Letter from Editor

Over the past several days I've gotten a few little comments about my blog not being updated often enough. Please allow me to address your concerns.
I know that this blog makes many people happy. I know at least one of you looks at this first thing in the morning and last thing at night. I know some of you, when you can't sleep, log on to find out about our latest adventure. I am well aware of the fact that many of you rely on this window into our lives to provide you with procrastination time at work. So, I know that it is important to keep this blog relatively up to date.

However, it is also important that I do our laundry. I am amazed by how much laundry a family of three can produce, particularly when one family member is peeing through her PJs four times a week. Also turns out, that while a laundry chute is GREAT, a laundry dumbwaiter would be FABULOUS. It is time consuming to get all our clean garments back up from the basement to the second floor, and then from the basket(s) to the drawers and closets. I hate laundry. Sidenote: it is even more time consuming if you are going up and down these stairs with an independent just about 21 month old who doesn't want to hold your hand, thank you very much, and can get up or down her damn self, so BACK OFF.

Turns out a family of three also produces a copious amount of dishes that must be washed. Granted 95 percent of them are washed by our dishwasher, however, there is no magic spell that gets them from the sink, to the dishwasher, back into the cabinets.

To keep the dust and filth from taking over I also must vacuum, sweep, mop and dust. You would be amazed at how long it takes to vacuum our darn house. I vacuum almost daily to keep on top of the cat fur, tracked in dirt and renegade cheerios. Not to mention the dust, the spiders that keep threatening to overtake my basement, and the general filth that we manufacture.

I also must see to it there is food in our house. Not just reduced-fat Wheat Thins and beer. But actual food with nutritional value. Food like carrots and lunch meat and yogurt and string cheese. In addition to making sure said food is in the house, I more often than not, need to figure out how to assemble the food into some kind of well balanced nutritional meal. I am totally content with eating mac-n-cheese and hot dogs six times a week, but Addie's pediatrician disagrees.

And then there are all those pesky other things like making beds, dropping of dry cleaning, tackling yard work, keeping our bathrooms from being hazardous to our health, making sure the oil is changed in the cars and that the bills are, more or less, paid.

Oh, wait, I am also attempting to shower each day, get in a few workouts a week, teach a child how to talk, count, sing, problem solve, put on shoes, be kind, generous, self-reliant and curious.

So, on occassion, when I am not sitting on my ass watching TNT Prime Time in the Daytime, I attempt to do all the things I have just mentioned. And while I would like to neglect laundry, more often than not I end up having to neglect blogging.

I know. I know. There are parents who work full time or more than one job and they have to do all the same things. There are parents who do not have a partner who will take over dinner duty, because it is finally nice enough to grill again. There are moms who have multiple young children and they also have to grocery shop and do laundry. I KNOW. I am not trying to say I am a martyr, or that my life is harder than theirs or yours. I am just saying that, jeezloueez, there is a lot to get done in a day.

I will try to do better. If I am showered, and the big chores are done, and she is napping, I will blog. I will regale you with stories about her coloring skills, her endless need to say the words bubbles, purple, kitty and uh-oh. I will entertain you with melt downs in public and scraped knees due to bad parenting.
But once in awhile, I may neglect you, my friends, just because life sometimes creeps up on me, sucker punches me in jaw, and demands that I do all the mundane things that I try to avoid while being Fabulous in Cincinnati.

With that said, I have to go change pee pee stained sheets, make my bed, shower, drop off Andy's dry cleaning and call the exterminator (those spiders think they have the upper hand...but they don't know what I am capable of).



**For a like minded rant I highly recommend peeking in here. Because, damn is she funny. And accurate. And makes me feel slightly better about all things related to figuring out motherhood.

Word of the Week (or last four weeks)

I had always figured that the word I would first want to eradicate from Miss Thang's vocabulary would be NO.

