Wordless Wednesday: My Ham At The Portrait Studio

He Loves Me

As we near the end of week 5 of husband working, life is getting more into a groove.

I know my busy days of work, so I ask the great grandparents to take him.

Sundays I work to get organized during James' nap so that on Monday I am starting with a clean in box.  It helps me sleep at night because I know I am all set.

I tend to work an extra 45 minutes to an hour each night.  I'm in no rush to cook, so I try to get as much as I can done while I can.

James knows that if I am in the dining room in front of this infernal machine that I am busy.  I don't know how, but he manages to play and entertain himself, occasionally coming to me for small things or to laugh and sing.

Earlier this week he surprised me by doing something he has never done to me.

We had been playing on the couch during a break for me and he wandered off to his room after a while to do something.  I returned to my seat at the table and went back to work.  After about 5 minutes he came out, looked around and came to stand by my seat.  He reached up, grabbed my hand in the middle of typing, and pulled me.

I was escorted back to the couch and pushed to take a seat.  And then he climbed up and began to play with me as if he had never left the room in the first place.

There was no way I was going to go back to work after that until nap time.

The same thing happened that night.

We were all on the couch, and I eventually moved to the floor so he couldn't tackle me.  When he left the room I moved to the dining room to check email.  He came running in, pulled me back to the couch, and made sure I sat while he stood grinning up at me.

Someone loves me.  And I'm so happy to be pulled back in to his life when he wants me.

Which, luckily, is all the time.

Wordless Wednesday: Wouldn't Be Complete Without An iPhone

It's A Routine At Least.....

One of the jokes from James' birthday party was that we should have just bought him a pile of light switches and put them in a kitchen cupboard.

He is obsessed.

All lights must be one.  All day.  Every day.

And he has to be the one that turns them on.

While it makes me a little insane most days, it has a great advantage at least twice a day.

You see, when it's time for bed, James knows that the lights are turned off.

No, I haven't started reading to my child at sleep time so he unwinds.

I carry him around the house and he turns off all the lights that he turned on when he got out of bed.

This works for naps and bedtime at the end of the day.  It is amazing how there is no fight in him because he turned out the lights and knows it is time to sleep.  And if he isn't sleepy then he won't turn off the lights.

No matter what.

The other comedic part of this tale?

When his great grandparents come to pick him up, he is so excited to go that he greets them at the door and literally squeals.

Then goes running from room to room to turn off the lights.

This is the same thing if we get dressed and tell him we are going out.  He gets his socks and shoes on and then starts turning out lights.

He won't leave the house unless all the lights are out, and checks every room before leaving.

On the one hand the kid is in debt for his share of the electricity bill each month.

On the other hand, he will never leave a light on while out of the house.

I'm seriously thinking of getting him a step stool to climb on, but I'm afraid he'd either fall and break something or just stand on it turning the same light on and off for hours.

Life From The Toilet

Sadly, the title of this post has a lot to do with this last week.

I'm currently in the bathroom while James takes a bath.  Sitting on the closed toilet.  Taking a 5 minute break from working.

From the bathroom.

These days, some of the only peace I get are in the bathroom.

Not ours, though.

Since the change in life (AKA Husband has a job), James has been more of a mommy's boy than ever.  I am loving the extra cuddles after nap time and before bed time.  He doesn't want anything more than to let me hold him and hug him, all while he hums this odd tune that makes me think of a waltz.

But this also means that if I leave the living room he comes looking for me.

Internets, I have resorted to using the bathroom with the lights off, with only the iPhone as company and a way to see my surroundings.  If he sees the bathroom light is on from under the crack of the door then he will lay there, sometimes crying, sometimes just saying "mama" over and over again, until I reappear.

I seriously do not know which one I prefer.

Today, Daddy had time before logging in to spend in the living room with us.  James was ecstatic to play, but mad when it was over and the door closed.  I lasted 35 minutes and then filled the tub.

James brought his caps and tub toys, threw them in 1 by 1, and has been in there peacefully playing and humming his waltz.

I have managed to complete 4 little projects and get prepped for the major one that will occupy his nap time for me this afternoon.

Last night, I admitted to my husband that I understood why, after a week of me working, he'd ask if we could drop him off with his great grandparents so we could get out alone.  I didn't get it just 3 short weeks ago.  I wanted to take James places with us and enjoy him.

Last night, after a family grilling session, I asked them to take the boy so we could go to Target and play for an hour.

I love my son, and feel a little guilty for admitting it, but I needed the break.  No laptop.  No work phones.

No James.

Which means that arriving to pick him up was so much fun.  He was laughing and playing and running through their house.  We all got hugs and kisses.  He came home exhausted and was asleep 20 minutes later.

I'm thinking that he needs these breaks as much as we do.

Now, if you'll excuse me, someone is staring at his fingers and trying to smooth out the wrinkles from sitting in the water for too long.  A little shampoo, some soap, and a quick rinse will finish this break for me.

And then we are off once again....

