor Day... but I'm thinking we'll either hit the L.A. County Fair... or hang out by the pool. Every intention of enjoying our last day of Summer. 


*Drew lost one of his baby teeth on February 15th... and it still hasn't come in yet.. and there is no sign that his adult tooth has any intention of coming in any time soon. I think 7 months is WAY too long for a tooth to come in.. I think a trip to the dentist is in order. Oh, and the tooth next to it came out in April.. and hasn't come in yet either. My poor toothless baby.... he has another tooth loose right now and I told him there is no way I'm allowing another tooth to come out before those top two come in. (note to self: stock up on superglue!)

He Isn't Even Slightly Phased By You

Oh to be young again. 
Carefree.. without a worry in the world.


Ok, wait.. he does have worries. He worries about when he will get to play the Wii next. He cares if we have dessert each night. And he definitely cares if he's getting shots at each of his doctor's visits.


But my son... my gorgeous and intelligent little 7 year old.. doesn't care what people think. 


When I tell him to get his clothes ready for school, he simply grabs the 1st pair of shorts in the drawer without considering the color or pattern. Then he goes to the closet and grabs the 1st shirt he sees... not stopping to think if it will match his shorts or if it even still fits him any more. 


He doesn't care. Appearance means NOTHING to my son. 


He sees nothing wrong with giving the toys he no longer plays with to his friends for birthday gifts. He does not see the need for the toy to be in it's original package.. unopened.. un-enjoyed. NEW is not important to him... and he doesn't think it matters to other people. He would be excited to receive a game from his friend... not ever looking to see if it's ever been opened or where it came from.


He knows that I buy clothes for him at the thrift store whenever I see something cute in his size. Clothes that have been previously worn by another child... clothes without their tags on them... and he doesn't care. The only thing he questions at theses times is why I keep buying him clothes that he doesn't need!


My son is not phased by labels. He couldn't tell you who any of his shoes were made by. The only labels this kid cares about are Wii and Xbox.. his two best friends. (And I guarantee if there was a knock-off video game brand I would have bought that instead of the Wii.... and he wouldn't have cared one bit.)


My son cares about people's feelings... when it comes to them being sad or happy. He just doesn't care what they think about him. He's a kid.. of course he wants to be liked by the other kids on the playground... but he's not on a mission to impress anyone.


He's a practical and resourceful little man. He will think of a way to re-purpose ANYTHING I want to throw away. He could live on mac & cheese and chicken nuggets daily, and thinks I'm wasting money buying anything else. 


The world hasn't corrupted my baby yet. He hasn't been impacted negatively by TV advertising and celebrities. Greed hasn't taken over his pretty little mind.. yet. 


I am realistic and know the day will probably come. The day when he HAS to have the latest Nikes... or HAS to buy his friend the new video game for his birthday.... The day might come.... and he might start to CARE...


But until then, I will enjoy his innocence and lack of concern. 


And I will wish that I was more like him...... 

Doggy Dad

Drew refers to the dogs as his "sons" or his "boys".
He says he's their dad and I'm their mom... but some times he tells me I'm their grandma. 


I like to remind him that one dog is his, one is mine, and the other is OURS. 


The first chihuahua we got was because he wanted one. So Brady, our tan itty bitty, is all his (except he LOVES to cuddle with Mama).

Then there's my Franklin Joseph Jackson III (or Frankie J.. for short). I found him outside my office one day and fell in love. 

And a few months ago we acquired Rocky (AKA Monster Dog) from an animal shelter. Rocky is OUR dog and is in need of constant attention.....

Drew does great with "his boys" and takes very good care of them. Feeding them is completely his responsibility (unless he's at his dad's) and he rarely has to be reminded to do it. The first thing he does when he gets home from school (or anywhere) is let the dogs in the house. He really does love his "sons".

Last night Drew noticed that Frankie was only walking on 3 legs, and kept one of the back ones lifted. Drew came right in the kitchen and demanded that we take Frankie to the vet NOW. I told Drew he probably just hurt it while playing with the other dogs, and went to take a look at it. Frankie let me touch his leg, foot and hip and never made a sound or tried to move a way. I told Drew he'd be fine, we'd just make sure he took it easy for the night. Mr. Stubborn Doggy Daddy was not satisfied with my diagnoses. He said Tylenol was in order at least for the pain, but not the yucky cherry flavor (the kid does have standards). I agreed he was probably right and gave Frankie some doggy pain reliever (it's red, and I'm pretty sure I smelled cherry....). 

