Small Talk Six: My Moon, My (Little) Man

6 Ways We Spoil the Center of Our Universe:

1. Snacks: I resisted this one for a long time, but the grandparents won and he now gets more than I would like of graham crackers, ice cream, and Nilla Wafers. And even I can't help but to indulge him occasionally.

2. Cooking special for him.

3. Getting special gifts from EVERYONE. Toys, swim gear, toys, clothes,toys, shoes. Actually, I rarely spoil him in this department because all of the aunties have it pretty well covered to the point where he's probably going to start to expect some cool threads everytime they come to visit (even if they just saw him the week before).

4. Constant attention, adoration, and applause at every little thing he does. All he has to do is flash those big blues and we all go crazy.

* * Have you figured out yet that not only is he our first child, but the first grandchild/nephew on both sides? So, yeah, he is the man and knows it.

5. Watching TV. Sometimes when he's reached that over-tired walking around and throwing tantrums for no other reason than he won't give up part of his day to nap, the only thing that will settle him down is Handy Manny or Sesame Street. And sometimes I need 10 minutes to wash dishes/cook without him clinging to my leg.

6. Alright, here it goes -- the worst way I in which I spoil him that will surely be haunting me months from now: putting him to bed by bringing him to bed with me and transfering him to his once he is out. He refuses to go to sleep on his own. Letting him tire himself out crying? Lasts HOURS. Really. So, when he got too big to rock to sleep I started this bad little habit. Truth be told, it's one of my favorite times of day. How much longer will we snuggle and sing until he sweetly drifts away? Every day he grows more and more independent of me, except for this precious time. I know I need to stop this soon, but I want to be selfish for a little while longer.

(Little) Man's Best Friend

See you in another life, Rocket buddy

It is with a heavy heart I write this post. One of my best and most faithful friends passed on to his next grand adventure this past Monday.

About a month ago my husband and I took Rocket in to the vet because he had injured his leg, as he was limping and it was getting swollen. We were told that his leg had broken due to osteosarcoma and he would probably have very little time left with us unless we amputated his leg and put him through chemo. Our vet was amazed at how stoic, resilient, and happy he seemed. She said most people opt to put their dogs down by this point because of the pain and he would be a good candidate for amputation (for many reasons, especially his age, we decided against it). We had never heard Rocket so much as wimper. We were devastated.

We cried. We prayed. We laughed about his crazy puppy days. We gave him his favorite comforts: stuffed toys and belly rubs. And ice cream. A lot of ice cream.

Rocket was truly a special dog, and I know how cliche that sounds, but he really was -- just ask anyone who knew and loved him. Or ask anyone who was marked, mounted, or mesmerized by him.

103 pounds of muscle and grace. A stature that humbled the toughest of men (many salesmen we watched stop dead in their tracks midway up our driveway and turn right back around at a glimpse) juxtaposed by huge smiling eyes and a gentle spirit that invited and delighted in the loving embraces from the tiniest of tots.

Sure, he looked pretty menacing but really he was just a big ole love puppy and a clown. We never had to worry about him running away, because he was happy just to be by my husband's side. The fence around our yard wasn't put there to keep him in, but to keep our neighbor's little yapping instigator out (and to keep our more independent free-spirited Evy in). In fact, the only times he ran away were in search of my husband. When we were honeymooning, a good friend of ours chased Rocket not only through the neighborhood, but also through a few startled neighbor's houses. And he made himself right at home wherever he went!

I have so many great Rocket stories, I can't even get started right now. The Rocket Dog Chronicles coming soon...

I just feel so blessed to have had such a wonderful dog. I am thankful that he is no longer in pain and smile when I think of him laughing and dancing in open fields with Grandpa.

Gwibble Gwee-bee!

May I just say how much I adore my little man's nonsensical mumblings and musings? Every day now it seems he tries to speak more and more. Mostly it's just baby garblings, like his favorite, "Gwibble gwee-bee?" But every once in awhile he'll come out with something new and spurt it out with such clarity. After a raised eyebrow, asking the Dad Man if it wasn't only my eager imagination, I get all excited and have been known to literally leap up and go into a clapping frenzy. Only problem is he'll say one word or phrase perfectly once and then - poof! That's it! Oh, how he loves to tease his mama!

I've heard him say "green," "hi," "bye," "here you go," "there," "catch," "dog," "ball," "where'd it go?" and a few other things when he's in the mood for some applause.

