It's Scarlett's world...I just write about it!

Boo (hoo) at the Zoo!

My little girl is growing up so fast, but as we really submerge ourselves in that difficult period known as the Terrible Twos, Im learning that, in some ways, my biggie girl is a bigger baby NOW than ever before.

I'll get to that in a minute.

 Being an Ohio University gal, I puffy heart Halloween. More than birthdays, more than Fourth of July and it runs complete circles around Christmas. So it only makes sense that I've been prepping Scarlett on the whole Trick-or-Treat deal since August. She made it clear last month that she'd be dressing up as Thomas for Halloween. She fell in love with pumpkins, hay bales, orange & purple lights and anything else related to the holiday.

Then, I made the brilliant decision to take her to Boo at the Zoo last weekend...with her cousin, Stella, grammy and some friends. I couldn't wait. She loves the zoo...she loves to wear her Thomas costume around the house, and she loves her friends and cousin. Win-win, right? Wrong.

Upon our arrival, my usually very cheeky engine immediately showed signs of discontent. She wouldn't wear her costume. She didn't laugh at other costumes. The giant pumpkins annoyed her. The festival of purple and orange lights, and giant pumpkin displays, repulsed her. She was a volcano...just waiting to erupt..I could almost see the lava, bubbling under the surface.

 Quickly, I made sure I was ready for a quick exit. Unlike Mr. Buffett, I did know where I would go, when the volcano blows....running frantically for the parking lot...kid and stroller in tow. Within minutes of entering the zoo's gates, Mt. Scarlett DID explode into tears and screams...begging to be taken home. sigh.

Maybe she thought she'd see more animals (apparently they're not fans of 'Boo' either because most of them were hiding in their dens & cages)...maybe she was overtired, or maybe I've got a big scaredy cat on my hands right now. Either way, it wasn't fun for any of us involved.

Other parents who've experienced the "Two's" laugh at my story. One mom told me, "with a toddler, expect the unexptected". I guess I will.

So now when we venture out in public, I study her every move, facial expression, and tone of voice. I'm a "Scarlett scientist", if you will...trying to read her & predict her next meltdown. Because it will happen again. Soon. And I still dont' know where I'm a-gonna go when the volcano blows, but where I go, I hope there's Rum...

 
Exhibit A. forcing the costume on a very unhappy engine

Exhibit B.  You can see the early stages of complete meltdown just by looking at her face,  while cousin Stella & friend, Chase, look happily on.

Exhibit C. Thomas the Train in happier times, pre-Boo at the Zoo

 

Another Trip Around the Sun

 I'm old enough to begin dreading each and every birthday.

Yet I'm immature enough to still expect a celebration.

My "love" relationships with October 9th has turned into one of those "I-Hate-You-But-I -Love-You" no-win affairs. If my birthday were a human, I"m sure any therapist would tell me to break it off.

On One hand...its another "new start". I become very reflective this time of year...thinking deeply about what this last trip around the sun has taught me about life...and what I hope to accomplish on this next year long journey. I of course, take time to realize the blessings I've received.

I also, each year, lament the passing of the youth that is slipping farther away from my grasp. I don't listen to country but I heard a song in the dr's office that struck me recently...and I now its background noise in my brain..

"When did the choices get so hard?
With so much more at stake.
Life gets mighty precious when theres less of it to waste."

Anyway, the day came and went. Heard Scarlett in her crib that morning, singing "Happy Birthday Mommy...we eat cake". I could've melted. Had a great dinner with friends that night. Found out that I got a 100% on a 10 page paper I wrote last week. Recieved a new Coach wallet for my new Coach purse.

And Now I embark on 35 with definite plans in place, specific hopes for the next year, and a rough outline as to how I'll accomplish what I need to do. I plan to aggressively fight the aging process crows feet that are getting out of control.

When I recieved my "People' magazine this week..The cover screamed out at me, " People Is Celebrating its 35th Birthday"....

