Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Happy Birthday, Grandma Helen!


Today is Grandma Helen’s birthday, so be sure to remind her about it if you see her. Not that she’d forget it…that woman never forgets anything! We love you, Grandma!

Four years ago today…I was not having a baby. I wanted to be having a baby. September 1, 2007, was his due date, so four years ago, I was a few days past what was supposed to have been the big day. He arrived instead, September 12, after I broke down and opted for a labor induction. No, John is not yet old enough for preschool, as he was not 4 before August 1. It’s hard to believe the child who was completely non-verbal at 2 and finally catching up to “normal” verbal ability at 3, now talks non-stop. He has an incredible vocabulary, and I enjoy eavesdropping on the conversations among his trains, tractors, and trucks. He is intermittently sweet and belligerent. He misses his Grandma Diane and his old house, and chief among his concerns are the possibility of his own mommy dying, his desire to accumulate more cars and trains,  and a shortage of apple juice. He mentions almost daily his desire to have a baby sister, in spite of our insistence that there is no way, were we to have another baby, that we could guarantee a girl.

Patrick, on the other hand, does not want a baby sister. He made that perfectly clear when he met his new cousin Carli a couple weeks ago. Patrick sat on Uncle David’s lap while I held Carli and showed her to John. Uncle David noticed a tear silently running down his cheek. When David asked him what was wrong, Patrick could no longer hold back. His little face crumpled, and the silent tear became heartbroken wailing. He wanted his mommy. Clearly, he is not done being the baby. As always, I enjoy keeping mental lists of my boys’ favorite things. Patrick’s, at 18 months, include:

1.       Mommy’s hair.
2.      Anything that makes a motor noise (either by itself or supplied by PW).
3.      Chapstick (John also had this obsession, although he actually had chapped lips, thanks to his Accutane therapy).
4.      Tools, specifically tape measures.
5.      Bob the Builder.
6.      Climbing on mommy’s desk, specifically to color on things, like the computer monitor or walls.
7.      Climbing over fences.
8.      Climbing onto the kitchen countertops so he can access the knives and pepper.
9.      Climbing in general. He’s very good at it.
10.   And, new last week, moving furniture.

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