Freeze.

Sometimes, a funny thing happens when you put your baby to sleep.

Anthony has been asleep since about 8:30p (a little late for him). And it is 10:51p as I write this. I'm chillin' online, chatting it up with some friends, enjoying a glass of red, and researching the latest car seat/stroller/cloth diaper/insert any other baby-related item here...(yeah - you didn't know I have a problem??). And then I hear it. That undeniable sound that I am sure I would be able to identify from a room-full of babies 3.8 miles away. HIM. CRYING.

And I freeze. No, I mean really. I stop typing. My eyes fix on some random object on our living room floor. And I sit. Motionless. Because surely he might hear me breathe, or type, or blink...and realize that I am just down the hall. And that I will dash into his room faster than a bullet train, for fear of his crying getting worse and really waking him up, and worse - waking up his big brother right next door.

And just like that. Silence. He cried out once, I lost about 3 hours off my life. And he's back asleep. My heart is still pounding.

Cuteness.

We finally got some nice weather, a sweltering 51 degree day. So it was time to head outside. The original plan was to take a walk to the park, but by the time we were finally ready to go, some clouds started rolling in. So in the back yard we went. Matthew loved hauling out some of his outside toys from the garage (of course I am not allowed to take a picture of him...he ran from me yelling "NEVER!!!" (his new word of choice)). Anthony, however, was less than thrilled. The grass, the little bit of wind, the sun in his face...not to mention this whole shoe-wearing nonsense. So his first reaction was:

And this is how he stood for a while.

Then he realized this outside thing ain't so bad, so he started to play. He ran, and fell, and laughed, and ran some more. Mostly in circles, like a new little puppy. He also discovered the doorbell on the play-house. He was quite proud of himself.

And now, it's nap time!

Excuse This House

My friend Jackie shared this with me. And because I like it, I'm sharing it with you.

Excuse This House

Some houses try to hide the fact
That children shelter there,
Ours boasts it quite openly,
The signs are everywhere.

For smears are on the windows,
Little smudges are on the doors
I should apologize, I guess
For toys strewn on the floor.

But I sat down with my child
And we played and laughed and read
And if the doorbell doesn’t shine,
His eyes will shine instead.

For when at times I’m forced to choose
The one job or the other,
I’d like to cook and clean and scrub,
But first I’ll be a mother.

~ Author Unknown

I'd like to buy a vowel.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeee! That is Anthony's vowel of choice. That it what he says when he's happy, frustrated, wants more of something, less of something, so on and so forth. The day I hear mama I will surely cry. I try to get him to say mama about 97 times a day, and each time he looks at me with the same face: that's great mom, keep it up, you're getting better...

He says dada, daddy, babcia, mmm-hmm, aaa-haaa, oooh, and eeesh. And of course Eeeeeeeeeeeee! But no mama. The child who is glued to my hip for most of his (and my) day. But I'm not sad, bitter, or jealous. Nope. Not at all (runs to a corner to cry...). He'll say it eventually. And when he does, I will be on cloud 9 for months.