Trust me it is a word that I hear hundreds of times a day. Sometimes she is telling me doesn't want to have her diaper changed. Sometimes she is telling me that she doesn't want waffles for breakfast, or eggs, or oatmeal, or a banana. Sometimes she is telling me that she doesn't want to get in the car, go to the store, put on her shoes, wear a barrette, hold her cup. Sometimes she is telling the cat that she doesn't not want her in the same room or on her blanket or breathing. Sometimes she is telling Rylan that she doesn't want to share, or Gramma that she isn't interested in talking on the phone.

Sometimes she just says NO over and over, in different tones, different pitches, different volumes. Sometimes NO is a statement. Sometimes it's a question. Sometimes it is her way of tattling on herself.

This is all to say I hear NO more than I care to count.

But NO doesn't hold a candle to BUBBLES.

There have been days when every utterance incorporates the word bubbles.

She has asked for bubbles first thing in the morning.

Last thing in the evening. During lunch.

On our way to Target. Playing on the slide.

Going 70 miles per hour down I75 to pick up Aunt Nikki...Bubbles, bubbles, BUBBLES.

Occasionally it is posed as a sweet question: Bubbles, mama?

Occasionally it is posed as a threat: BuBBLES! BuBBLEs. BuBBLEs!

Once in awhile it is an after thought: Bubbles?

More often than not, it is a deep, relentless desire: Bubbles. Mama, bubbles. Bub.Bles. Peas, bubbles? Bubbles.

I usually give in. We blow bubbles outside. She takes bubble baths. I fill the sink up with bubbles and she splashes - and all is right in her 20 month old universe.

Bubbles. Bubbles. BUB.BLES. PEAS!!! Mama?? Mama. MaaaaMaaa? Bubbles!

And down she goes

Last week I wrote about Addison's grace and coordination.

I failed to be completely honest and confess that the week before, while I was loading the car to head to Carolina, Addie took a header off the garage steps on to the cement. She was rewarded with a very impressive goose egg on her head. Other than her bruised bump, she seemed no worse for the wear.

Saturday she was standing on a kitchen chair playing with bubbles at the sink, while I unloaded the dishwasher (maybe not my best judgment) when she got a little over excited and toppled off. Again, she was fine, not even a bump. Actually she was more upset about her bubble play being interrupted and had very little patience for mommy's hugs and injury check.

Today was yet another display of brilliant parenting.

Addison faked a nap, we went shopping and then we played outside. Addison was playing with her chalk on the patio and I was sweeping the four gazillion red berries into our flower beds. In a matter of a nanosecond, Addie scrambled to the top of our two patio steps to talk to kitty through the door - and then she fell. Again.

And she smacked the exact same spot that was attacked by the garage...only this time she scraped it and it bruised, and it's red, and it's swollen, and it has little spots of blood.

But if you ask her where her boo boo is, she still pulls up her pant leg and points to her knee.

Not much

Addie and I had a lovely weekend of girl time...Miss Karen B. took a spur of the moment trip down to the 'Nati to enjoy our company and our sunshine. Her timing was perfect, being that Andy is not only immersed in March Madness, but also had to work from midnight Saturday until 9 a.m. Sunday.

Karen and I did some shopping, a lot of eating (mmmmm, fried pickles), a bit of wine drinking and a ton of laughing. Before she hit the road yesterday Karen honed her "little people" art skills with Addison, decorating the front of our house.
Visiting season has officially begun...next weekend we are going to see Haro, and, hopefully, Berto. Smitty, Pat and unnamed others are in town in April. My mom and aunt (hopefully) will be here the end of April and the Cubs extravaganza is in early June. I am thinking that as part of our landscaping I need to incorporate room for an "Vacancy" sign.
This week we have a beautiful forecast - 60s and 70s - which is WAY better than the weather here or here. I heart southern Ohio....

Then and Now

Ahhh, back in the day.
Beer upon beer. Car bombs. Jameson shots. Green feather boas, fuzzy bunny ears, bowls of Fruit Loops. Renata in a laundry basket, games of beer pong, lounging in the March sun.

St. Patrick's Day in Chicago.