Who knew? My longtime BFF Mag, who I've subscribed to for 20 years, is the same age as me. This is the magazine that I look forward to every week. That I will sit in the tub with a glass of wine with, and read cover to cover on Friday nights. (yeah, that tells you about my social life). I have a love-love relationship with People magazine.  This week's issue was a look back at the last 35 years &  included a page of celebrties that are 35 years old now...(of course I can't see the crows feet on any of them...) So, Happy Birthday People! At least I can look forward to getting older, with you!  

the end of innocence?

  My good friend, Lizz, has ensured that I will never have to pay to get Scarlett's face captured on film again.

She's a wedding photographer, gracious enough to take Scarlett's pictures every few months. Several weeks ago, she met us at the park, and fired off hundreds of shots of my girl.

The results...well, I may be biased. But they're incredible. And it has as much to do with the photographer, as the subject...because I was there. Scarlett, as usual, was a force to be reckoned with. She didn't look when called...couldn't be bribed to pose -even with graham crackers, and wouldn't sit still for anything on the planet. Yet Lizz managed to perfectly grab the one thing I'm desperately clinging on to...the complete innocence of a child, whose quickly becoming all too aware, of the world around her.

Last week, Scarlett told me (in keeping with the train obsession) that she wants me to buy the 'bad' train. Diesel 10 is the mean choo-choo. And she wants him for her very own. Last night, we flipped on 'Finding Nemo'..and she pointed out the "bad shark"...and hid her eyes as a small fishy narrowly avoiding becoming bad shark's dinner.

I know we can't shield her from evil forever. But we certainly have never taught her about 'bad' guys yet. I guess its' everywhere, and since she's a sponge, she's caught right on. I look at these beautiful pictures taken just weeks ago, and see the absolute innocence in her eyes...and in her smile. And I know the photos my friend shot are priceless...she managed to capture what I believe, is the beginning of the end, of my daughter's innocence.

(prologue)...

 I bought her 'Diesel 10'..the 'bad' choo choo. I couldn't help it. He was on sale . I asked her last night why he is so 'bad'...and she said it was because he doesn't have a happy face on...and he likes to chase the other trains.  Thank you, dear daughter, for still believing that's as bad as 'bad' gets. Do me a favor, will ya? Don't ever write for the news.

A Very "Thomas" Birthday

The pictures are past due. Blame it on a different work schedule this week.

Last Saturday, we celebrated Scarlett's 2nd birthday.

2 Months ago, she made her intentions clear. She wanted a 'choo choo' cake for her birthday.

For those of you who aren't down with the toddler lingo, 'choo choo' means "Thomas the Train"

Thomas first invaded our lives last winter, when friends of ours gave Scarlett an old Thomas toy that his boys no longer played with. Then I flipped an episode on for her once, and it was over. My daughter's very first love affair. In March, I bought her a little wooden 'Thomas the Train'. She hasn't let go of it since.

Her first words when I get her out of bed each morning ..."choo choo please".

Her trains go everywhere with us.

We've watched her love for trains flourish to almost epic proportions.

Its nothing I've ever witnessed before.

So what choice did we have...but hold a choo-choo party last week. Grammy won big points with the rockin' cake.

 

In keeping with the theme, Scarlett now has tracks, more trains, a Thomas suitcase, and enough Thomas outfits to go through a week of "Choo Choo" only apparel, without mommy doing laundry.

I dont know how long this phase will last. Next year, she'll likely want a Princess party. But for now, my girl's heart belongs to Thomas. He makes her so incredibly happy that I guess in a little way, mine does too.

Toddling Toward the Not So Terrible 2's...

      Sometime, when I wasn't looking, Scarlett turned 2. In fact, not only was I not looking, I was 2000 miles away. Her aunt got hitched the night before in L-A and after months of mulling over options, we chose not to subject her to a 5 hour plane ride and 4 nights stuck in a boutique (meaning, NO child friendly accommodations) hotel.

