her favorite story

We got the DVD of the Wizard of Oz last weekend and sat on the couch to view it with our barely three year old daughter. She loves Willy Wonka, The Incredibles and Alice in Wonderland so we thought she might be ready for Oz. She loves the soundtrack to Wicked, too, so she already has a working knowledge of the Emerald City and the good and bad witch. I was still a little nervous because I remember being freaked out by the flying monkeys and the wicked witches henchmen. Not only did she sit through the entire film, she asked to see it again once it was over. We let her see the next day, and again the next day before bed. She loves the monkeys. Today she asked me to be Dorothy and she was the flying monkey. She kept flying to me and taking away "Toto", which was in actuality a pink piggy flashlight. After circling the couch with him she would deliver him back into my arms, only to take him away again on her next circling. But that isn't the cutest part, that would be how she sings the soundtrack already. She sings "We're off to see the Wizard," "If I were King of the Forest," "Somewhere over the Rainbow." The best line she sings by far is this one: "If I only had a brain, a heart, a home, da nerve." See sings that one perfectly on key and with the strange New York accent that the cowardly lion has. She has begged my for a Dorothy costume complete with Ruby slippers, refers to me as the Tinman throughout the day and always wants the story told to her at bed time with the lights out. She has even cast our entire family in the hopes that we will all get together and reenact it with her. Here are the various roles:

her: Dorothy
me: Tinman
her baby brother: Toto
aunt mai mai: the lion
her daddy: the scarecrow
her grandpa: the wizard
her aunt mimi: the good witch
her uncle darrin and her grandma share the role of: the wicked witch

on a side note... i am feeling much beter. thank god for antibiotics and some quality time with my man.

best saturday ever

the children on a happier day

He had his one year check-up today. We also took his sister in for her three year check-up. It was chaos. He did pretty well considering we had to wake him up from a deep sleep to be prodded and poked with needles. She, on the other hand, behaved like she was undergoing some form of torture. Screaming and crying the whole time. She was even afraid of the scale. She wouldn't stand up to be measured, so we had to stretch her out on the examining table to measure her like they do babies. That was the easy part. Then she had to have a bag stuck on to her vagina with adhesive in hopes of getting a urine sample because she still refuses to go on the potty. She screamed "I don't want a sticker on my vagina! It hurts, Mommy, take it off!" She was holding me so hard and trembling. Then the shots came... then the blood test. By the time we were in the lab, the girl was all blotchy in the face and I thought she might pass out. She didn't have much fight left in her. As the technician looked her arms over for veins, she whimpered that she wanted to go to the dinosaur museum, and get some icecream for her arm to make it feel better. And yes, she did mention again that she wanted the sticker off. The man said she didn't have good veins and decided to poke her finger and squeeze blood out into a tiny tube. This was a very slow and probably painful process. The sticker was then removed, sans urine and we got the kids dressed again. After being there for an hour and a half it was finally over. We strapped them into the car and she passed out within five minutes.

Here are the stats:

He is 26.3 pounds and 31.5 inches. He is in the 95th percentile for height and weight.

She is 32 pounds and 39.5 inches. She is in the 90th percentile for height and 50th for weight.

Oh, and yes, I am still sick. I have had a sinus infection for 10 days. I am as low as I can be physically and emotionally.

Happy Saturday!

cookies and milk

cute photo that has nothing to do with this post

I saw a friend today that I hadn't seen in months. I think it's been months. It could be many months, or maybe two. The Mommy time warp is difficult to break out of. People come in and out of your life as blips that very temporarily interrupt the daily routine. I get very caught up in this routine. I know that the kids need it. Straying from it for too long has dire consequences... like tantrums, screaming baby meltdowns and illness brought on by fatigue and nutrientless meals. I realized today that I do it as much for me as I do it for them. I still go to the Memorial Park for "nap rides" at least 4 times a week. I look forward to the quiet and my only opportunity to shut my own eyes during the daylight hours.

So, back to my friend. She has a son who is older than mine, but younger than my daughter. She works and her husband stays home with him during the day. We met up at a kid's bookstore that was having a charity event. I arrived with my Mother in Law and the place was packed. My son started screaming from his stroller right away and my daughter would not let go of my hand. I had to release my son from his bindings so he could practice his newly discovered walking skills, while holding my daughter's hand and listening to them both shriek in different octaves. I had showered that morning, but that was the extent of my grooming for the day. My hair is long because I keep forgetting to make an appointment to get it cut. My clothes are ill fitting, but comfortable. Today featured black velour style sweats and a maroon long sleeve T. My shoes are black sneakers that I bought at Shoe pavilion at the turn of the millennium. And, of course, no make-up was on my face. Not even lip gloss, which I meant to put on simply because my lips are so damn dry. I usually don't put much thought into my appearance. There isn't any time for it most days. I am only concerned with my kids looking put together and clean.

So, in walks my friend. She looks gorgeous. I mean, stunning. It's a Sunday morning and she is put together like she has a stylist at home. Cute knee-length jeans with the perfect high brown boot. I crisp white button down shirt with a fitted dark grey sweater over it. She has even managed to accesorize with a chunky green bead necklace and orange purse. Her hair recently dyed a dark brown that makes her light green eyes look even more dramatic. Fresh faced and rested, with her son on her hip. I attribute some of this to the fact that she has a fabulous career. Yes, she works hard, but she works "out there" in the adult world. She seems to have a strong sense of herself. That is something that has been slipping away from me, especially over that last year. Everything I do, say or think is in some way related to caring for at least three other human beings. I don't have any idea what is in fashion right now, what movies are playing in the theaters, what people are talking about around their office water coolers. And I have been unaware at just how out of touch I am until today. Seeing my working mom friend brought me face to face with my isolation in a way that I never expected. I love spending this time with my kids, but today the grass on the other side was a brilliant shade of green.