Felled By a Sitcom

I'm down with the flu, and TV is playing a big part in my "distract the kids so I don't contaminate them" plan for today.  I know, I know.  TV isn't a great choice for a babysitter, but when the doc tells you you're highly contagious and that you have to wear a mask if you "have" to be with them, and your husband works nights...well, it's a viable distractor.

In any case, after multiples episodes of Dora, Mickey Mouse and other stuff my mind is conveniently deleting from its database, I decided it was time for a mom-centric show.

Consult: DVR.  I don't get to watch many shows first-run, but the DVR captures them for viewing when the kids are already in bed, playing with dad, or succumbing to a milk- or sugar-coma.

Select: the How I Met Your Mother episode from January 24th.

Spoiler alert: if you haven't seen this episode but later intend to and don't want me to ruin it for you, quit reading now.

In a nutshell, this episode deals with the funeral of Marshall's father, played by the goofy sidekick from Coach.  (Ya'll know who I mean, right? I'm bad with names.)  In it, Marshall's mom and brothers have touching last words to recount from his dad.  Marshall doesn't feel like he has a similar story to share...but then discovers a voicemail from his dad that a previously battery-drained phone didn't deliver earlier.  That message lets him hear his dad say that word "I love you" one last time.

I don't remember my last words from my dad.  He died on August 5th, 2008, 2 months before Catherine was born.  During the last six months of his life, he was 100% unresponsive and uncommunicative, and considered to be in a terminal state.  Although I was able to see him several times during those six months (I live 1500 miles from where I grew up), our visits were comprised of holding hands or me feeding him various meals. The last meal I fed him, which was also the last time I saw him while he was living, was 2 days before his 75th birthday.  It was dinnertime and the very first time I'd visited him in his nursing home without my mom or husband tagging along.  He'd already entered hospice care, and we knew the end was near...although we didn't expect him to linger for another six weeks and then die just 18 hours before my flight back for my next visit was to land.  But I digress...

I remember the last words I said to him.  I told him how much I loved him and how much I missed the man he had been before Alzheimers had robbed him of his mind, his personality, and his quality of life.  I told him I was going to enjoy telling my daughter all about the wonderful times I'd enjoyed with her grandfather while growing up but that I hated more than anything that she wasn't going to get to know him.  I told him I was glad that he was the first person we'd told about our coming baby, on the trip we made to Pennsylvania 3 months previous when it looked like the end was then - that's a picture of him and I and the baby's first stuffed animal.

But I really wish I could remember the last words he said to me.  I know that we talked on the phone a few times after he broke his hip in November of the year prior and had to enter the nursing home for rehab.  I know, in fact, that we must have talked even just prior to the weeklong 105 degree temperature he suffered that landed him in the state he'd be in for the rest of his life.  And I also know that those talks were probably not about anything meaningful, since Alzheimers had reduced our chats to pleasantries instead of the long talks we used to share.  But for the life of me, I can't remember. 

Maybe that's better.  Maybe the most pleasant memories to save are the ones of our long chats on current events, politics, family gossip, the Phillies and NASCAR.  But I don't know.

So here is flu-ridden melodramatic me thinking about what last words I'd want my children to remember me saying to them.  "I love you" is a given.  "I'm proud of you" and "I want only the best for your life" aren't far behind.  But what insightful advice could I offer that they could look back on?

I guess this is what I've come up with: "I want you to always be who you are.  Always say what you are thinking, but say it with respect.  Always think deeply and thoroughly, but act decisively.  Remember who your friends are and always have room in your life for more.  Take care of the people you call family, even when they've stolen your last nerve.  And never believe that there's anything you can't accomplish through sheer stubborn will."

What do you think?  What last words do you remember, or do you want to be remembered by?

Kids and Church

Six point five days per week, Big Girl is a little devil - she understands the word "no," but believes that if she looks away and can't see me, I can't see her either.

And on Sundays, we go to church.  For a long time, Big Girl thought church was a fun place to see people and then spout off during more quiet parts of the sermon, as if thinking that it was her turn to liven things up.

That seemed to change at the Christmas Eve service.  Big Girl loveloveloved the music and actually paid more attention than usual.  Now, she's only 27 months old - there's definitely a limit to how much she'll get.  But she was far more engaged than usual.

Today, she started Sunday school.  I was a little worried.  She doesn't know any of the other kids in her class, and the morning started off with two of the other Big Girls freaking out.

But she did GREAT!  The teacher said she danced and sang and was happy and had a great time.  YAHOO!

Coincidentally, on the day when we were alone with Bubba Boy in the church service for the first time, he was HYPER AWARE of what was going on.  Cooing and gaaing and checking everyone out.  We go to a large church but a very small service...so with only 30 people there, they were also HYPER AWARE of each of his noises.  But that's ok!  I love that he was interactive instead of simply a passive little baby.