    The good news? Daddy and I had a blast -a much needed getaway for the 2 of us. While there was quite a bit of obligation to keep us busy, we also managed to steal some sunshine at the beach, play tourists (in a 2 seated Beamer, no less) and indulge in many an adult beverage.

    While we were only gone for days, the child we came back too..well, we may have just as well been gone, an entire year. I know age is just a number.  But the daughter we came home too, was 2! And talking in complete sentences. And looking like such a child that I can't help wonder if she ever really WAS a baby.

    I mean, I know she was. I have pictures to prove it. 2 years ago today, we brought home 7lbs, 7 ounces of screaming infant who gave us a run for our money right away. If I think long and hard, I can remember those first few weeks. How she didn't sleep at night-at all. How she couldn't get enough bottle to satisfy her little tummy. How she screamed for an hour each and every night at 7pm...the Witching Hour, we called it. How I tried to visualize her as a walking & talking being, and couldn't.

And now she is. She's two. And isn't this age supposed to be terrible?

But so far, its been wonderful. She hasn't had a temper tantrum. She can tell us what she wants for breakfast, dinner, snack. She can tell us why she's upset. Why she's happy. What she wants to watch.

Her vocabulary is beyond what I could ever imagine to be toddler talk. 6 months ago, she didn't say much. Now she'll tell you an entire story-and she has her mom's gift of dragging out the details. Its awe-inspiring and gut-wrenching at the same time. The more I excitedly anticipate her future...the more I miss that red-faced screaming newborn. Her independence is thrilling, yet its also taking her away from me. But if I already have a hard time with this age, how will 5 feel? double digits? 18? college? weddings? It can be too much to think about.

I feel extreme pride and some heartbreak, knowing my baby is turning into a big girl. And while I wasn't looking the moment she turned 2, I'm watching now. Because she's growing up, right in front of my eyes.

I'm not that Mom...

I *want* to be that Mom. I really do.

Scarlett has a set of books -about what mommy and daddy do. In the "mommy" book, Scarlett learns (not just by the words..but the illustrations as well) that mommy keeps the house spotless ( while Daddy is at work all day),  takes baby on errands like the grocery store, and effortlessly whips up a healthy dinner for her family on a daily basis. Sometimes, dessert too. 

I'm not that mom.

If there were a book written about Scarlett's world (and not just a blog), she would see that our family rocks the roll reversal. Daddy whips up the healthy dinners for his family on a daily basis. Sometimes, dessert too.

But every once in a while, I get another case of 'mommy guilt'. I feel less of a mom because I don't cook, or trade recipes with friends, or plan my family dinners out week by week. That guilt got the best of me on Monday. Also, I was hungry, Daddy wasn't home, and Baby was sleeping. And we had the ingredients for lasagna.

Now, its not that I'm a particularly bad cook. I fended for myself for many years. And I do get satisfaction from a meal well made. But it doesn't come naturally, and I'm clumsy in the kitchen.

So back to that lasagna.  Not even 5 minutes into boiling the water, it overflowed in the pot (oops)  and spilled down my shirt. The scalding water left a pretty little 2nd degree burn on my stomach. It hurts. Like a lot.

But I forged ahead. Turns out, the lasagna was delicious. And I have a whole pan of it to enjoy.  Mike doesn't like ricotta cheese (I forgot) and Scarlett doesn't eat anything right now that doesn't resemble dinosaur nuggets or Easy Fries. So the burn-and the food-was mine.

Mike has told me now that I'm under official orders to stay out of the kitchen. Scarlett doesn't even know, nor care, that I lovingly cooked my family a homemade meal-while my flesh blistered, no less. It made no difference in her little world.

She already knows that I'm not that Mom. It's up to me to decide whether to feel guilty about that, or not.  

The last page of the Mommy book says "Mommy always has lots of hugs and kisses to give..because she loves you more than anything". 

See, Scarlett?

At least we have that going for us...because I *am* that Mom.

 

Back to Blogging....(sorry for the summer hiatus)...