But Drew was still not happy..... shocker, I know.

So he went to his room and got HIS blanket. His baby blanket... that he NEVER shares with anyone (or any dog). 

It appears my son has inherited his mother's over-protectiveness. He took great care of Frankie last night, even making him sleep in HIS bed with him all night. 

I am happy to report that Frankie survived the night and was running around with the other two monsters on all 4 legs this morning. 

With The Help of the Dolphins.. Kinda

My little Drew is not a fan of sleeping in his own room in his own bed. This event has only happened about 3 times in his entire 7 year old life. 


I am also not a fan of him sleeping in his own room in his own bed. He belongs in my room in OUR bed. 


However.... 
Recently his middle of the night somersaults have gotten completely out of hand. Neither of us is getting much sleep, and that is totally unacceptable. Sleep is a HUGE necessity in my life. 


So I decided it was time. Like it or not, that kid needed to be in his own bed.
Last night after his shower I announced he would be sleeping in his own bed that night. After all, wasn't that the reason I bought him his Miami Dolphins comforter? 
The tears started. He flat out refused. 


So the dogs and I piled into his bed with him. I told Drew I would lay with him until he fell asleep, then I was out of there, but he could keep the dogs. His reply, "we'll see about that..." 5 minutes later he was asleep. (Thank you basketball practice for wearing him out!)

At 8:23 I was in my own bed.. all alone. I was not happy. Just like Drew needs to cuddle with me to fall asleep... I need him to cuddle with before I can fall asleep! In the past I've gone into his room and picked his sleeping body up and gently placed him into my bed at this point.... but not this time. (This time I just went in and snuck some pictures.) Eventually I must have fallen asleep... alone.


Until about 2:00am when Drew got up to use the restroom... and I discovered I wasn't actually alone. The dogs were both on top of my bed and barking at Drew. When Drew finished in the restroom, he climbed right into MY bed. 


But at 2 in the morning I couldn't care less. All I cared about at that moment was getting back to sleep. 

So he may not have slept the WHOLE night in his bed... but at least he started out there. 

Baby steps... 

Maybe once his Miami Dolphins sheets and pillows come in, it'll do the trick! Here's to hoping.... 

Mr. Antisocial

Some think my little man has an attitude (I agree... but not when it comes to this). Some think he's rude. Other's use the word "Antisocial".


Call it what you will.. but here are the facts:


-Drew is not a fan of people. With the exception of: Me, his cousin Justin, and his dad. 
-Drew will ignore someone if he has no desire to hear what they say.. no matter who it is.
-Drew will not say hello or even acknowledge your presence in a room unless you are one of the "privileged" 3 people. 
-Drew has zero desire to play with most kids under the age of 10. Unless you have a full understanding of chess, can carry on a conversation about the NFL or MLB, or can list at least 10 Michael Jackson songs, Drew will probably not speak to you. 


I'm really not sure which, if any, label really applies to my son. But antisocial does sound about right. 


A few recent examples of this:


-While at the home of some of our friends, Drew ignored their 6 year old daughter as she sat right next to him asking if he wanted to play on the computer with her. The mother of the girl stopped the conversation we were having to tell Drew he was being rude and to stop ignoring her daughter. Drew didn't even look at the mother.. or the daughter.  (I addressed this with him right away... he was beyond rude!)


-When we arrived at my nephews baseball game the only person Drew addressed was his oldest cousin, Justin. Didn't even say hi to my sister or her stepdaughter. And when my mom arrived... nothing. 


-We had friends over to our house to visit. Drew sat right next to me the whole time and refused to play with their children. 


I'm having a little dilemma with all of this. I fully acknowledge that some of Drew's behavior is just plain RUDE. Regardless of who he LIKES, he still needs to be polite and respectful. But... I admit, this is how I raised him.
When Drew was a baby and didn't want to go with someone who wanted to hold him, I wouldn't make him. Ever. When he got a little older and we went somewhere, I never made him speak to anyone, even just acknowledging them with a "Hello". I didn't want to force Drew to do anything. I've always said that school & the doctor are the only times he'll never have a choice. But for everything else, I wanted him to choose. I didn't see it necessary for him to say hi to someone he had no desire to speak to... even if it was his grandmother. 


