I'm Getting Nothin' For Christmas!

Has Santa ever come and really left only a lump of coal? He's thinking about it at the Peay house. Somebody is on Santa's naughty list. Somebody has forgotten how to be nice. Somebody might be getting NOTHING for Christmas. And Somebody, when threatened with the lump of coal, said, "I can start a fire with that coal."

(But he's SO cute and he's so funny! What can you do?)

Lincoln.....

Where do I even begin with Lincoln?

At the beginning....8 weeks early, only 4 lbs. 3 oz.

Probably not the easiest way to start off, right, Buddy? And now, one year later, past the twenty pound mark, crawling like a madman, eating everything I put in front of you, laughing at your brother and sister, squealing with delight whenever you see your mom, wrestling with your dad, five teeth, ten perfect fingers and toes, fuzzy blonde hair (blonde? where'd I get a blondie?), bright blue eyes, loving life! There is one thing I still can't figure out. You got all of those new toys yesterday for your birthday and today you are still desperately trying to splash around in the toilet. Ready to start potty training? Hmmm...

Happy Birthday, Lincoln. In the tradition of birthdays, I need to only say one nice thing about you since you are only one year old. Here I go....Lincoln, I am SO proud of you! Thank you for learning how to eat, and breathe for me. Thanks for coming home from the hospital before New Years, thanks for being so squishy now, thanks for figuring out how to sleep through the night, thanks for loving me. I love you, Lincoln.

Now, a few words about the birthday cake....he liked it. He really, really liked it. He ate it all and then later, when I was putting him to bed, it all came back. Yay! Happy Birthday. Enough said!

You've come a long way, Baby!

Recycle!

I happen to be a fan of recycling. It's not hard to do. I hate throwing things away. I hate waste. It's a great concept, right? It's something easy we can all do for the environment. It's something I've noticed a lot in politics, too...

I was thinking as this election cycle went on (and on and on and on) that Barack Obama's refrain of "Yes We Can" or, for some of his constituents, my personal favorite of "Si Se Puede" sounded awfully familiar. Was it another politican's slogan? I thought about it....it wasn't Bush 1's "Read my lips, no new taxes" or Clinton's "It's the economy, Stupid!" It wasn't "I like Ike" or Reagan's famous "Are you better off than you were four years ago?". Although vaguely reminiscent of JFK's slogan, "We Can Do Better," I was sure it was used word for word somewhere. Hmmm. I was stumped. Until....

This morning, I turned on Bob the Builder for Maddox. He was ready for preschool but I still had to get myself ready and I figured I'd keep him entertained for a few minutes. Maddox isn't a huge tv fan and since Hadley wasn't much of a Bob the Builder watcher, it's not a common show in our home. The music began and I heard the song, "Bob the Builder, can we fix it? Bob the Builder, yes we can!"

AHA! It finally clicked. Yes we can! We can, we can, we can. We can find the key to the presidency in the most unlikely of places. Obama, the great orator, found his way to the White House in the slogan of Bob the Builder. Obama, I think you owe Bob a great big "Thank you!" Now, only time will tell if Obama can fix it as well as Bob can.

Meaningful conversation

(The pictures have nothing to do with this post, other than the subjects with whom said conversations took place are in the picture. I just realized I haven't put a picture up lately.)

The setting: Election Day, afternoon. Hadley returns from school. "Mom, who is winning the election?" she asks.

I reply, "So far, Barack Obama is winning."

Hadley bursts into tears and between her sobs says, "The world is going to end. I don't want the world to end."

I sort of agree (just kidding. I'm not THAT Republican!) but I ask a few more questions just to be sure. "Why do you think the world is going to end, Honey? We will be fine. Who told you that the world would end if Barack Obama is the president?"

"You did, Mom!" she says.

Now I am really confused. I'm pretty sure I didn't say that. It wasn't until later that night that it hit me. The previous evening, when discussing politics over dinner, Hadley asked what the differences were between the two candidates. I proceeded to lay out some of the main differences, ending with, "Barack Obama wants to end the war." Oops. I guess I should have checked to make sure my deaf child understood that part of the conversation.

Fast forward to the next day. Hadley returns from school. "Mom, is Dad going to be okay at his job when Barack Obama becomes the president?"

