This dang pig!

I'm gonna kick this Pig Pens butt, if I ever find her!  I've got nothing better to do this morning than to ransack my house for a 1" stuffed pig, right? It would be easier to have another baby and give Kyle a sibling than to search for this thing every day!

Bat Mom is Home Alone

....and far less entertaining than the 1st edition featuring that cute little Culkin; this movie features and lonely injured Mom and it's just plain sad.  I really wish I had sat down to the blog 2 weeks ago to document the true crazy raw emotions I was experiencing as the 1st day of Kindergarten approached because the before and after would be a trip compare.  To say I was an emotional disaster would be putting it mildly and I was more surprised than anyone to be feeling the way I was (still am....ya know...just a tad).  In my mind Kyle wasn't only heading off to Kindergarten, he was racing out of my arms at an alarming rate to Kindergarten, high-school, college, marriage and there was nothing I could do to stop it!  For the past 5 years I have been fortunate to be present for 99.9% of everything he's done, been, eaten, watched, learned and in control of his almost entire environment and while I'm beyond thankful for every minute, it's become grossly real that it really does go by too quickly?!  Who knew all the millions of parents who say it are correct, huh?  2 weeks ago the thought of putting him on a school bus threw me straight into dry heaves and had me seriously considering home-schooling, and then I realized all too quickly that I don't know anything and had to strike that plan.  He was rather indifferent about the whole thing.  "Yeah, OK Mom I'm going to Kindergarten, I don't really feel like talking about it anymore"  Day 1 was a tough one, I won't lie.  Lots of tears shed throughout the day, lots of wondering going on and then the bus arrived to drop him off and that beautiful little boy bounced off with the biggest smile, laughing and playing with his new friends as if he'd been doing it for years.  He completed his 1st full week today and I couldn't be more proud.  So, now that I'm creeping off the couch a bit more each day I'll be focusing a lot more on the BAT in my Bat mom name from 8-4 and I'll shove as much MOM in as humanly possible from 4pm on. I don't think I'll ever get over missing our impromptu Zoo runs mid-day, mid-week though.......

Crisis averted!

Because Kyle doesn't have a sibling (and assures me he doesn't want one to those of you who hound me on a weekly basis) he takes things into his own hands and creates his own playmates.  We all remember Jaryld the stuffed hampster, yes? Well, for some reason Jaryld went missing during the move and thankfully things were so busy and new and exciting that Jaryld simply went to the wayside and we haven't heard of him since.  We do    however have a new friend, Pig Pen!  (seen in Kyle's backpack below)

Try to focus on that cute little pig and not that beautiful boy if possible.  So, I have been given the task of babysitting Pig Pen while Ky is off at Kindergarten and I won't lie, it's a tough task.  I've been given a list of things to know about her including nap times, favorite foods, bath times and an extra leash in order to walk her.    This is no joke in case some of you think I'm exaggerating at all, it's the real deal my friends.  With the background set I'll move on to the "crisis" if you will.  After school yesterday Kyle came home and headed to Mammy's room for some down time with Pig Pen.  While catching up on Spongebob they were playing, he tossed her in the air and the ceiling fan took her for a ride to the top of the bookcase.  Seemed like a simple solution right? I grabbed a ladder and climbed my broken butt up to get our friend Pig Pen.....and Surprise!  The bookshelf was a built-in beside the fireplace as an afterthought I'm guessing and there is a large space behind it roughly 2 sq ft deep/wide and 10 ft deep!!!!  Yay for me!  Bedtime, injured back, trapped Pig Pen and distraught little boy - so what's a girl to do but get to work designing a Pig Pen recovery system.  I worked for about an hour with mirrors, belts, sticky lint rollers, coat hangers, flashlight, hooks, etc....  it was an interesting sight and to no avail.  Matt called in the middle of it and decided he would re-route his trip home and stop to pick up a replacement Pig Pen "just in case". Kyle cried himself to sleep in my arms missing Pig Pen and broke my heart in pieces while I promised to get her out.  Matt got home in time to slip the "new" Pig Pen into his arms before falling asleep a bit more soundly.  This solution was short lived when Ky woke up this AM and the 1st thing out of his mouth was "Pig Pen is so clean and soft, Mom".  Uh oh!  "Moooommmmmm, Pig Pen looks different!!" and here come the tears........  Daddy got to work on the bookshelf Pig Pen recovery asap and with some fishing gear and tape and Voila!! Pig Pen was recovered just before running to the bus this morning.  Kyle literally cried tears of joy when Daddy handed over the correct, dirty, un-soft Pig Pen.  Happily ever after :)

Couch Bound & Going Crazy!