The kids exemplified Christian behavior this morning, both in their interactions in church and also with each other at home.  Bubba Boy was crying before we left and Big Girl leaned over to comfort him: "It's ok.  It'll be alright."  What a nice girl to try to comfort her brother!

Maybe those devil-can-catch me moments the other 6.5 days of the week will start to recede a bit, now.  (Then again, maybe not!)

Sorry, Mama

Cate learned a lesson in apologies and forgiveness this evening. While playing on the floor, she toodled over to me, and in her enthusiasm, clocked me in the head with a toy. So hard, in fact, that I cried. After the litlle birdies stopped circling my head, I asked her to apologize for hurting me.
This sweet (and strong!) girl climbed into my lap, kissed my forehead right where it hurt, and then threw her arms around me in a giant hug.
Can't tell this mama that even young toddlers don't understand apologies and forgiveness!

Happy Halloween

"Minnie" had a blast trick-or-treating at my office yesterday and was just the belle of the ball! Hope you have a great Halloween with your little ones!

GO PHILLIES!!!

First Birthday PARTY!

We had a fun-filled first birthday party for Catherine and were thrilled to get to spend it with family and friends. Our niece, Julia, even flew down from Canada to share in the big weekend, as well as to see her dad (Spoiled Baby's Uncle) for his birthday.

Not to be greedy, but the best part of the party was the presents. Not necessarily because of what the presents even were, necessarily. But because we did presents by committee. All of Cate's little friends and cousins wanted to help...and so instead of one child opening multiple presents, we had a half dozen children (all under the age of 3) turn our living room into a ticker tape parade. GREAT fun!!



After that, it was time for cake! We're in "saving money" mode, so I baked cupcakes for party guests, and then made a custom cake for Spoiled Baby. What do you think? For my first real attempt at artistry, I think it came out ok!



Catherine was too cute. We stripped her naked, because, well, every other child on the planet ends up covered in icing while digging into their first birthday cakes.

Not MY child! She leaned forward daintily, and nibbled a piece off the edge. When we tried to put her hand in/on the cake, it went right back to her mouth to get licked off.

I guess I'm raising a neat freak - but she sure is darn cute!

Garage Sales and Baseball

Baby had two firsts today!

Early this morning, she and I arrived at her Aunt P's house to set up for a garage sale. Great fun, good money made, and lots of junk gone.



Then...we headed to the Ranger's Ballpark for Spoiled Baby's first ever baseball game. Now...you know I wish her first game could have been with the Phillies. But this was still a fantasically fun time!!! Baby could actually have cared less that we were at a game, but she was in people watching HEAVEN!



How are you doing this weekend?

Sweet, Sweet Words

Isn't it fun, watching as babies begin to grasp the concepts of speech?

Way back in December (was that really only a couple months ago?), Catherine began to make ooh ooh and aah aah sounds. Shortly after, she progressed to "saying" eye eye and haa haa. Sweet, sweet sounds.

Before long, she'd progressed to the point of "chatting" with us - if we imitated back to her what she'd just "said," she'd keep going and going. We'd chat with her until she lost interest and threw mom and dad overboard in favor of Jay Jay the Jet Plane on PBS or chewing on her rings.

Her next progression was to shouting. Hey - if it's gotta be said, say it loud! Her daddy would plop her in the breakfast room in the bumbo or swing and start cooking...and a few minutes later, she'd start "chatting" at the top of her lungs. Very cute!

Next, she progressed to guttural noises - those raspy noises like she was clearing the back of her throat. Not too much of that, though...apparently, she won't be studying German in the future! :-)

The most exciting progression became imitation. She'd take a common phrase and "repeat" it back to us using only vowel sounds - the harder consonant sounds just weren't ready to come out yet. She was starting to move her tongue around for a wider range of sounds, but still only ready for vowels. Our favorite phrase was "eye uh oo." Her daddy began coaching her to say "mama," because he figured he'd get points not only for getting her to say her first word, but for getting it to be that one in particular. No dice...not yet.

But last night...oh, boy. Last night.

We were eating leftovers for dinner while watching a show DVR'd from Monday night - Two and a Half Men. The kiddo was propped up on the couch next to me (I know - we have like 4 different tables we could sit at, but we eat at the couch...) and was chewing away contentedly on a toy.

And then...it happened. A phrase was used in the show - the phrase she also hears most often from her mommy and daddy. And she repeated it. For real. Not just vowel sounds. Actual, honest to goodness words. Her stunned daddy stopped the show and we both stared at her in shock. I grabbed my cell phone to record in case she said it again.

But she was done. After that, sweet smiles and occasional giggles, but no more sounds for the evening. And, as my husband pointed out, she probably has no idea what she said. After all...she was just 5 months old on March 9th.

That doesn't matter! She said it, and those are just the sweetest words we've ever heard.

I love you.

Baby girl, we love you, too...so much!