The Missing Egg

Jamie got the eggs out of the refrigerator and hid them under his bed. When we found the eggs one was missing from the new carton. We tried to get Jamie to find the egg, we searched for the egg, but simply couldn't find it. I couldn't figure out for the life of me what he could have done with that egg.

Last night I got the basket where we keep his dirty sheets and blankets and put them in the wash. When I pulled them out to put them in the dryer there was brown flakes all over the wash machine. Upon close examination I realized it was the egg. Little bits of the shell were scattered all over the inside of the wash machine. How I missed it when I was putting the stuff in the washer is beyond me.

When Mommy Can't Comfort

I hate it on the nights that Jamie wakes up and you can't console him. Those nights have gotten fewer and far between, but it's so frustrating when they happen.

He woke up around 2:00am crying. I went to him and picked him up. He settled down and I took him to my room. He said he wanted to go up front with Daddy. He often goes to sleep on Daddy in the evenings when they watch TV together. I took him to Matt and he tried to settle in. It seems he could not get comfortable and soon started crying uncontrollably.

Matt brought him back to bed with me and I tried rubbing his back. He kicked and cried and said he was hungry. I offered him different light snack options and he said he didn't want any of them. He climbed out of bed and ran to his play room. There he stood crying. I tried to comfort him but he didn't want me to mess with him so I went up front to let him have some time to calm down. I kept going back to check on him every couple of minutes. It's hard to know exactly what you should do when this happens because you want to do something to sooth your child when he is so upset.

He ran down the hallway to his bedroom, then to the back door and hid behind the bookcase. I asked him if he wanted to watch a movie and he said no as he ran back down the hallway to the playroom. I went back up front to give him his space. He quit crying and I went to check on him. He was in the bed in the playroom asleep with both of his Eeyores. His little legs were pulled up and crossed. Poor little fellow was just so sleepy he didn't know what to do with himself.

If my camera was charged I would have taken a picture of him in the strange sleeping position. I covered him up, but didn't risk kissing him, though I wanted to so badly. He tossed a little when I did it and stretched his legs out. I thought he might wake again, but he didn't. He's sleeping peacefully. Hopefully he'll sleep good through the remainder of the night.

Jamie and His Cars

Kidisms 9/8/08 Shadow Eggs

We were out on the back deck yesterday and Jamie was lining up shadow eggs (his term for imaginary) on the banister. He looked so cute with chocolate all over his face that I went and got the camera to get some shots of him. When I came back with the camera he insisted I take pictures of his eggs. That's how I got him to cooperate fully and get the fabulous shots of him with his chocolate goatee.

Chocolate Goatee

After eating chocolate pudding Jamie starts to look more like his Daddy than me with his chocolate goatee.

My Little Photographer Strikes Again

Jamie likes to get up early in the morning when everyone is asleep and get into things. I usually keep the camera locked up in the office, but sometimes I accidentally leave it out. This morning was one of those times. Most of the pictures are what you would expect. I have pictures of the tops of doors, the floor, and some fuzzy unidentifiable pictures. There's always the incriminating shot that gives away the culprit beyond a shadow of a doubt.

But today there was this beautiful light picture. I can not identify it's source. I'm assuming the TV, but it really turned out quite pretty.

What Does It Take to Bring in the Light?

As I set of to make this post, I glance beside me and there is a hallmark card. It was part of a gift set that someone bought me so many years ago. I have sent cards identical to this to many people over the years and now it sits there for me.

I believe we are HERE for a reason. As each DAY
unfolds, we see less of the SHADOW and MORE of the sun.

But how do you get to believe this when days just seem drowned with darkness? It really doesn't take much. It takes kind words from people who love you, it takes understanding and compassion for those around you. You're life doesn't have to change for you to begin to see the light.

I have been going through such difficult time emotionally, physically, mentally, and financially. I felt alone and hurt by those who thought caring was tearing me down. Then a friends came over with her mother and her sister. I have known her for almost 16 years, but in the last few years we have not seen each other a lot due to our varying lives. They visited for a very short while and I didn't expect to really be able to enjoy their visit much since I had spent the last month crying seemingly endless tears.

They came and talked to me, sharing their stories of being where I am at various stages of their lives. Talking to someone I need not defend myself to or explain myself to was like having the weight of the world lifted from my shoulders. All I needed was a little understanding. As I typed out a heartfelt thank you to my friend I cried many tears. However, for the first time in so long, they were not tears of bottomless sadness, but tears of gratitude and joy.

The greatest surprise after their visit was how long the light in my home would last. Every day I awake with optimism. I'm seeing less of the shadow and more of the sun every day.

Foam Crafts

There are a large number of foam crafts out there for kids to do. I use a lot of them. A lot of them are perfect for toddlers and can be completed with little or no help from you. You can also find them everywhere and for very little cost.

Here's an adorable little visor Jamie made with no assistance from me. The Cars sticker pack came with stickers, glue and glitter. Jamie felt it necessary to glue the stickers on because he just loves playing with glue! He's so funny.

Kidisms 9/6/08 Butterflies In Your Stomach?

Ever had butterflies in your stomach? We all know that feeling. Apparently my son does too, as well as the feeling of having bugs, crocodiles, frogs, sharks, cars, birds, and elephants. He informed me that these various items are in his body. I asked him how they got in there and he simply replied, "I don't know." Then he hushed me and told me they were sleeping. Well, this definitely explains how he can eat so much and stay so skinny. He's got a lot of critters to feed in there.

Kidisms 9/5/08

It was such a nice day. I played with Jamie and we had a good time. He's getting to be such a little jabber mouth and his imagination is just so funny. We must have dyed imaginary eggs for hours. It's amazing how many color variations he can come up with. After we were done we threw them in the floor and "hatched the eggs" and lots of colored baby birds were flying around the room. Of course, we had to open the door and let them outside so they could find some worms. It's a good thing, too, because we had no sooner got them out when the room flooded and sharks were everywhere. We had to keep our feet on the furniture to keep them from biting our feet. Luckily, the sharks didn't really want to eat us. Apparently they actually live on a diet of peanuts and water. That is sure a relief.