It's been a LONG time and I've been wanting to get back to the blog especially since Ky is off to Kindergarten and I want to make sure I don't forget a moment of this new adventure.  As we start this lovely adventure and Ky is off enjoying his day, I'm confined to the couch with the worst back injury I've ever experienced.  Day 3 on the couch and I'm still in bad shape.  Monday, as I lay on the bedroom floor for a solid 2 hours unable to stand up, I was scared to death convinced that I might never stand again.  Thankfully I had my cell phone with me when I went down and Matt drove home as quickly as possible.  I'm off to the Dr. and hopefully an MRI to  determine whether or not this is a few more days on the couch or something more serious.  It's painful for the obvious reasons, but it's more painful & depressing to be unable to care for my family.  I am so lucky because they are still taking great care of me.

Silly Bands at 3 years old?

It's been a while and I've found new inspiration to blog again (at least at this moment) because I started this blog hoping to document Kyle's childhood and he's going to be 4 in August - I should probably get on it. And I know Mammy enjoys it too :) For the 1st time I was at the mercy of the retail gods searching for "silly bands" And they don't sell them at Target?! WHAT, I can't find it at Target - it must not exist! Someday I just know I will be duped into getting a Target CC becuase I'll answer yes without listening and before you know it I'll owe thousands to them. Got off track, sorry. No, I have to search gas stations and Trucchi's markets to find the latest and greatest "it" toy which is in danger of being banned from schools. Silly bands. Kyle is officially sporting 35 of them and I know this becuase he takes them off, lays them out and counts them 35 times a day. I won't know what the lower half of his left arm looks like for some time I'm sure and if he gets kicked out of pre-school for trading them its over. But, I'll admit I'm kinda into it. I was accused of such when my eyes lit up while hopping into the 4th store yesterday in search of them and I dug through the bin asking things like "is there a limit to how many pkgs I can buy?" and " Are they all animals or do they Oh look fruit one! " Yup - I'm that Mom. Felt a little bit of pride even when Kyle walked into school this AM and showed off that his Mom found silly bands. I'm kinda cool like that and get what the kids are into! LOL

Breast Cancer 3Day- Get something for Giving something

Dear Friends and Family,

I have decided to join the thousands of people walking the Susan G Komen Walk for a Cure 3DAY in Boston this year being held on July 23rd - 25th. I am blessed and thankful to say that I have not been touched personally by this terrible disease, but do have friends and family who have been and I walk for them. I am walking simply because I can. I am thankful that I can and I feel its important for me to walk for those who cannot, to support those who are in the middle of battle and for those who may face this one day.

I realize that there are many very important causes that need funds and this time of year a number of you will be asked for your donations in support of those causes which is why I am doing something a little bit different to raise the funds to support my walk. As many of you know I have made a rather successful mini-career out of photography and someday hope to expand into business. In an effort to raise funds for my walk and add to my photography experience I am offering a 1 hour photo shoot and in lieu of the $75 sitting fee I ask that you make a donation of your choice to the Susan G Komen 3Day Walk for a Cure. http://www.the3day.org/goto/ericajeanie

I will meet you somewhere outdoors or come to your house, spend 1 hour taking as many photos as I can and e-mail all of them to you as yours to keep. There is no copyright attached to them and you can do with them as you please. It's rather easy these days to upload them to many free sites i.e. Kodak and order as many or as little as you prefer in a variety of sizes. This is a way to help an important cause while getting a keepsake that you will have for years to come.

If this is of interest to you, please contact me at ericajeanie@yahoo.com to set up an appt. I have a variety of times and dates available and as the days are getting longer we have more sunlight to work with. Also, if you've donated already I thank you very much and send this to you asking that you pass this along to anyone who you think may be interested.

And of course, if you'd like to make a donation "just because" please do so at http://www.the3day.org/goto/ericajeanie

I thank you for your time and look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you,
Erica Grady

So long, GiGi - (interesting timing too)

you were a good fish! GiGi almost lasted a year, Papa and Deeda got Kyle GiGi last year on Mother's Day and she's been a good fish! I was surprised actually that in a house with 2 hunting cats she lasted as long as she did and who would have thought her own plastic plant would be the culprit! *Note to self and fish owners alike, the plastic plants are a no no too daffy. GiGi got trapped under her plant and couldn't get out and as we know unless a fish can swim its gills don't work properly and therefore, meets its demise. I am actually sad to lose our fish but was VERY nervous about telling Ky and actually considered not telling him hoping he wouldn't notice her bowl missing. Especially since the conversation we had the other day.....

