3/28 The Day of Mama's Mini Escape, Mwahahaha

Changing the girl, who didn’t want to sit or stand still and as I was wiping her butt, she ran off… and the wipe was stuck in her buttcrack. So the little girl is running around the room, with a babywipe stuck to her tush. She started going in circles trying to get it out, even, like a puppy. Then I showed G what was going on and he and I were both laughing hysterically. Finally I caught her and finished the diaper change.

G’s new love of hamburgers in a bun. Yes, something he will eat. Woohoo. Of course, guess what baby girl won’t eat it.

Got out of the house today, because my mom needed me to go with my stepfather and choose a shower present for my soon to be sister in law. He ended up picking the present on his own, but I helped him figure out how to get the registry list and all that. They wrapped our gifts there, too.

Then we played hooky and went to get a burger and a beer. Mwahahaha.

G and Ivy in the back garden when we got back, playing with some buckets and water. G had me pour the bucket over his head and then he splashed around in the puddles. I guess we need to get a kiddie pool.

Just now, G wanted to find papa and Ivy, so I took him out to the front where they were talking to some neighbors down the street who have a boy just G’s age and another boy 6 months old. Nice people. G and the boy played with his trike. We chatted, they invited us to stop over anytime we saw them out there to play.

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3/27 The Day of Sing It With Me! _Get the Poopy Out!_

Trying to help G poopy, and singing silly songs to make him smile, “we get the poopy out, we get the poopy out, we push, shove poopy them out.” Or saying maybe he should let the poopy out because “the poopy wants to go home to the diaper, he would like the potty even better, but would be okay with the diaper.” Or showing him that the poopy comes out like his hand comes out of his pajama sleeves. This is what you will do to get a kid who doesn’t like to poopy just to GO ALREADY!

Then G poopies and he starts laughing and dancing about. If you feel so happy and nice now, why can’t you just go ahead and poopy kid?!

I call from an ex boyfriend who always was a better friend than boyfriend. Just catching up for a little, when he heard that I moved.

Thinking about things I want to accomplish while I’m down here and doing research to figure out the steps to take. I’m not DOING anything yet, but I am getting ready to.

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3/26 The Day of Family Time Plus One

A nice conversation with my uncle before bed. In part it was about getting a job, talking about where I might wait tables or something, and then some talking about the possibility of me teaching again. He says I seem to have a passion for it, which is true, but also why it’s so hard to do it sometimes when the politics of it all seem to be out to destroy all the things you worked for. He also understood why I wouldn’t want to jump into teaching now, while I am still undecided about where to settle.

Another conversation with my uncle in Georgia. He actually told me that his step daughter made 300 dollars a shift working in restaurants down here… which is good news for me.

Got to see ANTM, even if it was without my previous tradition of the brownie batter feast.

Having a family dinner with the whole family, including Uncle. I even made a simple salad to go with our frittata.

G trying to help Uncle with raking the garden. And then later, helping him put the gardening tools back in the shed.

The first few times G crosses his arms and says, “no!” It’s really cute. And then the following few hundred times? Not so much.

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3/25 The Day of Girls Chasing Cats and/or Boys around the Kitchen

Ivy chasing the cat around and around the kitchen, giggling the whole way. The cat must have been enjoying it, because she kept going around too.

Ivy is such a walker. She has places to go and things to do. And she will tell you about them, too, even if it’s just “blalalalabla”

Walking into the kids’ bedroom to find them playing, Ivy smooshing her face up against the mesh of the travel crib, and G playing peekaboo.

G waking up from his nap actually happy and smiling and playing, because all morning he had been miserable and sick. Infact, the only one in the family not sick was Ivy.

G eating his hamburger in a roll like a big boy. Actually, eating it any way. He’s a slender boy, and when he has a stint of feeling yucky and not eating, he gets down right skinny, so that he ate the whole hamburger was a plus.

G pretending to be a cat, and Ivy, in her pink night gown, chasing him around and around the kitchen while he meowed.

Story time, and cries of “one more! one more!” They didn’t get as many books as they wanted, but they kept going to the bookcase and bringing back more books to read.

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3/24 The Day of Old Photo Albums, I Mean OOOOLD

Was looking through some of my uncle’s old photo albums. I mean, these are OOOOOLD photo albums. Turn of the century photos, turn of the LAST century, that is. Pictures of women in floor length skirts and aprons, the roaring twenties, 30s and 40s. These are the kind of photos that you see in magazines. So iconic. I can’t believe these people are my relatives.

The next book I pulled out was a surprise. The first picture I saw was one of my from when I was 8 years old. Haven’t seen my school pictures in decades. This book was a few pictures of my generation as children, but mostly my mom and uncles. So cool.

I showed G a picture of my mom and me when I was about Ivy’s age, and he kissed the picture.

My mom’s childhood seemed so idyllic. Cowgirl outfits, ponies, little fluffy chicks, flower beds, ponds.

I also see a little bit of G in my mom as a child. She has said that she is a little disappointed that he does not look like me, but looks mostly like S. I think his looks might have actually skipped a generation.

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3/23 Easter at Grandma's

Going to Grandma’s for Easter dinner. The kids found all grandma’s toys and had a blast. G particularly loved it.

G playing with Grandma’s dog in the yard. He would race around, and G would try to catch him. Try, only try. Made him laugh hysterically.

My brother and his fiance came over and brought easter baskets for the kids, which is nice, because I totally spaced on doing easter. We aren’t religious, so that isn’t an issue, but the traditions and the celebration of Spring are lovely.

