Milestones

Once your kids hit a certain age, it is harder to notice the milestones. I suppose the first smile, first steps and first words are about as good as it gets, but sometimes your kids do things that make you stop and realize just how fast time goes by and how quickly they grow up.




Not that my kids are driving or going off to college but Abby's walking and trying hard to talk (wasn't she just a newborn?), Jake is a little man (weren't we just potty training?) and Sam, well, Sam is a skinny, goofy boy who likes sports and bugs and girls.




This weekend (shortly before the holly berry incident), Abby and I were having juice and crackers on the front porch when I realized she was drinking from a straw. Not a huge thing. I didn't call People magazine immediately, but in general, it is noteworthy.

For me it basically means we don't have to tote around bottles and sippy cups (especially because if anyone has a sippy cup, Jake has to have one too) and we don't have to do that awkward 'suction the juice up into the straw and then drip it into her mouth' procedure that I'm sure really quenches the thirst.



And then, Saturday night, after a long, dirty day outside both Sam and Jake took showers. Again, not huge news, but just something different that makes you happy. And a little sad.

The Holly and the Ivy

Sometimes kids do stupid things. And sometimes, to keep kids from doing stupid things, parents say stupid things.

- You'll go blind if you sit too close to the TV.
- Don't eat watermelon seeds or watermelons will grow in your stomach.
- Don't swallow gum because it takes seven years to digest.
- Carrots are good for your eyes.
- If you keep making that face it will freeze that way.
- Don't put those red berries in your mouth because they're poisonous.

Oh wait, that last one is true as we found out on Saturday.

We were having an idyllic afternoon, picnicking, playing, enjoying the sunshine when Abby unexpectedly barfed all over the patio. Not too unusual except there were several unchewed, undigested red holly berries in the vomit. A check of the Poison Control Web site and a phone call to Poison Control told us a few undigested berries shouldn't be cause for alarm, but we should expect extreme nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and drowsiness. Which we did. Although with a 15-month old, it's really hard to tell if those are symptoms of holly berry poison or too much macaroni and cheese.

Luckily, Abby is fine. But the next time you hear an old wives tale, remember that those 'old wives' were smart old clams. Move your kids away from the TV, take the gum out of their mouths and give them a carrot.

Uber Robe

Like a lot of moms I have a threadbare, stained bathroom robe that I seem to spend a lot of time in. Sam told me the other day he was going to buy me a new one, but I'm rather fond of this one - it's not too hot or too cold and the color is pretty, but most of all because it has become a symbol of motherhood for me.

The other day when I hung it in the bathroom something in the pocket clanged, which led to me emptying the pockets. In the two small front pockets I had a bottle of clear fingernail polish, fingernail clippers, a wet wipe, a pack of Kleenex, an Allen wrench, a Lego Star Wars Storm Trooper (in tact), a set of earrings, crayons, a medicine dropper, a chicken Nugget, Band-Aids, my cell phone and a pen.

I have to admit a slight sense of accomplishment and satisfaction when I reach into those pockets and produce a clean Kleenex or a crayon or clean up a boo boo. If I could fit a flask in there for me, I'd be ready for just about anything.

Heavy

The screen in our side door is broken so I removed it to be repaired. That leaves a big, open square in the door, perfect for letting in great breezes and all kinds of bugs. Sam and I were on the porch this afternoon when a wasp flew in.

"Are you worried?" Sam asked.

"No, not really," I said. In all honesty, at this particular moment I have absolutely no emotion about a wasp getting in the house.

"What are you worried about?" he asked, either because he's courteous or because he's perceptive.

"Well. My tire pressure. Abby's recent sleeping. My foot. Felix the cat. Our house. Taxes. Medical bills. Kindergarten. Tonight's dinner. Laundry. The water main break in our alley. The rusty water in our tub. Your future. PMS. My e-mail addiction. Abby's diaper rash. Jake's eczema. My attitude. And maybe the wasp that just flew in the house."