Mommy Time

At the risk of repeating myself, I do not like to be busy. I do not like a full calender. I do not like lots of commitments. I do not like lots of demands on my time. I do like like to run around with a crazy toddler on an errand spree. I do not like it Sam I Am.

Therefore, I make it a priority to commit myself as little as possible.

I have been failing miserably the last few weeks. Unavoidable, really. Kevin is deep into rehearsals for Tacoma Opera's The Daughter of the Regiment by Donzinetti. It's quite funny, with a lovely cast. But he's gone an awful lot. So I have Patrick an awful lot, with no breaks. It's the no breaks part that really does me in. Throw in church (singing in two different groups), MOPS leadership, doctor's appointments, educational conferences, and before I forget, working 12 hour shifts. I'm stretched out, Patrick has been in various day-cares more than normal, and the dogs are starting to get a bit jumpy.

So it all gets done, but lots gets left on the corner because by the time Patrick goes to bed, I'm DONE for the day. Right now, I'm considering it a great accomplishment to blog. With pictures.

So Friday became a Mommy-Patrick day. No chores, just lots of playing with nothing on the do to list. After a successful trip to Odyssey One (big indoor play structure) and a good nap, I was pondering what to do next. Turned out to be Play-Naked-In-The-Crib time. We through all the stuff out, then piled it back in. Jumped around. Practiced climbing out of the crib. Tackled and tickled. Just the thing for my busy, physical boy.

And we got some pictures.

It's so funny to watch kids with digital cameras. They all go to look at themselves after the click. Patrick is enamored with his own photos. This is the first time I got him to smile on purpose for a picture. Usually it's dumb luck that I'll catch a grin in time.


I had to aim careful, because he's, you know, nekkid. This boy loves nekkid right now. It's all I can do to keep clothes on him at home. Or at a friend's house. At least he's not pitching a fit about it at Target. So if he's getting grumpy at home, we get nekkid and jump on Mommy's bed. Instant happy fix.

He's also continuing to pee in the potty. This is a surprise development, and one Kevin and I are treating with great care. We don't want to get all militant about it, but we want to encourage it as long as he's willing. We have two great motivators: flushing the toilet and M&M's. We say, "do you want to pee in the potty?" If no, then we continue on. If yes, then off we march. He always gets to flush whether he pees or not, but success gets him an M&M. He's still in diapers the rest of the time. Considering I thought we were at least a year away from this interest, I'm pretty tickled Patrick decided it was an OK thing to try.



We also said good-bye to my first car this weekend. The Subinator was purchased for $6500 after I graduated from PLU in 2000. The radio and A/C have been broken for years, but the car has continued to run well with moderate repairs. It was the first car of the gal I bought it from. So when Kevin asked me if I would be willing to sell it to one of his co-workers who needed a first car but didn't have much cash, I decided the time was right to pass on some good karma. We've been the recipient of much generosity since Patrick was born, and it was great to be in a position to help somebody else. We sold her for $400 cash. Not bad for a working, non-trashed car. As she drove away, Kevin and I glanced at our two remaining cars. A VW station wagon. A Honda Odyssey.

It's a new era.