So sorry, Mom - but not for when I was sick at night

It's generally not until people become parents that they truly realize the sacrifices that their parents made for them. This has specifically crossed my mind during the many hours I have spent awake when I should've been sleeping but couldn't because Kevin wasn't sleeping.

I've planned to write poignant thank-you letters to my parents but have not done so. I rationalize my laziness with figuring that I can write a letter at each of Kevin's big life changes, including starting elementary school, middle school and then high school, etc.

Last week, I came close to sitting at the computer to compose a letter of apology to my parents. I stopped myself when I realized that after all of the difficulties we've had in the past two years, it was THIS that made me apologize for my behavior as a kid rather than the "important" stuff of needing to be hugged while throwing up overnight, forcing my mother outside on cold nights when I had croup, needing to be run here, there and everywhere for gymnastics practices, meets and ballet classes, etc.

I am not ready to apologize for any of that yet, but I am ready to apologize for all of the "Grody to the max!" and "Yeah, that's the ticket!"'s that I ever said.

Because, really, I've had more "Yeah, Baby!" responses to my questions in the past 3 weeks than I can count and I've had it.

Certificate of Citizenship

Kevin and I were interrupted while mixing up Andy's birthday cake (you can see the bowl in the background) by our letter carrier at the door. He had a certified letter for Kevin Aguilera. It was his Certificate of Citizenship! He doesn't have a clue what that means but he knew I was elated to have it and he humored me by holding up the certificate and saying, "Cheese!"

He became a U.S. citizen a year ago, but it's taken this long for me to get the paperwork in and have it processed.

Kevin can use this paper and his Maryland birth certificate to accomplish any official task such as getting into school, proving his age for sports and getting a U.S. passport. Woohoo! 

Ten more years, less freaking out

Ten years ago, Andy turned 30 and I thought, "Oh my heavens, I'm dating a guy who's thirty. This isn't going to work - he's too old." Yesterday, Andy turned 40 and I'm just glad that he's still able to walk without a cane.

I'm becoming all sorts of things since becoming a mother

I'm not known for my perseverance/determination/sticktuitiveness/etc. I find it much easier to stop trying than to try hard.

When I became a mom and started scheduling playdates, I thought, "Wow, this will be my chance to let Kevin play with someone else and for me to talk with another mother about how much I hate parenting!" What actually happened was that Kevin and the other kids needed some help learning how to play together. They didn't just need a referee (although they really needed that, too) but with some of his friends, they needed to know what to do besides sit and look at each other.

Playdates were supposed to be about the kids playing, and me on a date with a friend. Didn't happen. But as time went on and the other mothers and I spent a lot of energy working directly with the kids, playdates became easier and more productive regarding the kids playing and me being able to enjoy time with a friend.

This afternoon we had a babysitter come over to play with Kevin while we were here. It was to be a trial-run for having him babysit sometime so that we can go out - on a real date - and see each other without Kevin in between us or trying to talk over us so that we can't have a conversation without him (how dare we?)

I thought that G and Kevin would laugh and play and run around together while I floated about getting all sorts of cleaning done. Alas, what actually happened was that Kevin and G needed some help learning how to play together. This was weird because G babysits other kids, so I really thought he'd be a bit more proactive. Or even reactive. Just some sort of active.

To make a very long story about the first hour he was here much shorter, I spent a lot of time worrying about what to do. HOWEVER, I didn't think to myself that this will never work. I made sure that I instead looked for ways to help it work. And as I was doing so, I was proud of myself for helping the second hour of our trial run be more about G and Kevin playing and me floating about getting all sorts of cleaning done.

This could definitely work out.

Of all the (*&*%$ing @%#*&$s

Does posting an entry saying that I want to throw a chair at one of my coworkers constitute a blatant break of the dooce rule that thou shalt not blog about work unless thou is willing to part with thine job, which I ist not?

I jinxed it!

I did it! I said my truck was dead and, lo, it is sitting, ever ugly but functional, in our driveway, waiting to cart me off to work tomorrow.

P.S. Andy is pretty handy to have around.

The end is near - I can really feel it this time

This REALLY might be it for the truck. I know I've said it before, but this is different. Up 'til now, everything wrong was either a convenience issue or an easily fixed issue. This time, a headlight is out. The problem is that when I replaced it with a new headlight, wackiness ensued.

The new light didn't come on at first. Then it came on dimly. Then it worked but the other headlight went out. Then they both worked in low mode but one was dim. The new one never worked in high beam mode but then it started to and the other one went out. This went on for awhile last night and Andy cleaned up the connections and we got them both to work in low beam mode but neither to work in high beam mode. That's not a problem, just a convenience factor. Andy never uses high beams, I almost never do because there are always too many cars around where I usually drive.

Andy called from work to say that both low beams worked but only dimly today. And, the high-beam indicator on the dash always stays on. The indicator light is no big deal. Again, a convenience factor. But driving with dim headlights? Definitely a huge safety issue.

I have other wiring problems in the truck but they aren't safety hazards on the level that this is. And we know how expensive it can be to pay someone to track down a wiring problem - and then, who knows how long the fix will last because the whole system is probably corroded to the point of being dust held together by some road grime.

Andy left work early and just got home so that he'd be able to drive in as much daylight as possible. He told me he stopped at the surplus store and bought a couple of grenades.

Her sticks are made for walking

Andy and Kevin saw a woman wearing high heels and Kevin asked, "Papa - why is she walking on sticks?"

I became "one of them" last night

I was out shopping by myself last night and at Staples, I found something I needed to ask my mom about (because we sometimes help each other out with picking up gifts the other can't find near them.) So I realized I had my cell phone with me and I stood there, inside the fairly quiet store and called my mom. As we were talking, we decided against me getting what I was looking at but we kept talking so I walked out the store and down the sidewalk WHILE STILL ON THE PHONE. I knew I was breaking one of Dianne's Cardinal Rules of Etiquette but it was so... thrilling. And convenient.

Even though I did stop outside of Target to finish my conversation before going inside, I still would have given myself a sneering look had I been watching from outside myself.