I'm ok with my son being antisocial. I don't really like people either. But I am not ok with him being rude. Being perceived as rude is one thing... and we couldn't care less about what anyone else thinks.. but actually being rude, is just unacceptable. 


It's a work in progress. We discussed it a lot this weekend. So now we'll see how it goes.

7 Year Olds Should Never Need An Ultrasound

Yesterday was a LONG day. It was a day of confusion, studpitity, sympathy, fear, pain, love, compassion, karma and guilt.


It began with a hangover from afternoon drinks with the cousins on Sunday. I never drink. And I was quickly reminded why.


Then I spent 3 hours in a place I never should have been... with a person that should have remained in my past... doing things.. that well, I guess I don't entirely regret. 


I received a call around 11:00 from Drew's dad saying that Drew was sick: fever, vomiting and stomach pain. He said he was going to take him to urgent care and call me with an update. 


He thought I was at work.


After he called a few times to get Drew's insurance info from me, he finally called me with news that literally brought me to my knees. The doctor at urgent care said Drew needed to be taken to the emergency room ASAP for a possible appendicitis. They called and ambulance, but his dad didn't wait around for it. He picked up our baby boy and drove him to the closest ER.


I left immediately to meet them at the hospital. I cried the whole way there. My son was in pain.. and I wasn't there. My son needed me.. and I wasn't there. I have a clear understanding of how a person can literally die of guilt. 

We spent 5 hours in the hospital yesterday. About 20 people came in and poked at his stomach. They drew blood. And I cried again. Finally they did an ultrasound... and we waited. Drew was tired and thirsty. He laid in my arms for a few hours, then eventually moved to the bed. His skin was so hot. 


The ultrasound was inconclusive. 


But Drew was doing better. The pain was minimal and he had an appetite. The doctor advised us to take him home, and just keep a close eye on him and bring him back if the pain came back. Drew was begging to go home... so we did. 


When we got home he ate one cracker and took a sip of gatorade and passed out. His temperature was up  and down all night. He woke up around 8, had a few bites of soup, and went right back to sleep. We survived the night. 


He woke up this morning still not feeling great. He said his stomach is fine, but he just feels yucky. I'll take yucky over an appendicitis any day.


Yesterday was a LONG day. I hated seeing my son in pain and not being able to fix it. 


Yesterday the 3 of us were alone in a room for 5 hours. Drew, his dad and I. That has never happened. I wish none of us were there... but that time together was good for us. I saw a side of his dad that I've never seen. I let him be in control.... and when it comes to my son, I am ALWAYS in control. But yesterday he took care of us. The 3 of us. 


When we left the hospital, Drew's dad went to the store to get Drew some juice and crackers then he came to the house. Again the 3 of us were alone together. Sitting on the couch watching cartoons.


The 3 of us are not a family. But we are Drew's family. And although yesterday was a LONG day... some good things came from it. 

Life Isn't Fair... when it comes to cookies

Last night Drew and I were laying in bed... in MY bed.. in MY room.. which is apparently OUR bed. Anyway.. he had just come in from brushing his teeth and it was officially time for sleep (8:00pm) for both of us. 


But my sweet tooth kicked in.... and I was shockingly surprised that we had made it into bed without Drew even mentioning dessert.. so I opened my big fat mouth and said "hey, we didn't even have dessert" (Dessert is pretty much mandatory in our house)... BIG MISTAKE!


Drew says "oh ya... Mom, why didn't you remind me? Go get us some ice cream." I immediate give him my WTF look and say "excuse me, but first off all, don't TELL me to do something.. EVER.. you ask nicely. And second, it's too late, we're already in bed, and you already brushed your teeth."  but I didn't stop there.. my sweet tooth was going strong at this point... so I said "but I didn't brush my teeth yet.. so I get to have some cookies!" Now Drew gives me his little WTF look and says "hey, no way! that's not fair. If you get to have some than so do I." I proceed to explain to him that life is not fair.. like how I have to go to work and he doesn't... when the bill comes for the car payment, I have to pay it and he doesn't.


