The one about waddlers and toddlers (NYE Special)

I couldn’t be more in love with Reed. He has been such a pleasure to be around lately.  Sure, he’s started his “tantrum” phase that we were anticipating.  If you irritate him then he’ll just bend over at the waist and put his forehead to the floor and cry.  When he stands back up he might look right at you, with those tear stained cheeks, give you his meanest glare and yell in frustration.  This happens when you make him stop doing something dangerous, like standing on a chair, or if you take something away from him that he shouldn’t have had.  He’s a full-fledged toddler, so he comes along with all the toddler bells and whistles.

However, he’s been so sweet and wonderful to be around generally.  When Mike was getting ready to leave for Vegas last week, we both worried that Reed would test my patience and perhaps push me over the edge while he was gone.  Mike is the patient one and sometimes has to help me keep from boiling over and throwing my own fits.  Without the referee around, Reed and I could end up in a legitimate boxing match.  
Such was not the case!  I don’t know if it was a miracle gift from God, or what, but Reed and I got along so well!  We made each other laugh, we missed each other when we were apart, we played together and learned new things.  Every minute I spent with Reed I was either smothering him with kisses or holding myself back from doing so.  He played independently while I did my chores and impressed me with his self-confidence.   Saturday he sat and played with his transportation themed puzzle and then his alphabet puzzle. He was chatting to himself the whole time. Finally I had to go over and take a couple of videos because I found it so cute how interested he was in the letters. (check them out on my youtube channel)

Reed now eats pretty much all of his meals at his little table. He’s getting better with his fork- the technique we are using is called “poke and scoop” because you can’t just stab at food with his fork, once you pull it back the food comes right back off. Hence, the scooping motion.  He is learning this, but mostly he’s still just a stabber.  Gnocci is one of the more successful foods for him to eat with a fork because it does stick!  The spoon is a little harder. Again, only sticky foods are successful.  He still tries to turn the spoon upside down on the way into his mouth.

He wooshes like an airplane, baa’s like a sheep, knows the moon at night and during the day (when you can see the white trace of it in the blue sky- he will point it out to you!)  Reed has become very helpful getting dressed.  If he’s holding something, he’ll switch it from hand to hand so he can put on the shirt or jacket and he can also pull his shirt over his head when you get his arms out.  He knows cold and hot, a bit sensitive when it comes to hot things.  His food might be just a little warm or even room temperature and he’ll tell you its hot and blow on it.  I try to convince him it’s not hot, but I must not look very trustworthy when explaining this.  Yesterday he woke up too early from his nap so I wanted to rock him back to sleep for a bit, we sat in the rocker in his room and as the baby kicked, it bobbed Reed’s head around and he started to laugh.  Then he popped his head up and said, “Go Play?” 

He knows a lot of body parts- ear, cheek, eyes, hair, head, fingers, toes, knees, belly, belly-button, teeth, tongue, and nose.  You can request a kiss on the cheek and receive one! If you ask where his ears are he’ll grab one, but ask where his eyes are and he blinks.  Pull his pacifier out and ask him, “Reed, what is this?”  He smiles a very genuine smile and says, “golly-gah” I’m not sure of the correct spelling of the word, but that’s what he has named his pacifier.  Mike and I think he’s convinced that he’s actually saying “pacifier” because we don’t call it by any other name.  We don’t use the word binky, paci or anything else, so we think Reed tried his best and out came golly-gah.  It’s sweet and he never waivers and calls it by any other name. 

Reed and Ty together at a birthday party

So Mike went to Vegas for the weekend of New Year’s Eve to attend the Foust’s vow renewal. Of course, originally we had both planned on going, but when we found out we were pregnant and realized the timing would be too close for me to travel, we decided Mike had to go stag.  He left Thursday and was scheduled to arrive home Sunday night around midnight.  I fought off the blues each evening.  I don’t know what it is but, when he travels for business over a weeknight, it doesn’t affect me that way.  I enjoy eating popcorn for dinner, putting Reed to bed early, and soaking in the hot bath with a book, mud mask and some chocolates.  It seems that if it’s a weekend though, I’m not successful keeping my emotions above the black line.   I feel a sadness creeping into my chest and try to do what I can to fight it with distractions.  It helps if I can have company, so I try to make plans with friends. 

We skyped with my mom on Thursday night, which saved me completely, (Thanks Mom!).  We had Melissa and Ty over on Saturday morning for our weekly play date and took the boys to the playground at the school to wear them out.  Then Reed and I spent the rest of the day doing a little shopping and errand running.  Evening was quickly approaching and although Mike was doing a great job keeping in touch via text, I was really missing him in a bad way.  I also knew that I still had to make it through not only that night, but the whole next day and evening, and most likely be in bed when Mike was due home. The Giants were playing the Cowboys Sunday night for the NFC East title, and I’d tried to organize a watch party, but didn’t have any takers, which wasn’t helping my sadness. I got Reed to bed and was watching a dud movie while filling a photo album with prints I’d ordered.  It was New Year’s Eve and I knew I’d be in bed before 10.  At 9pm I got a text from Mike that said, What’s up? What are you doing? To which I replied, “Thinkin’ bout you”  He texted back, “Really?!” and that’s when I heard the garage door open.  In a few seconds my confusion started to clear and I was making my list of possibilities for what could be happening.  This is the order in which I chose the scenarios. #1.  The wind was blowing 25-35mph with gusts up to 50 at this time, so I considered the fact that it had somehow tripped the garage door opener and caused it to open.  I’m not an electrician, but I’ve seen the wind do crazy things, and pushing buttons or short circuiting wires didn’t seem like much of a reach. #2.  Burglar/Murderer/rapist (soon to be non-rapist when he discovers he broke into the house of a huge pregnant lady).  This would have been a burglar who misread the low lighting and the missing vehicle for an empty house. #3.  Mike is surprising me by coming home a whole day early and choosing not to spend NYE in Sin City with all his old college buddies? A waddling wife just a mere couple weeks away from my due date & a toddling high-maintenance miniature maniac do not seem a fair substitute – let alone upgrade, worthy of a change fee!

I decided to go with #1 as the most realistic, so I needed to go close the garage door.  With #2 in mind, I opened (just a crack) the previously locked door between the laundry room and the garage to get some surveillance.

What I saw in the dim lighting of our driveway was my tall-dark-&-handsome husband pulling his luggage from the truck! I flew across the garage (as much as anyone carrying an extra 30 pounds can fly) and wrapped my arms around Mike’s neck, all the while alternating kisses with lines such as “What are you doing here!?” and “I can’t believe you’re home!” as well as “Oh my goodness! You came home early!” He could only laugh.

Surprise! Mike's home! 

The conversation that followed, as we snuggled together on the couch, could only be classified as a lecture.  Apparently, I am not allowed to open a locked door when there is a possibility of a murderer in our garage. Our marriage is a fluid and flexible thing.  New rules are continuously added as we go.  This usually has something to do with me doing something unsatisfactory. Either way, it's tough to keep up.  *wink*

Needless to say, I am the luckiest girl in the world.  My husband had the opportunity to spend NYE in the city that never sleeps- yet changed his flight to come home for a sober and quiet evening with his family.  We did not watch the clock officially bring 2012 to central standard time, we instead wished each other happy new year when we awoke in each other’s arms the next morning.