Mommy and Me

This weekend ended up being a Mommy and Me Weekend for Tate and me :).  He didn't want to go to music class again yesterday (until the class which is 10-12 minutes away was 30 minutes into the 45 minute session), so I opted to just hang out with him.  All morning long!  It was awesome.  We played Travel Zingo, though not really by their rules, he played trains, I washed/dried/straightened my hair.  We read a book or two.  He played more trains and then he colored with his Color Wonder markers for almost an hour!  I was quite impressed.  I so try to limit his screen time and I've been pretty successful.  Yesterday he watched trains on my phone on YouTube for about 45 minutes, which I feel is way too long, but I wanted to sleep so badly!!  And by trains I mean these kinds of trains...

He does watch a Thomas episode or two while watching those, but if I hear anything else, the phone is mine again! (which has the unfortunance of meaning I then have to get up!)

Other than that, that's it for the day.  It's amazing how quiet it is in here with no background noise except my washer and dryer and my cat.  I live for the quiet.  My office is filled with televisions (about 22!!!) that are on all day long;  in addition we have a game room with 4 X-Box type machines, all constantly on.  Add in the screams and cries of the children, the parents jabbering, all of our staff working and talking to patients and you understand why I cannot stand noise when I get home.  I need a respite.  

So anyway, 3 loads of laundry were done, lunch was had and I even got a 45 minute nap out of the sweet boy!  More trains after lunch and then we headed off to Ms. Kristal's housewarming/wedding celebration.  Ms. Kristal was Tate's teacher from the age of 13 months to 20 months!  And oh my goodness did she love my sweet boy and he loved her.  She invited me and 3 other parents/kids to the party, so I'm glad we went.  I was able to let Tate run amok upstairs with all the other kids, ranging in age 2-10.  They were up and down the stairs, dancing and having a great time.  My little guy was even sweating he was having so much fun, and it helped that two of the kids there were from his class including his BFF!  

But it was an education of sorts.  I know Ms. Kristal and her new husband have worked hard, hard, hard to have all that they have and I'm so very happy and proud of them.  The neighborhood is obviously a newer neighborhood and one that caters to families who have financial constraints (given that some signs said "Will help with down payments"), ie probably living paycheck to paycheck.   I don't get to go to many parties where everyone is black with all the joy that brings.  When I was growing up and we were around my extended family in the summers I got to experience it all the time.  It's almost like coming home for me.  The loud music played by 40 and 50 year old men.  The loud raucous voices of the women.  The children running absolutely everywhere.  And most importantly, parties that start 90 minutes or so late with the host/hostess rarely present at the appointed time on the invitation cause they've run out to get something.  This is what Tate will miss growing up here in the world that I live in.  We don't get to go 'home' all that often and I fear it will be even less often when my parents are no longer here to link us to our family.  And that makes me very sad.

But this is a happy post!  We left a bit early, missing the food, but I wanted Tate in bed at a decent hour.  And I also knew he wasn't going to eat bar-b-q, so why annoy both of us? :)

He was sound asleep by 730 last night...all part of my plan since daylight savings time started today.  UGH.  I crawled into bed with him around 945 in anticipation of his 528am wake-up which was of course 6:28am!

I handed over the phone for 30 minutes and then crawled out of bed to get us breakfasted and ready for church.  Lindsey had planned to take Tate to ride the zoo train and go to the zoo with one of her girlfriends and her year old daughter.  The rain washed all our plans away.  It was pouring once I got us both dressed, me in makeup and cute hair!  I just did not have the stamina or the will to slosh through pouring rain with Tate.  So we didn't go;  it's been weeks since we've been, so I was really upset.  I should have gone, but truly trying to stay dry and parking across the street and running with my 3 year old in my arms with an umbrella is alot of work.  I've done it before, and we always end up soaked.  So no, we didn't go.  I did take Tate on over to Lindsey's who kept him while I ran to the grocery store in the rain....so much easier.  And he loves hanging with his Aunt Lindsey, so it's a win-win.  They rescheduled the zoo trip for in a couple of weeks.

Back home we unloaded groceries and played more trains.  We were both a bit more whiny today.  He did finagle a few more visits to YouTube out of me, but then returned to his coloring.  We simply just hung out all day.  Played more Zingo. Trouble and a Matching Game.  Ok, so no games were really 'played'.  But we opened them all and played his version of all the games.  We colored together and he watched about 40 minutes of trains on YouTube while I did laundry and got some meals cooked for the week.  We headed outside later on and he rode his bike to visit our 7 year old next door neighbor and they (ok I in Tate's stead who insists I draw train after train after train for him) chalked for a while.  Dinner was quick and easy as he had only eaten an Oma cookie and some pretzels and yogurt for lunch, so he was starving.  I wanted him in bed asleep by 7:30am in the hopes that he will sleep his normal 10 hours overnight and wake at his normal time (or later!). We shall see!!!

While I rocked him tonight he threw his little arms around my neck and just squeezed and I just melted. This little boy has become such a cuddler, always asking for hugs and kisses.  As we go into spring break week which at work will be crazy hectic and stressful I'm so very glad I kept the weekend mostly to just the two of us.  We'll be apart all 5 days this week as we were last week (I had a CE class I had to attend this past Friday);  we are usually only apart 4 days a week.  I am not one of those mothers who lives for Monday, so I can send my kid to daycare.  I dread it.  I hate it.  Once Monday starts I am seriously counting down until it's 5pm on Thursday.  It's all I think about.  Had I been married I would have done my very best to stay home or worked very part time.  I was not meant to be a mother who works outside the home.  Not at all.

I was meant to be a mother though.  And this is the path God has chosen for me to live this dream, so I'm going to embrace it.  He knows the plans He has for my life.  That plan includes this child enjoying his weekend with his mommy....

And I'm super proud of him for recognizing all these numbers :)  Just found out he could do this on Friday!

His preferred method of floor play again though...