Drew wasn't having any of my logic... he didn't want to hear it. "Mom, I'm your kid.. your SON.. and you have to be fair with me. It's your job. And you're supposed to be teaching me to be fair. How am I ever going to learn to be fair if I see you eating cookies and I can't have any?" 


His 7 year old debating skills had me laughing.


Through my laughter I explained to him that his speech just convinced me that he already fully understood what being fair meant... so nice try!! But I knew that if I brought even a single cookie back into that room while he was awake, I was doomed... to have to share.


So I did what any other cookie loving Mama would do.... 
I waited till he was asleep and grabbed a handful of cookies.. and ate them right next to him while he slept.


Fair is fair. 

I'd Rather Lie on a Bed of Nails

Saturday night  Drew and I sat in front of the computer trying to plan an outing for the next day. He's never been to Knott's Berry Farm or Universal Studios, so I figured we could go to one of those theme parks.

I figured wrong.

Drew had no desire to go to Knott's after looking at their website. He says their rides all look to scary. (Yes, he is a Disneyland FOREVER kind of kid) He said we could go to Universal Studios, but only to go on the Simpson's ride.. and then leave. I refused that request for 2 reasons: 1. I hate the Simpson's (he gets to watch it at his dad's) and 2. I'm not spending $150 for us to spend 5 minutes in a theme park. No thanks.

So we agreed on going to the Discovery Science Center... which we go to about once a year anyway.

They have a lot of neat hands-on science stuff to do there. Drew was absolutely amazed with this smoke cloud making thingy. 

He got to fly a little airplane around.

They have these little chairs where you have to use a rope to pull yourself up. Each chair makes it harder and harder for you to pull, but the kids were all still able to do it. Drew must have done this one about 3 times.

There is an earthquake simulator that I thought was pretty cool.... Drew thought it sucked...my little scaredy-cat.

But Drew's absolute favorite thing there was the bed of nails.

Thousands of long nails poking him in the back and the bootie were the highlight if his day. 

We went back to this exhibit at least three times. And on the third time I finally gave into the begging and tried it myself (I've actually done it before on a previous visit, but Drew didn't remember seeing me, so he insisted I do it again.)

All in all we had a good day. This place is a lot closer to home than either of the theme parks... and it only cost me $23 bucks. It was a win win situation... oh, and it ended up raining that day anyway so the theme parks would have sucked. 

Maybe in a few weeks I can convince my kid to give Knott's a try. I know he'd love it once we got there. 

Stop and Hug The Kiddo

This morning we were rushing to get out of the house on time. I woke up later than I would have liked to, and Drew had zero desire to get out of bed. In between trying to blow dry my hair and get dressed, I finally managed to get Drew out of bed. Carrying him to the restroom was required. 


Drew had a SERIOUS case of the lazies this morning and took FOREVER to get himself dressed... even stopping for a few minutes to check the players stats on his Miami Dolphins Calendar (priorities, you know). 


While I was attempting to get dressed in my room, I noticed him wandering around the kitchen and I yelled to him to make sure he got the dogs fed. Without saying a word, Drew walked into my bedroom and I started freaking out. I began saying things like "didn't I tell you to feed the dogs? Buddy come on, you're killing me, we're going to be late." 


And Drew just walked up to me and hugged me.... 


Without a word.. or even a look.. Just a hug.


Of course I was caught of guard a little, and was still panicking about being late, but I just hugged him back then knelt down and asked him what was wrong. To which he replied:


"Nothing Mom. I just love you.... oh, and I already fed the dogs."


No matter how late I might be, there will ALWAYS be time for moments like these.  

Growing in Red

To my complete surprise and utter amazement... my little monster is actually growing. 

Drew has always been an itty bitty teeny tiny boy.. and I LOVE it. He is currently 7 years old, 41 inches tall and weighs 40 pounds. According to his doctor, Drew is the size of your average 5 year old. 

But in the last few weeks this munchkin has been growing. He's gone up a shoe size and a size in jeans. Which required me to do so shopping this weekend. The shoes has already been taken care of the previous week.... so this time I was on a mission for jeans. First I hit the thrift stores. I LOVE the thrift stores in our area. I always find great deals on things we want need. I found 3 pairs of jeans for Drew and a pair of shorts and paid $12 total.. SCORE!! The jeans were Old Navy and Levi brands. And the shorts were Hurley. 