I could go on and on about the reasons I've neglected this blog all summer. And I do have valid reasons..computer issues..typepad issues...vacations...an extremely tense & stressful work schedule (which led me to spend my evenings at home with a bottle of red, instead of downstairs in the dungeon, blogging), a busy almost 2 year old (!!!!), and you can throw in a hint of laziness as well.

But its August First, and as far as I'm concerned, summer is over and so is my haitus.I'm back! I was surprised when my 4 faithful followers all revealed, at different times, that they're still checking here for updates. Oh, how I hate to disappoint my fans...rest assured, I'll have plenty of time this fall to update this thing. That's because I'll be spending plenty of time on this computer. Taking Classes. Like MBA classes. Seriously...me...business...numbers...yes, its true!!! As of September 2nd (Happy Birthday Honey...I'll be spending your birthday in a chatroom with a prof...sounds kinda fancy, don't it?)...I'll be a TIFFIN DRAGON!!!!

 

You see, I'm one of those people that's always saying 'Can't believe how fast the time goes"...Scarlett's already 2...I've been married for 5 yrs...out of college for 12...its scary. So, what better way to slow down Father Time...(and the inevitable aging that goes along with that) then subjecting myself to 2 years of "mastering" a subject that I know NOTHING about? Awesome idea, right? Riiighht....

My reasons in a nutshell are....

1. My piddly little B.S. (haha) in Journalism aren't going to get me anywhere else in this lifetime.

2. My job is changing so much and my station is cutting people so quickly...I'm being frightened into getting another degree

3. lets face it...I love school. I'm an excellent student. "Was" an excellent student-we'll see how I fare now. Love to learn. Would take classes all the time if there weren't those pesky student loans to go along with them. Yes, this degree will cost $$$ but my financial aid package was approved...and even the nice folks at Channel 5 will kick in a few bucks of tuition reimbursment. How nice of them...

Anywhoo...if money/time were no object, I'd be going to law school. That's not reality right now...so I'm trying this MBA thing. Online too. Tiffin came out a little cheaper than BW (ok..waaaaaaay cheaper)...so here I am. Besides, one of my best friends, and fellow bloggers, is a Tiffin Dragon. Now I can join her in breathing fire...

Ok...enough about me. Here's who you really want the update on..

In just 15 days, Scarlett will turn 2. In the last 3 months, I've watched her make that natural transition from baby to big girl. Her vocabulary blows my mind. Hard to believe I was actually worried that she would never talk...(my proudest moment yet-she yelled out 'douchebag' after hearing her father yell to another driver...yes, we're trying to be more careful now but it was a classic moment in Scarlett's world..sniff sniff...)

She loves choo choos, popsickles, swings and her 3 Grandparents more than anything in this world..possibly, even more than her own parents. And I'm ok w/ that...I could go on and on about her compassion, her humor, etc...but I'd sound like every other cliche filled parent out there...so I'll just say that if you know her, you know what I'm talking about! And while I sometimes physically ache to hold her in my arms like an infant again...I wouldn't trade this age for anything...and can't wait to see what the next year brings!

Today, I'm attempting to take Miss MopTop to get a "real" haircut. Wish me luck..we'll need it. If you know her..you know what I'm talking about :)

Water: a love and hate relationship

*I begin with an apology to my 5 loyal blog followers for the lack of material as of late. It's not that I don't have stuff to share-but I don't seem to have time to share it. My new work schedule requires me to awake at 4:30am for work. My afternoons (post-work) are devoted to Mommyhood..and I no longer have the "late-nights-after-everyone's-in-bed" time to post, like I used to.

