Well, this has certainly been an eventful month. Luckily, none of the events have involved calling Poison Control. The weird things the boys have eaten this month have all been things that Nick has ingested in the past that resulted in previous calls to poison control. So I know that either it is not toxic or they didn't eat enough of it to harm them. I feel like a pro! For this moment. ;)
Nick and Michael had their last day at Ms. Jeanne's house a couple of weeks ago. I am so greatful to Jeanne and her family for taking such wonderful care of the boys. I don't know what we ever would have done without her. She has been so sweet, supportive, and an absolute angel! Nick is ready for preschool though and I found a great school near where I work where the boys can both go. They started this week.
Nick LOVES school! He is reportedly well behaved, sweet, excited to learn, and is following directions well. I had to verify we were actually talking about my kid because I was almost positive she had him confused with someone else. But I actually was able to observe him without him seeing me and he really was doing great! It takes a lot of energy for him to behave that well for that long and when we walk out the door of the daycare, it's like he is suddenly posessed by some sort of demon. Bags go flying, the screaming begins, his legs apparently stop working...I am guessing it is just the transitional period, or so I told my self as I got hit in the head by a lunch box today. Then I wondered if I threw it back at his head if that would be a good parenting technique and what the chances would be of someone calling Child Protective Service to report me. I decided it would be best not to test these thoughts. In the morning he is so excited to go to school. And I love that I get to listen to him chatter excitedly all the way there. He asks hilarious questions and since he is strapped down in his car seat and has nothing better to do, he actually answers my questions and shares his thoughts and feelings about things with me. It has been wonderful!
My favorite conversation was when he was asking about why his daddy and I weren't married anymore. I gave a brief explanation and he asked if we could get married again. I told him once you were divorced, you couldn't get married to the same person again. It was the rules. Since he is big into rules, that made perfect sense to him. Then Nick asked if I could marry someone else. I told him I could but I was perfectly happy with just the three of us. Nick told me he wanted me to marry someone else. So I asked who he thought I should marry. His answer...."Aunt Sari"
That led to an entirely separate discussion and explanation of "the rules." That was a bit much at 6:30 AM, but still quite entertaining. Now when I hear that thoughtful sounding, "Mommy?" I know I am heading for trouble. In the past month we have discussed where babies come from (where he insisted on the real answer...ugh!), why some children don't have toys to play with or food to eat, what makes thunder, and Nick asking what "them chicken jackin' my style"meant. The last one resuted in me quickly changing the radio station and me telling him, "my bad, dawg." :)
Michael...not such a fan of school. He screamed the first day. The second day, he screamed for 3 minutes but was fine the rest of the day except for "when someone made him do something he didn't want to do." Today he didn't cry. He went on a revolt. He whapped other kids with his bear blanket, threw things, and was generally disruptive. It's hard to tell how much is just his age and how much is him acting out...probably a combination of both. Unfortunately, it seems that both of my boys inherited my lovely stubborness so they can be 'challenging' at times. Michael continues to be sweet but definitely is not docile as he was as a baby and has strong opinions on...everything. Luckily he is still distracted by shiny objects and weird voices so his attention can easily be diverted until he forgets whatever random thing was worth fussing about the moment before.
We went to Aunt Pat's beach house for a vacation this month! It was so fabulous! It was great getting to spend time with Aunt Pat, Nonna, Pop, Sari, Emily, and Jack! We all really enjoyed that time and it was fantastic getting to see the kids at the beach. The extra hands and help made the vacation a true vacation. Dealing with wet, sandy kids with support made it just completely fun!This is my last week dealing with customer complaints. I go back to working as a consultant on the phones again next week, which I am greatly anticipating. It has been a tiring and stressful 5 months and I am ready for peace at work. I am so excited to go back to my old team too...I missed them!
And...shocking news...I am dating someone and have gone out with him more than once! I actually had dated him 6 months ago, but had some issues with trust, for some reason, and had trouble tolerating the very idea of being in a relationship. So I made the reasonable choice and freaked out and ended things. We remained friends and I had time to get to know him better and decided I actually did like him and it may be worth taking a small risk to see what may happen. He is a single dad with a 4 year old daughter who I met through the single parents group we attend. Don't worry...no plans to go to Vegas or anything. ;) In all seriousness, dating as a single mom is no joke. The stakes are so much higher and I can not afford to make a mistake. A mistake that messes up my life is one thing. I can not stand the idea of the boys being hurt again. I have no idea what will happen and am in no hurry to find out, but for right now, I am very much enjoying getting to spend some time with a seemingly very nice guy who has an incredible amount of patience.
I think that is about it for August. Except....happy birthday a day early, Aunt Sari!!!! :)