And on my last stop I found something that I knew would make my midget man smile. Red Levi Skinny Jeans. This boy LOVES red. 

In all honesty, I am not a fan of the skinny jean craze amongst boys. On girls they look great... but boys, not so much. But they're RED.. and since my baby is so small, they just look like regular jeans on him anyways... so I had to buy them. 

This picture (of horrible quality) was taken yesterday morning before school. I wish I would have taken one of the outfit he wanted to wear.... his ORANGE Dolphins jersey with his RED jeans.... sorry kid, not gonna happen on my watch. 

Only Child Syndrome... or just too attached?...

Little man and I have always had a super close bond.
It's been just the 2 of us at home since day one. He's slept in my bed with me every night (that he's home) since day one. Other than work and school we're alone together about 98% of the time... leaving that other 2% for the times we spend with family and friends. 


Lately I've noticed a problem. 
It's been building for years... and I fully acknowledge that I am the reason for the problem.. I've allowed and at times even encouraged it. 


Little man is becoming anti-social... in the sense of having ZERO desire to be around anyone.. other than his mom. This became very clear on Christmas day. 
We always spend Christmas day with my mom's family at my grandma's house. There were about 50 of us there this year. Having Christmas for 50 people takes a lot of work, so as soon as we got there I started helping set things up and getting food made. Drew was not happy about this AT ALL. He brought a game with him to play... but wanted me to sit and play with him.. even though my cousins were there and ready to play... that's not what he wanted. Drew wanted Mom.. and kept following me around the house. After the gifts were opened he asked if we could leave. I couldn't understand why Drew wanted to leave when our whole family was there and everyone was spending time together and having a good day. Drew just wanted us to go home. So after an hour or so of him asking, I gave in. Once we got home (which is actually right next door to my grandma's) he was completely happy. He had mom's full attention and we played with his new toys and had Christmas dinner alone. 


My little man is also becoming possessive of his mom. I cancelled my plans to attend two adult get-togethers this month because Drew didn't want me to go. He says I don't need to hang out with anyone but him. My aunt is having a New Years Eve party at her house... and Drew has no desire to go. He says we should just stay home. Any time I drop him off at his dad's house he asks what I'm going to do that night. If I say I might have dinner with friends or go to someones house, he asks if he can stay home with me. It's been over 3 months now since I've done anything with out Drew. Even on the nights when he is at his dad's I don't go out or have people over because I feel guilty.. and know that if I tell Drew he'll be upset. 


I've created a bad situation. 


Drew and I talked about this the other day and I let him know that it isn't good for either of us... and that we need to make some changes. I'm not exactly sure of how to go about doing it... but I'm going to do it.. one way or the other. 

I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas

 Who wouldn't LOVE a Hippo for Christmas? 

Drew's 2nd grade class is singing the song "I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas" at their winter program in a few weeks. We were so excited when we found out because it's one of our favorites and he already knew most of the words. 

The teacher has a little Hippo costume for one of the kids to dress up in, but we're on the look for stuffed hippos for the rest of the kids to hold while they sing. So if any of you happen to see a hippo while you're out shopping, please let me know... or have an old or extra one lying around your house that you'd like to send us, we'd appreciate it!

Looking for something like this

Wordless Wednesday

Spoiled Rotten gets whatever he wants.... 

even the biggest pinata EVER...

Pumpkin Time

Yesterday we took a trip to a pumpkin patch out in Irvine. I looked it up online and saw that they had a hay maze, haunted house, pony rides, junk food and train rides and I was sold.

 

Now my plan was to spend a couple hours here pretty much letting Drew do whatever he wanted. We had all the time in the world and there was plenty to do... but Drew had other plans for us. All he wanted to do was pan for gold, pick his pumpkin and hit the road.

Oh, and stick his head in all the little photo thingys. 

 
         My Itty Bitty Pumpkin Boy

 
So I let him pan for gold... talked him into running going through the haunted house (which seriously scared the heck out of both of us.... so much for "kid friendly").. let him pick a pumpkin (even though we had bought 2 the day before at Wal-Mart)... walked through the hay maze, took a few pictures and we left. 


It was a much shorter trip than I had planned on, but whatever makes my boy smile... 


And that night we went to a pumpkin carving party at my cousins... 



Drew has plans to carve at least 3 more pumpkins before the month is over... It's going to be a messy October!