Ahhh, today.
Six-thirty wake up (no beer). Play date in the park, 1.5 mile walk (no car bombs). Yard work on the patio (no Jameson shots). Baby dolls and sidewalk chalk and fake petting zoos and bubbles.

St. Patrick's Day in Cincinnati.

LITTLE LEPRECHAUNS

Owwwch

Addison declared that yesterday was a nap-free day. That declaration resulted in her passing out in the car at 6:30 p.m., about 45 seconds after we started the long 1.4 mile drive home from Grandma's. Amazingly she remained asleep until 7:00 a.m.

And then, today she boldly declared it another nap-free day (granted she snored for 15 minutes in the car on our way home from class, but that really doesn't cut it as a nap). As a result of two nap free days I am ready to curl into a small ball, and pass out drooling on my new couch pillows.

(Oh la la, new couch pillows. Andy got two pub tables for the pool room and I got four new couch pillows....you'd think that was a raw deal, but I am so happy to have pretty pillows once again. It has been said that I am a bit high maintenance, but seriously, what is high maintenance about four pillows bought on clearance? See, I am EASY to please.)

Anyway, I have noticed that when Addison decides to forgo naps or to have a crappy night of sleep, her coordination tends to go out the window. I guess it could be argued that she has the coordination and grace of her mother (if you have never seen me on a balance beam, it's pretty entertaining), but I am going to work under the premise that it's lack of sleep, not bad genes that is her enemy.

Today she fell off Grandma's couch and rocking chair. She tripped over her own feet and sprawled across the kitchen floor. She walked into the table's edge (actually, that is almost a daily occurrence). She flipped out of her chair, backwards and she almost fell head first into the tub while trying to test the water temperature. I tell you all of this to let you know that even though she was a bit of train wreck today, she was unscathed. No visible bumps or bruises, no cuts, scabs or hangnails.
Under the watchful eye of her mother, she was safe and sound.

Yesterday, however, was more tragic. At some point in the evening, under the watchful eye of a certain someone, she fell. It was tragic...her first skinned knee. She did a little fake crying, got kisses from me and Grandma, was given a band aid and was a-okay.

A-okay until her sleep deprived day today when she remembered that she had a red badge of courage. At which point she felt the need to remind me, and everyone else she came across, that she was damaged goods. She did so by pulling up the leg of her pants, pointing to her bitty, little, scabbed, scraped knee and saying, with just the right amount of cuteness and patheticness:

Boo boo. Owwwch. Boo boo.

Drama mama, I tell you.

...Going to Carolina...

Ahhhh, to be home. I have been "on the road" for the past four weekends, and while I loved all of my trips, I am thrilled to be back on my own couch.

Andy, Brian and I headed off to Chapel Hill, N.C. this weekend to cheer the Tarheels on to victory over evil Duke Blue Devils. I was a little worried about leaving Addie for 3.5 days. She had been in her Mama-only phase and had a bit of a cold. Turns out Iworried needlessly. Her plethora of caretakers (Grandma, Aunt Nikki, Genna) all reported that she was good as gold. In fact, Nikki swears that within minutes of us dropping her off, we were all but forgotten.

Being in the Carolina sunshine with Christie Lee was just what the doctor ordered. The doctor did not, however, order the abuse that I inflicted on my liver on Saturday or the amount of fried food I shoved down my throat...but the laughter outweighed the damage.

Christie and I dropped the boys off at their place of worship on Sunday and we headed out for some shopping and girl time. We wisely chose to watch THE game from the best venue ever: a nail salon. The game was quite tight and nerve wrecking at times, but I managed to stay calm as my feet were being massaged and my nails polished. Chris and I headed back to Franklin Street, the scene of too many drinks from the night before, just in time to catch the last 15 minutes of game and be swept up in pure Tarheel Mania.

Andy and Brian were, of course, flying high and a little bit overwhelmed. I am pretty sure that Sunday was the second greatest day of Andy's life: Addie's birth eked out No. 1, and the game shoved our wedding to third.