Matt and I were confronted with a tough question coming from a very smart 3 year old who wouldn't let us get away with simple answers to the question "how do people die, mama"? I was literally tripping over my words as Matt entered the room to help me double team the situation. I was asking him why he wanted to know wondering if he was referring to something he saw on TV or an animal dying and trying to figure out just how detailed my answer needed to be but he wasn't giving me anything to work with. He's been asking about death a lot lately but this is the 1st time he outright asked the question. It was a lot harder than I ever thought it would be trying to be honest without scaring him. I was at a total loss and failing miserably"well, uhh, errr, sometimes..., ugh" Matt jumped in and said "sometimes people have bad accidents and die but we don't want you to worry about that at all because we all still have a lot of living to do" Good answer Daddy! Feeewf. (list of potential accidents now includes getting trapped under the plastic plant you once swam around) He seemed to be satisfied with Daddy's answer and quickly moved on to asking us how he could be on the show America's Funniest H0me Videos.

Bubble Popping with Papa Billy Bob

I am so thankful for the amazing relationships that Kyle has with each of his grandparents and that each of them is a constant positive influence in his daily life. This video is a small example of the fun he and Papa Billy Bob have together :)

Christmas Card Photo Shoot

I was a tad late taking pics for our Christmas Card this year. I suppose it's a bit like the electrician's house having no lights or the BatGuys house having bats; the photographers kid is the last for a photo shoot! However, I picked a perfect moment for it, Kyle was cranky and tired and the dog was more excited about playing with a stick. The entire session lasted about 10 minutes and sounded a bit like this "Ky, smile, sit, come here, no here, out of the sun, don't sit in the snow, grab Loco, ok, cheese, wait right here, now smile, over here, let me wipe your nose, oh shit, no over here, KY, LOCO, KY, LOCO, KY, Mom will you grab Loco, Ky can you smile please, please don't sit in the water, don't touch the ice, no don't jump, hold on, almost done, one more minute, one more smile, right here baby,Ok, we're done, " (My Mom will concur I'm sure) That being said, he's still the most handsome little photographers subject I've ever seen :) Although, I could be a teeny tiny bit bias?!

Happy 1st Birthday Delaney!

Storage Unit needed?!

I am assuming this will be necessary as the years go on seeing where we are only 4 months into Kyle's school days and I'm already having a hard time storing his beautiful masterpieces; such as these. And lord knows I couldn't possibly throw them away!!!

"Christmas Pattern"

"Santa Handprint"

"Tearful Poem"

"Hand Turkey & my newest most beautiful piece of jewelry"

And Remember, you're only in a Furniture Store....

is the tag line to the Jordan's Furniture LITE show and we heard in twice in the past 2 weeks! Mammy, Kyle and I took a trip to The Christmas Shops late one night because Kyle had a nap that day and I knew we had to do something. While on our way there we remembered The Enchanted Village was a new thing going on at Jordan's and decided to stop in. It was 7 pm on a Monday night and it was perfect timing because there was no line at all. What a beautiful display of 192o's Christmas themes.

And while walking through and viewing the displays Christmas music plays and every so often when a Christmas song mentions snow....it snows! The lights come on and the snow shoots out from every corner of the room. I'm pretty sure I was one of the more excited parents oohing and ahhhing at that part, but I loved it!

Knowing that you are supposed to be 40inches to ride the MOM ride (we had been denied a few weeks back) I put Kyle in his big snow boots and we sneaked him onto the ride. It was worth in because they played a 1/2 condensed version of The Polar Express in 4D and it was incredible. Ky loved every minute of it (twice because we did the same thing on the following Thursday afternoon with Nana Cill)

We end the adventure with the LITE show, which is a laser show set to Christmas music. Both trips were great fun. We were equally lucky to go at slow times and avoid the 3 hour wait that I've heard some folks have had to endure. Oh and Santa is there too!

Bedtime stories

Kyle will actually sit with me to read not only 1 bedtime book, but a whole pile these days. We have a few favorites, the most popular as of today is "Good Dog Carl" given to us by one of Auntie Erin's teacher friends. This book though small, short and with only 2 pages that actually contain words bring so much laughter at bedtime that I giggle a bit as I write this. It's about a big dog named Carl that's left alone to watch the baby while Mamma runs some errands (I know right? Like Loco could handle that!). Carl and the baby have lots of fun from one page to the next dancing in the living room, swimming in the fish tank, sliding down the laundry chute and by the time Mamma returns the baby is safely in bed, bathed and Mamma say's "Good Dog Carl" Kyle makes a point to stand up and dance with Carl and the baby.