By this point, I am ultra sensitive. I don't want Hadley to have another near nervous breakdown. She worries so much that she already is a candidate for blood pressure medicine. (Not really, don't worry. I have to say that because she has so many random health problems that it wouldn't come as a big shock. But really she's fine. She's just a worrier.) "Yes, Hadley, Dad will be fine. He really won't be affected too much by an administration change."

"Well, I think he will be running around, so busy, all day long and he will always be home late and he won't have dinner with his family anymore. Just work, work, work."

"Why, Hadley?"

"Because Barack Obama is going to cause a lot of problems for the Republicans, Mom. And we are Republicans, Mom. And my dad is a lawyer and he told me that a lawyer's job is to fix problems."

Wow, talk about having faith in her daddy!

And now, Maddox. The setting: the kitchen on Thursday morning. Maddox says to me, "Hi, Gorgeous. Is your name Gorgeous, Mom?"

I grin. I could tell him yes. I should tell him yes. "My name is Mommy, Maddox," I reply.

"Oh. Then why does Daddy call you Gorgeous?"

I grin again. A little while later, Stewart comes home from work. "Hey Gorgeous," he says, as he walks over and kisses me. I grin yet again.

Ode to October 14th

Twas the night before my birthday
And all through my place
The kids are all missing
Not a one, not a trace.
The husband has driven
To find me a gift
And the children are helping
With this last minute sift.
The sun, it has set,
The clock's nearing eight
Where could they be going
At an hour so late?
I think to myself
Well, they can't go too far...
The gas light is already
On in my car.
You may be wondering
What store is still open?
There's WalMart and Kohl's
Or Costco (he's hopin')
I've cut out some pictures
And dropped a few hints
Something with a big screen
Or that sparkles and glints.
But to tell you the truth
Now that I'm getting old
I'd settle for a twelve pack
Of Diet Coke (cold)
Or maybe some slippers
To shuffle around
Since winter is coming
And snow will abound.
But...Ssssshhhh...Please don't tell him.
My favorite part is
This night spent alone
Without any kids.
Yes, the night before my birthday
When I'm all alone
And everything's quiet
In my cozy home.
And I think that I heard
'Ere he drove out of sight
"Maddox, don't hit your sister
Hadley, please do not fight!"

Free bags!

Girls...check this out...Handbag Planet is giving away free bags....one per hour on the day of their new site launch. Their bags are great and as a bag person...a bag lady?...I think it's fate that they are launching their new site on October 15th. Yeah, that is my birthday...thanks for remembering! So...if you weren't sure what to get me, now you know. Kidding. Sort of.

Mothers

I know it isn't Mother's Day, but...

A few friends of mine have had major obstacles in their lives this past week. It's amazing how much I have thought about these ladies. I keep thinking about "mourning with those that mourn and comforting those that stand in need of comfort" and I feel the need to express something about mothers.

If I am in a store and I see a mom with that panicked look in her eyes calling her lost child's name, I instantly drop what I'm doing and try to help. My eyes fill up with tears, I get a lump in my throat, and my heart starts pounding. Why? Because I am a mom and I understand how terrifying it can be to lose sight of a precious little one.

Maybe that's why I have been crying a lot for the last two weeks. My heart is aching for a little boy in the hospital with burns all over his body (and for his mom), for another mom with a child with kidney disease and a second in the hospital with meningitis, and mostly for a mom who lost her sweet little 15 month old on the week she is set to deliver her fifth child. I cannot stop thinking about these friends and the aches in their heart. I tried really hard to explain myself to my husband. I don't think he gets it. I think he was considering doing research on anti-depressants for me. Why am I so sad? Because I am a mom and I understand. I haven't been in the same position as these three strong women but I have had my share of heartache with my own children and I know how much we mothers LOVE, LOVE, LOVE our babies.

I guess somewhere deep down in my heart, I hope that my sadness can take away a little of their pain. I hope the tears that I shed for those moms and their babies will make it so that they can cry a little less. I pray that I can bear a little of their load so that they can get out of bed tomorrow. I know without a doubt that during my hardest times, there were other mothers, my own included, who cried tears for me and felt my pain.

Thank you, Moms. I love you!