Single Mothering: An Adventure in Exhaustion

We are starting week 3 of 5 weeks of training for my husband.

In the end, he will be working evenings, and other than needing to sleep in each morning, he will be around for the main parts of James' day.

For now, he works from 10-6:30 each day.

I work from 8:30-5 each day.

James wakes up around 8 each day.

My day never ends.

Luckily I've had help, but the crazy work going on for me is major, and will continue for another 3 weeks at least.  James has been okay most days, though you can tell he misses having his daddy to play with all day.

There are moments where he is tethered to my side, and luckily he will bring some things and ask to get in his high chair to sit with me.  It makes it easier, but I still have to practice typing one thing while saying another, all while not looking at my monitor.

Which I think is why I need a nap by 3 each afternoon.

And why I'm glad I haven't had to do this all alone for the last 2 years.

Meanwhile, my plans to attempt potty training are on hold.  He still isn't "talking", and until we are more in a routine in 3 weeks where we can work with him, it's not a priority.

What is?

Making each day as normal as possible and keep James on his normal schedule.

That and figuring out how to sneak a nap in without work knowing......

Sunday Smile: So Big

Fun Without Electronics

James' birthday presents included 2 large electronic toys and plenty of other things to play with as well.

My sister bought him a LeapTop by Leap Frog, and we programmed it with his name and info.  So far the music is what he loves the most.  It's not meant for "throwing" so we've made sure to put it someplace safe that he can play with it and not hurt it.

We bought him a LeapPad in the vain hope that he would leave my iPhone and Kindle Fire alone.  It almost has completed this, but because his new favorite game is on my phone that may not end soon.

There were 2 big hits for him, though.

The Little People Farm from Fisher Price was a gift from my mom, and he can't help but play with it and giggle.  He loves animal noises, and when he can swing a gate and it makes a "mooooo" noise he is happy.  He is also loving stacking the animals in the silo.

And then there is the one thing that keeps him busy and quiet for long stretches at a time:

 

He loves to open and close the doors to the oven, fridge, and microwave.  I've caught him putting play food and his Batman toy in a skillet and playing it on different surfaces.

 

This has taken over the space in our living room where the husband's desk once was.  With his new job, he is in our bedroom all day, using it as an office.  James uses our living room as his own kitchen.

 

His other latest obsession?

Magnets.

 

Making them stick to the fridge, his high chair, the oven, and the microwave cart is funny to watch.

 

Digging them out from under the fridge, his high chair, the oven, and the microwave cart isn't as much fun.

 

But he is playing and being active and figuring things out.

 

The old-fashioned way.  Which is actually pretty quiet.

Wordless Wednesday: Just Before His Party Started

He Knows, But He Won't Say It

The age of 2 got off to an interesting start.

He turned 2 the 25th, and on the 26th proved that he knows what he wants more than we do.

It was a typical Sunday, which meant we stayed home in pajamas and took it easy.  When James got up from his nap, he was ready to eat, but wanted only yogurt.

Totally doable.  We buy the Greek yogurt with fruit.  If he is going to be picky about his foods then I will find a way to do it with healthy options.

So, Greek yogurt and a glass of chocolate milk.

We all can't be perfect, right?

My MIL and SIL came over to set up a new laptop, and after that and a visit they headed home.  It was now almost 8, and we went in the kitchen to get ourselves a snack.

Followed by someone grunting and waving his arms.

You see, James' snacks are in various areas of the kitchen:

Veggie chips are in a corner with our chips.

The 2 ton container of animal crackers is on top of the fridge.

The Goldfish crackers are in the cupboard on the top shelf.

Oddly, this configuration has helped eliminate the game of "what do you want?" when he won't say anything to us.

When he stands under the cupboard and points up, we know it's for Goldfish.

Or so we thought.....

After he smacked the bag out of daddy's hand twice, I turned around from the other counter and realized he was still pointing up.

And directly at the box of Easy Mac that he could see.

5 minutes later he was inhaling that.

He still won't say much, but he knows the words.  And where everything is.

And I mean everything.

Last night?  He pointed at the cupboard again.  We opened the left door and he was mad.  We opened the right door and he smiled.

Right at the package of Nesquik.

He loves his chocolate milk.

The One Where Everything Has Changed

So, life here in the last few weeks took an interesting turn.

We received a bill from the old apartment for the final rent plus clean up fees.

All I am going to say is that we are NEVER getting a cat again.  EVER. 

Oddly, the amount was the much needed kick to adding another income to our household.

After 3 1/2 years, my husband applied for a job.  And got it!

He will be working from home in the evenings as a phone representative, with his shift starting while James is napping and only overlapping my workday for 30 minutes.  The only change to our lives is that he will need to sleep in so I have to get up, but luckily James isn't an early riser anymore.

Once we get things paid we will have a 2nd income each month that will basically go towards things we need and a couple of wants for both of us.

I joked with a friend that I don't feel right buying Lotto tickets since we've managed some good karma and gotten lucky with life.

Pretty freaking lucky.