The next book in the evening line-up was given to Kyle from Aunite Annie and is called "The pigeon gets a hot dog" and its just as silly as it sounds. Again, very little content but a whole lotta laughs! A pigeon is getting ready to enjoy a "sensational" hot dog and is being pestered by a duckling who's curious about the hot dog because he's never had one. Kyle's favorite take-away lines are "for pete's sake, can you believe this guy?" and "hmmm, needs mustard"

The newest addition to our bedtime reading is a Dr. Seuss book called "The Sleep Book". I personally LOVE any and all Dr. Seuss books. I love hearing them, I love reading them and I love sharing them with my little man. Many of our Dr. Seuss collection are special because they've come from Mammy (once Matt's books) and Auntie Laura. The Sleep Book is quite long with a lot of content but the funniest thing about reading this book is the amount of yawning we do. I've learned that not only are yawns in real life contagious, but even a Who's yawn from the pages of a book send yawns our way. ( I literally just yawned writing this) Kyle and laugh and yawn the entire time. I know that reading to your child is an important part of development but I never realized just how much fun I would have doing it.

Maybe, just maybe it influences this wild imagination of his?!

Halloween Fun

Halloween is always so much fun in our extended neighborhood because they go "all-out". People literally drive up from RI to park at The Birdlanes (a large neighborhood with street names after birds) . The candy goes quickly and the houses are spooktackular! We typically have a good group too which makes it that much more fun. The festivities started a week earlier this year at Uncle Stevie's work at Taunton Nursing Home and the whole crew dressed up! Kyle was rocking the alligator/crocodile/dragon costume this night and turned to a Devil the night of Halloween.

Halloween day we gathered for a nice backyard pumpkin carving session that went awry and winded up being a pumpkin guts fight! Matt innocently tossed a couple pumkin seeds and Mammy took full revenge for years of torture declaring all out war! She WON! Matt was drenched with guts from head to toe and Kyle joined in the fun too. Notice how I stay out of the mess, behind the camera my friends.

Sara and her little sister Caring came down, Kallie joined us and Marie and Trin came too! Poor loco has a boo boo (what else is new) so she couldn't partake in the pulling of the wagon this year and had to sit it out.

One of the funniest parts of the night was when the whole group was gathered outside of Trinity's friends house talking and getting ready to move on to the next candy station and out of nowhere comes a giant Gorilla running in and scooping Trinity up into its arms and taking off! She's screaming and kicking and Kyle all but runs straight home. All the while I'm whispering into its ear that the little boy in the stroller is scared of Gorilla's trying to get him to give Ky an extra scare but he didn't bite....the reason why was because it was UNCLE EDDY in the costume! Surprise! I had no idea, but some others were tipped off. It was great and he wore it the rest of the night, while Kyle chose to stay safely away from Uncle for the night.

We packed it in about 9:30 and headed home with giant bags of junk. And I'm still throwing it away little by little without it being detected :)

You did what?!

Matt left last week at 2AM to drive to the cape for a fishing trip on a good friends boat. He arrived home that night about 9PM with some great stories and pics. I'm a borderline worrier. If I allowed myself to think about the dangers of Matt's job hanging off of roofs all day long and recreational outings in the middle of the Atlantic with no cell phone reception, I'd have to be heavily sedated. He's a smart man and I trust his judgement so I don't allow myself to worry too much. And then he comes home with a story that goes a little like this; him hanging off the back of a fishing vessel, hooked into a 900lb tuna that pulled him overboard enough so that his entire upper body was underwater and his friend grabbed onto his legs pulling him back into the boat. The best part of that story? He never let go of the fish and they landed the dam thing! Now do you see why I can't allow myself to worry? If I thought of that crap every time he went out fishing I'd have to be in a coma to let him go. The smile on his face and the laugh he lets out while telling that story actually makes me happy, I know I'm twisted, but he loves it! How can you not be happy for the person you love to have such a great day doing something that makes him that happy? OK that said; it will be an entirely different story when Kyle wants to go.....ugh!

I'm a HUGE slacker, I know

I need to make more time for Blogging and less time for Bejewled Blitz I see! A month, really! Yikes. Let's see; where should I begin.