The all-knowing mamas out there all insist that I need to enjoy these question-free days while they last. I just can't wait to hear what's going on in that over-active ever-expanding brain, though! This is especially true when he studies something carefully and then peers up at me with up-turned palms and wide eyes with a "Goo mumph-a-wee?" and then shakes his head in disgust when my best answer just doesn't cut it.

Hello, Jim Cantore!

Today is June 1st -- which to most people means the beginning of summer after a beautiful long Memorial Day weekend. However to those of us in FL, along the coastlines of the Gulf and the Southeast, Central America, parts of Mexico, and the Carribean, it means: Welcome, hurricane season!

In the Sunshine State, we were blessed to have a very, very quiet storm season last year. Thank the Lord! I was a nervous wreck last year with a newborn thinking of potential evacuation plans, having enough food, baby supplies, water, gas, cash and the million other things we worry about as soon as a storm becomes personified as "Annie" or "Billy Bob."

I clearly remember a fast approaching thunderstorm that snuck up on me last April as I was nursing Dozer during his second week with us. I was racing round the house, Dozer snuggled on the carefully held Boppy, suckling away, unaware of my frantic window-closing state. I was sure that a tornado was about to rip out of the heavens and tear through our humble home. That was when I realized I could not even look at some rain and thunder the same way ever again (or a least not for another 15-18 years or so).

Well, we made it through our first hurricane season without even a scratch. In previous years, we had not been quite as fortunate, though never more damage than we could handle. (Pictures of Tropical Storm Fay and Hurricane Frances will be up for Wordless Wednesday). So, here we are today and already a tropical storm has hit the country of Guatemala before the official start of the season. Oy vey! Did you see the size of that "hole" in the ground???!!!

I guess it's something wherever you live. Blizzards, earthquakes, tsunamis, fires, mudslides, tornadoes. I am very thankful we get fair warning with hurricanes.

Readers of my blog (if there actually are any out there),

Forgive me; it has been four days since my last posting.

So, I am really new at this but from what I have observed, the most successful bloggers seem to post at least once a day or at the very least every other day. I never did live up to my own expectations at the old-fashioned journaling... why did I expect blogging to be any different? This is why I have dozens of unwritten novels, childrens' books, and movie scripts buzzing around in my all-too cluttered brain, begging to be released.

I guess I should have been a journalist, because what I really need is a deadline! Graduating college with honors was all because of deadlines. I used to pride myself on the fact that I could whip up a 3-4 page paper, cited and all in a matter of a couple of hours before class began. Really I was just being a lazy-ass procrastinator. But hey, it worked...

So, feel free to offer up some topics and deadlines and I just may respond with a post.


Tonight's topic will be the kiddo (what else?). As "the kiddo" is getting rather stale, I will start refering to my sunshine as "Dozer." He has this new thing as of a couple of weeks ago that he loves to put his head on the ground, straighten out his legs with his butt held high in the air and push himself around in this manner, bulldozing anything in his path (usually me or a dog). Or sometimes he just goes in circles. I thought it was just going to be his new thing of the week that he would quickly replace, but it's been a good three weeks and he is getting just as much of a kick out of it as he did the first time. Dozer it is!

The new thing that I am pushing this week is blowing kisses. As I left for work Saturday morning Dozer and the Dad man were filling up the baby pool. Just as I was taking a mental snapshot of that sweet scene, thinking I would love to take part in the morning swim that kicks off father-son fun day, he returned the kiss that I blew to him for the first time ever! He did it with such enthusiasm and love, I actually squealed from inside the car and blew him another patiently waiting while the little teaser took his good sweet time returning the second.

And with that image, I will sign out. Of blogland and the long weekend. Sweet dreams to all!

Well, the kiddo is doing much better today! Yay! And without a trip to the doctor -- always a bonus :)

I don't know about you, but I am so ready for a summer getaway! I'm getting ready to venture out on my first vacation with the bambino in a couple of weeks. I am very excited, but also pretty nervous about how he will fare on his first plane ride. Will I be "that" mom, chasing her son up and down the aisles or will he be "that" kid everyone wishes would just be quiet?!? I sure hope not... so I am planning a full arsenal of entertainment for the 2 1/2 hours of confinement. Any suggestions on keeping an active one year old happy and calm in such a situation are most welcome in the comment section!

For those of you also getting ready for a little vacation, don't forget to pack the books!!! This offer just in from Barefoot:



MAYSALE offer + already discounted prices on many of our adventure/travel books = a ton of fun for a terrific price! Offer good through May 31st.

Recommendations for some summer fun: We're Going on a Caravan, Off We go to Mexico, We All Went on Safari, Animal Boogie, I Spy the Sun, and Up, Up, Up!