G going ZOMBIE BOY on the chocolate bunny. He ripped the box open and didn’t even wait to get it out of the plastic before he bit its butt off.

Having other people to pick Ivy up. She is in a hugely clinging phase right now, and is always crying mamamamamamamama. But if aunt Melissa or Grandma wanted to try, there was at least someone to hold her.

Ivy’s cute little outfit in green and white toile with a sheer bow tie on the back. Even G wore a button up shirt.

Guy bonding on the porch and girl talk inside while we watched the rerun of ANTM, which I missed this week.

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3/22 The Rainy Saturday

Reading bedtime stories to the kids with the whole family (including the now-famous cat) in my grandpa’s bed.

My uncle saying that my grandpa would have enjoyed this: having his house and his garden being explored by toddlers fascinated with nature, water, plants, bugs, fish, dirt, whatever.

Seeing my cousin again without any of the drama that goes down with other family members and her. Even better, seeing her daughter, who is G’s age and having the two kids get along great, having fun playing.

Actually napping while the kids napped. I must be tired-er than I think if I can nap during the day. Usually I can’t. Maybe it helped that it was raining out. It’s also nice that I can see so many trees outside my bedroom windows. It’s almost like sleeping in a tree house.

Letting G splash in the downpour in the garden. He didn’t need to come in out of the rain, he could play until he wanted to come in, it was warm enough. And then we towelled him off and put him in sweat pants and gave him a nap.

Taking a short walk with the kids (G brought his magnifying glass) and no stroller, just exploring the neighborhood, only coming home when the light drizzle turned into real rain.

Eggs and bacon and english muffins and grapefruit juice for brunch.

G’s absolute joy at getting to see Saturday morning cartoons… his tv intake has been severely curtailed, but god those cartoons allowed me to take a breath from the increasingly hyper boy. It is no coincidence that we took our walk once the cartoons ended.

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3/21 The Day of Going Out on the Town for the First Time in Three Years

Having our first date since the day before G was born, except for one wedding, which hardly even counted. We had dinner and drinks at a Garden restaurant with live Jazz then walked around downtown for a little. It’s strange to be in this new city…. and it really is a new city, a few years ago, nothing was going on downtown, and now it’s hopping.

Not wanting to call my mom and ask her to babysit while we check out the restaurant that I could drop my resume at, but not needing to, because she called just as I was considering calling and offered. Yay grandma!

G’s joy at playing watergun fight with the shark and dolphin watergun that S bought.

G’s wonder when Papa showed him a snake in the garden. He was still talking about it hours later.

Ivy dressed like a little hippie girl and toddling around the house.

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3/20 The Day of Kung Fu Fighting Hiyah!

Got to watch Lost. TV is not a big thing here, no cable, old, turn-knob tvs, no remotes, even, but I managed to get ABC in and watch my Lost. Missed ANTM yesterday. Oh well. Perhaps this low tv period will break the addiction and I can start being more productive again. Here’s to hoping.

Going through my pictures since I got here. I’ve taken some really good ones. Unfortunately, the computer situation is weird. I got on the internet on my laptop, and then was unable to again. Don’t know why. Have to figure it out, but all my photos are on my laptop, so until I get back on line, that is where they will stay. And I want to send out pictures of the kids, so that those that were worried about us will feel better, because those are some happy pictures.

We were sitting out in the garden just hanging out, and I started singing that song, “they were kung fu fighting, those cats were fast as lightning.” And G all of a sudden went into Kung fu poses. Hiyah! I don’t know where he got it from, but it was pretty funny. I got a great picture of it. Too bad y’all can’t see it until I figure out the technicalities.

Omygoodness. I forgot about splashsplash time in the big bathtub. They enjoyed it, the kids did. So much better than our grungy old claustrophobic tub in Brooklyn.

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3/18

Having a nice dinner of corned beef and cabbage with most of my family, mom, step dad, brother and his fiancee, uncle, S, and the kids. Was good to see everyone and have everyone around.

Taking a nap most of the afternoon.

Taking a shower after the nap.

Getting my missing bag from the airline. It took a detour through Daytona. Good thing my mom was here to give the driver directions, because she didn’t know how to get here. Boy, that airline sure was a winner. (Don’t fly AirTran)

Watching the kids as they explored the garden. Oh they love it. Love it love it. They like the house, too, but they are getting a lot of new rules about what they can and can’t touch.

Watching my poor kitty explore the house and the garden. She is doing pretty darn well. She isn’t even having a problem with Uncle’s cat, some hissing, but that’s it. So much better than being in a tiny box for 8 hours.

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3/19 The Day of the Long Walk

Hanging out with S and Uncle and G and Ivy. Sitting out in the garden, beers for the grown ups and milk for the littles. Birds singing. Fruit trees rustling in the breeze. Warm air. Night falling.

S and Uncle are getting along great. What a relief. And I think it’s good for Uncle that we’re here. I think he spends too much time alone and has too little human contact. He’s also enjoying the kids. He says we have great kids.

Tacos for dinner. Good old fashioned, easy to make, easy to gobble up. Been having trouble eating a full meal because I’m still stressed and tired and maybe going from the winter to the summer overnight, so tacos fit the bill.

Coming back after our long walk which was supposed to be a short walk, but we went too far and needed to get something to eat so we had to walk even farther to find a place, although there was much to see on the way, like the bay and a huge banyan tree and an art museum. Returning, we took the direct route instead of the scenic one, and it was much quicker.

Watching G play with uncle, and he was okay with G bonking him on the head and they seemed to be enjoying it from both ends. It would annoy the bejeezers out of me, but hey, if Uncle wants to play the game, then it’s okay.

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