Kyle is a pre-schooler and successfully at that. The 1st day went really well, he got all dolled up, rolled his Diego backpack around and posed for pics like a champ. Daddy and Papa Billy Bob came with us for 1st day drop-off and it helped us both out a lot. I was VERY sad......very very very sad. I choked back my tears and put on a happy face for my little boy and actually never allowed myself to turn on the water works at all, even after I left the school. His teacher is amazing. I got a great, comforting feeling from her right away which is good feeling. He was given his own little cubby for his belongings with his picture on it and he went right for the sand table to play. Once his attention was on playing I kissed him on the head and quietly creptout the door. The following 4 hours were very strange for me. All I kept thinking about was "is he OK", "wonder what he's doing now", "I hope he's not crying" and I did break down and call to make sure he was fine. The teacher told me that he had a moment when he noticed I had left and cried a bit, but them found the sticky blocks and built a rocket ship. He was so excited to see me when I went to pick him up!!!! I don't get that often from him because he's not all the often away from me and when he is he's with his other most favorite people in the world so he never really misses me at all. He made friends, made arts & crafts, sat quietly during story time, played outside and learned about apples all in one morning and he was tired.

The next few drops offs were a little bit more difficult, it wasn't new and exciting anymore, now it was just "Mommy's not staying with me" and it made him sad. Every day has gotten a little bit easier and this week on Tuesday he was waiting at the door with his backpack wanting to leave early because his bestest friend in the whole world Bella was going that day too. I warned his teacher that the two of them were going to melt her heart when she saw how much they love each other. They sat together during story-time holding hands saying how much they love the other one and during the day if they lost track of each other one would always seek out the other to check -in. I have never seen a friendship at 3 years old like Kyle and Bella.

So he's got about 10 days at school under his belt now and he's doing really well. Brings home art and stories that filter out of him throughout the day, new songs, dances and new friends. I'm very proud of him.

Warning; the following may cause you to laugh very hard

Shiners for fishing with Daddy at the lake $5.00

Sunscreen for staying staying safe in the sun $9.75

A photo shoot while doing your business before take -off "priceless"

* *Footnote : Kyle, I apologize in advance for the embarrassment this might cause you someday!

My baby boy is 3!

Everyone warns a new mother to hang onto every moment with your new child because they certainly grow too fast....and you heed the warning soaking up every snuggle, kiss, hug and boo boo thinking to yourself "I'm not going to miss a beat". Then they turn 3 and all you can think is "where the hell has the past 3 years gone?" OK, in all fairness I have been blessed with a situation that has allowed me to spend all my time with Kyle since he was born and I am thankful to say that I have been with him for each milestone thus far, touching up the boo boo's, savoring the snuggles and helping him to learn and explore. The truth is that it still goes by very quickly and maybe it's that "time flies when you are having fun" or that life can really just pass you by. At any rate, I've enjoyed every moment thus far and look forward to the years to come. I can honestly say that at moments I can hardly remember what it was like to have a newborn and that at each and every stage of development so far I've claimed it to be the best. That said " this age is the best"! Kyle is a great kid. He's bright, he's great company, adorable, friendly, loving, a pest, a challange, a question box, a wise butt. He's my proudest accomplishment hands down and I love him dearly. Being a Mom, stay at home or otherwise is without a doubt the toughest job there is. The manual labor is what it is, but the emotional work far exceeds any position I've ever held with a company. Knowing that virtually every decision I make will affect him in one way or another can be a scary feeling and an empowering one at the same time. I've always found myself a bit out of place in life as far as "where do I belong" but being Kyle's Mom is by far the most comfortable place I've ever been and it just keeps getting better! We are sending Ky off to a couple mornings a week of pre-school this fall and my pro & cons list is 50/50 right down the middle! I'll miss the hell out of him even for those 8 hours a week, he'll be with a virtual stranger doing things without me, he'll be making friends and learning new things and won't need me to help him and wholly hell does that tug at the heartstrings, even as I write it. However, he'll be making new friends and learning new things, having fun and he won't need me to be there with him...and wholly hell that makes me proud.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Kyle James!

Preparing myself...

I'm sure I'll get a whole lotta crap for this comment considering the summer we've had, but holy hell is was too hot today! I felt like a slug all day long dragging myself through the day. I was extra cranky and felt like I needed a shower every 10 minutes! I give you all permission to remind me of this when I'm bitching about the digger I took on the 4 inches of ice we'll most likely be dealing next winter....but for the moment I'm thinking central air may be the next project! Or at least an option in the next house...