Carolyn's blog

So, I love Christmas. Always have and always will. But lately (meaning the last 5 years or so - and yes, my eldest son is 5), it just hasn't been the same. As a child, I remember it being so magical and fun. It was just idyllic. I really though that would be the way it was at my house too. Well, I'm here to say NOT SO MUCH!

So, I'm at Target today with Joshua (the 22 month old) finishing up the Christmas shopping. I know that I should probably go by myself to do these things, but I figure he still doesn't get the whole Santa thing, so I'm probably safe. Anyway, one of the things on my list for him is a 'ride on toy'. For those of you in the North, that may seem like a funny gift in the middle of winter, but here in North Carolina, we can still play outside many days in December.

We went to visit Santa yesterday. It was a largely unsuccessful trip. Joshua (the 22 month old) was fine standing in line and looking at Santa from a distance, but as we picked him up to put him on Santa's lap, he started to FREAK out. I mean crying and screaming and straining to get away. Demian looked at my with apprehension, but I was like, put him on his lap damnit!

My husband has been working like crazy lately. I miss him and so do the boys. He's an amazing father for so many reasons, but one thing I especially love is that no matter what his day at work has been like, he is home to put the boys to bed if it is humanly possible. Most days I really appreciate that. Last night was not one of those times, because he was away on business and the fallout of me never doing the bedtime routine was huge!

Ok - I'm going to do it!

My friend Emma just called me. She's a great gal - kind, generous and funny to boot. Anyway, we were at a friend's house together yesterday and Emma just called to talk to me about it. She began with, 'I didn't know whether I should tell you this or not, because it might sound weird...', so I wasn't quite sure what to expect!

Not very often, but every once in a while, I close the boys bedroom doors at the end of the day and think, 'I'm doing ok, I was a good Mom today'. Yesterday, WAS NOT one of those days. We were over at the neighbours house playing after school and the boys were in the backyard while I chatted with the moms in the front. All of a sudden, I heard Zachary screaming, not in pain, but in annoyance, which he does sometimes when he gets frustrated and doesn't know what to say. So, I went around back and talked to him. 'Zachary, we can't just scream at people, please say you are sorry'.

After much research, discussion and internal debate, I took my sons to get the Swine flu shot last week. Because of Joshua's 'rocky start' in the NICU, he is considered an 'at risk' child and my pediatrician felt that it was incredibly important for him to be inoculated. So, I ended up calling the local 'swine flu' hotline every day for about a month until I found a place where we could get it done.

Can someone please tell me what is so delicious about cat food? Because it’s totally unfathomable to me. Joshua, the 19 month old is in the 10th percentile for weight. That’s good actually, because a couple months ago, he fell off the charts completely and I had to give him these supershakes, with high protein and fat in them to get him back up there weight-wise. He is such a picky eater that I find myself wanting to pull my hair out daily. Hates all fruits except bananas and vegetables – forget out it. Not gonna happen! But cat food?

Demian's b-day today and he's traveling to Richmond. All my plans gone to shit. What's that my father-in-law always says?