I digress. Scarlett, at nearly 22 months, is evolving way to fast for me to even attempt to keep track of. She's proving to be exceptionally smart-if not a bit strange. Everyday is something new in her world, and ours. Words (her current favorite: poop!) fly out of her mouth faster than we can hear. Of course, you have to stretch the imagination to understand most of them. She *is* a mini-me and I already see years of intensive speech therapy ahead for her, just like me! *B* and *S* are sounds that she just can't seem to bother with. Sucks for her, as her two best friends in life are Sara and Stella. I just hope she gets her *R* down pat-its traumatizing to go through your young life, sounding like Daffy Duck. Fortuantely for her, she won't likely be subjected to taunts from neighbor kids-mostly because there are no neighbor kids. 

While the terrible 2's are still officially 11 weeks away, the tantrums and patience testing are already pushing the 3 year old level ( told you she's exceptionally smart). She comes by it naturally-patience is a virtue that nobody in this family has. So when she wants her juice, you better jump. Or her doll (di-di). Or her Dora show. She's a demanding little thing! But along with the temper, she's started developing irrational fears of things she once loved. One is water. Overnight, she went from loving a bath, to hating it. Like, screaming-type terrified. I was worried that it was a water thing and that she would spend the summer, shrieking at the sight of a pool. Last weekend proved me wrong. Hates bathtubs *in* the bathroom. Loves the infant tub, long outgrown, that sits in the backyard as a toy for her dolls. Strange child, indeed.

Her Future's So Bright...

everyone, sing along...

The girl doesn't want to give up her shades...even indoors!

  

 

She gets it from us. Both of her parents are sunglasses snobs and spend way more than we should, just so we have the perfect pair. They make us feel like rock stars. She's a star in the making, so she's realized that sunglasses go w/ the territory! I'm just glad her eyes will be safe this summer!

Taking time to stop and smell the weeds

Another sunshine filled week gave me and the gal some much needed 'mommy and me' time outside. I've said it before-my girl is all about the great outdoors. Whether it means blowing bubbles, drawing with chalk, riding in her 'car', or just running through the grass and listening for barking dogs, she's game.

Taking her to the biggest playground in town proved to be yet another life lesson -from her to me! Instead of rushing to the slides and swings like I thought, she wanted to take a walk, and survey the scene. As I impatiently tried to keep my gait as steady and slow as hers, I sighed. I wanted to get to the toys, so I could get her home for a nap, so I could do laundry. Important stuff, right? But she seems content to slowly stroll along-pointing and laughing and saying 'hi' to every inanimate object we passed. Suddenly, she broke free of my hand and ran to a patch of grass, covered in dandelions. As she knelt before the sea of yellow, I started to scold her for running ahead. But I stopped myself. She had already picked a bouquet of the weeds and was turning around to offer them to me. The proud smile on her face brought me to my knees. Gently, she smelled them, proclaimed 'mmmmmmm''...and shoved them under my nose so I could smell the 'petty fowers'.  She was so happy to share them with me. I couldn't toss them, so they went in my purse-the moment, forgotten until late last night. Seeing them made me smile.

Mother's Day is right around the corner and commercials are flooding my tv and in-box with reminders about getting our FTD delivery to mom before the weekend. But I'll take my dandelions over roses any day. And I'll try to remember what my 20 month daughter already knows-that throughout life's hectic days, there's always time to stop and smell the weeds!

Fore!

I don't think I'm different from any other parent when I watch my daughter and try to fathom her future. Imagine her as a doctor, a lawyer, an actress (Hey, with a name like Scarlett, why not?)...

But with my severely limited athletic ability, I never considered the possibility of my offspring becoming a professional athlete. In any capacity. However, I may be wrong.

Scarlett has taken great interest in sports recently. She imitates basketball players on the courts, thanks to the countless hours of watching in our house. She sees hockey on TV and squeals with delight. And football-well, I'm pretty sure she has a better understanding of a 4th down than I do...

But on this warm, wet weekend, she added golf to her list of past times-and I quickly added it to my list of activities that I am not likely to share with her-ever. Luckily, daddy likes to knock around the golf ball in the backyard and was more than happy to give her a beginner's lesson. So far, her swing looks promising, and if nothing else, Daddy's got quite the little caddy on his hands!