Both boys had sore throats from cheering and Andy had a bruised finger from clapping so hard. The boys and Christie celebrated the big win, while I, in shocking role reverseal, played the responsible adult. Note to self: it's no fun being a responsible adult.

Our trip was wonderful and entertaining, the drive back was gassy (two hungover Neyer boys + one car = nasty) but relatively painless. And when we arrived home, Little Miss Thang was up waiting for us - even if it did take her a minute or two to remember who we were.

Another Museum of FUN

Not the best quality photo, but hysterical!

Addison is a bit impatient. Watch out Rylan!!

Turns out the Cincinnati Children's Museum ROCKS. Addison and I happily drove 20 minutes down I-75 Tuesday afternoon to play with Rylan, Aunt Kimmie and Uncle Dickie...It had been at least two weeks since the kiddos had played together, and SO much as changed. Our little buddy (Rylan, not Rick) is walking. Like a sailor hopped up on Scotch, but nonetheless he's walking.

Ry and Addie tore around the museum loving the toddler Room, the ball cage, the tree house, the super-duper water works and pretty much EVERYTHING else they saw. Ry got a little tired and headed home after two hours, Addie and I stuck around for almost another hour of pure fun.

We had a great time a few weeks back at the children's museum in Holyoke, and after seeing the pure joy experienced this week at our children's museum, I think I have found yet another fun-filled family membership. I am pretty sure this place will be a life saver in the bleak winter months and a godsend in the scorching summer months.

And really, what is more fun than a chlorinated river of water?

Add this to the word count

I thought, when I first heard her say this, I was just imagining it. Then when we went to Gramma's house, she said it again. But no, there was no way my kid was recognizing this person and saying his name. No way.

Then on Monday, before heading back down to Cinci, we went to breakfast at Tweet with Michael, Kah-ren, Jill and BK. Quick aside here, um, YUM! Super yummy and super cool little place that bends over backward to accommodate little diners, worth the effort to find parking on Sheridan Road.
High up on the wall at Tweet is a framed portrait, for sale by the artist, of The President of the United States. Addison was sitting at the table, facing the entry way, munching on bananas and coloring, when she suddenly looked up, pointed and said, clear as freaking day, "Baar-wock".

I thought my dining companions were going to fall off their chairs.

Girl genius? Of course.
The future of the DNC? Quite possible.

Weekend Wrap-up

Addison and I are back from our Girls Weekend in Chicago. I was pretty apprehensive about driving alone with her for 5+ hours, but I must say, it was a rousing success and Addie was a gold star passenger.

We got to play with Gram and Pawpaw and cousin Emmett. Addie also got to see her old friend Evan and her new friend Gerald. She had quite the social weekend.

The main purpose of our visit was to see Michelle pregnant and wish her luck in her final weeks of pregnancy, but we got the added bonus of seeing tons of Gram and Pawpaw and a bunch of our friends, thanks to Corey and Laura hosting a frufru Saturday*. Somehow I managed to get no pics of the pregnant ladies (Lauren is displaying quite the pregnant belly as well), but did capture the reunion of Addison with her summer love, Tool.

It was observed this weekend that Addie is quite partial to gentlemen. She liked seeing all the ladies, but it was her boys that truly thrilled her. Tool, Berto, Michael and Pawpaw were the big winners of Addie's attention throughout our visit.

Addison seems thrilled to be back in her own house with all her toys...I haven't had the heart to tell that she's spending all next weekend away at Grandma Patty's.

Here are a few shots of our weekend:

Wondering why Emmett is naked.........Playing wit Pawpaw and the Kitty


Rekindling summer love with Toolio................ Hanging with Gerald and Evan

Oh, and a quick update on lessons learned:

1) The portable DVD player is a divine intervention from God...as is The Lion King. 2) Thin Mints aren't the best treat to give a 19 month old...they just suck the chocolate off and hand you back a soggy cookie.

En route to Chicago on a Thin Mint high

*FruFru Saturday sure has evolved. This time it involved 4 kids under the age of two, the night was over by 12:30 a.m. and not one person vomitted....