DEVO

While at Grandma Judy's house this weekend, Rory kept asking to essentially "rewind" things on tv and watch them over and over again like we do at our house. I overheard Judy say to Rory, "Sorry kiddo, but we don't have Devo." Rory gave her a funny look and then shouted, "Tivo, Gramma Judy! It's TIVO!"

Perhaps we're watching a little too much tv at home, eh?

A Weekend in Mariposa

This past weekend, we drove up to Mariposa to visit Papa Stan and Grandma Judy. If you haven't heard me talk about Mariposa before, just imagine a beautiful rural town outside of Yosemite where there are just as many deer as there are mullet hairdos. Rory absolutely loves it in Mariposa, where his Grandma Judy gives him toy guns to play with and an endless supply of whipped cream to lick off his fingers. He also gets to ride bareback on the family's 30 year old horse, Frosty, and pee outside in the rain if he so pleases. Basically, it's a little boy's dream come true.

Luckily, Mariposa is also a blogger's dream come true. Where else can you find people landscaping their front yards using old tires and blue tarps? Or see your mother-in-law give her dog Dodger his heart medicine in a big, fat, artery-clogging pat of butter? Or have your bartender, who is chewing tobacco and spitting into a clear cup right in front of your face, checking his "Bartending for Dummies" book when you ask for a drink? Yup, there ain't no place like the 'Posa!

Unfortunately, I forgot to charge our camera before we left for the weekend, so I was only able to snap one picture during the entire trip:



Sorry I can't provide you with the chew spit visual I so wanted to share with the world. Next time, I guess!

Want to read more Mariposa stories? Get your fill here

Newsletter 2.1

Dear Rory -
Along with your new two year old status, I decided that I needed to change the title of your monthly newsletters a bit. I can't very well continue to title them according to how many months old you are (ie. 25 months now!) since that is certain to annoy the crap out of everyone who doesn't have a toddler at home, so instead I've decided to roll out the newsletter 2.0 title system. Basically, this month will be Newsletter 2.1, next month 2.2 and so forth until your next birthday when we upgrade to 3.0 ... but I shouldn't get ahead of myself - the terrible twos are FAR from over!

So now that I have that out of the way, what can I say about the last month? Actually, I don't feel like I've been saying much of anything lately since I can hardly get a word in now that you've turned into an unstoppable chatterbox. I swear that the second your eyes pop open in morning, your mouth pops open too with an endless stream of dialogue that doesn't stop until we put you to bed. I may not understand everything you are saying, but you have no problem repeating a word or phrase over and over again until we get it right. And I mean OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

Speaking of repetition, you are also very into listening to your favorite three songs ("Up and Down", "Spin Around", and "Big House" - all titled as such by you) until your father and I end up walking around all day at our various places of employment singing these songs under our breath and driving our co-workers crazy. But watching you sing along to these songs word for word while making up silly little dances to them is totally worth the death glares from my fellow baristas. And because your singing is so damn cute, I'll continue to press the repeat button when you scream, "AGAIN, MAMA, AGAINNNNN!", even though every fiber of my being wants to rip the disc out of the cd player and chuck it out the window into oncoming traffic. I love you THAT MUCH.

And as if there isn't enough repetition in our lives already, I couldn't get through this newsletter without mentioning the word we hear constantly throughout the day, EVERY DAY - the ever popular, "NOOOOOOOOO!". Whether I'm asking you to be still for a diaper change, trying to get you dressed in the morning, or attempting to get you to follow any sort direction whatsoever, it's inevitable that it's going to be met with a very loud "NO!". I get that this is a normal thing for two year olds, but boy, does it get old. Really, really, really old. I have to admit though that lately I find myself saying it just as much as you do - so perhaps it's something we BOTH can work on, okay?

Aside from the repetition torture you're inflicting upon us, I have to say that everything else is going fairly well. Your vocabulary continues to wow us on a daily basis - it never fails to amaze us with how much that brain of yours can hold. You love playing pretend these days, especially in your new play kitchen, and I can't even put into words how cool it is to watch you imitate me when you pretend to cook. Like seeing you grab a dish towel and use it to pull something out of your "oven", or watching you pour "tea" into a cup and then blow on it just like I do. They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but nothing prepared me for the way my insides would turn to mush while watching you try to act "just like Mama." It's moments like those that make me forget all about the "No, No, No's" and the little tantrums and just make me happy to be a mom.

Even the mom of a two year old.




I love you, Ro Ro Monkey!

Love,
Mama

Well, At Least He's Wearing a Helmet!

Mama's Little Helper

Just one video couldn't quite convey the cuteness factor so here are two for your viewing pleasure!

Out of the Mouths of Babes

We've been teaching Rory the names of the different cities that his various family members live in, so today we were playing a game in the car where I said the name of the person and he would yell out where they live:

Me: Papa?
Rory: CALABASAS!
Me: Dada?
Rory: CAMARILLO!
Me: Grandma Judy?
Rory: MARIPOSA!
Me: Mama?
Rory: STARBUCKS!

OUCH.
Is this a hint or what?

The Sands of Time

For those of you who might not know, Rory does not like sand. Kind of odd for a kid, I realize, but what can I say? Rory has NEVER been your run of the mill child. Even when we went to Hawaii, land of beautiful white sand beaches, we ended up having to lay towels down strategically so that his feet never touched the ground. I'm sure people were walking by shaking their heads at our crazy towel configurations...

Since then, it has been sort of a mission of mine to make Rory get over his fear of sand. My mom found him a turtle sand box (who didn't have a turtle sand box as a kid!) and several times a week, Rory and I have been "practicing" playing with sand. At first, his reaction went a little something like this:

"EEEW ICKY!"



But we kept working on it, starting with putting one hand in the sand, then two, and then finally -FINALLY - last week, he SAT DOWN IN THE SAND! And he didn't freak out!

I, of course, had to get photographic evidence:









Hurray, Rory!

24 Month Newsletter (or Rory's 2nd Birthday Blog)

Dear Rory,

Well, I am now officially the mother of a two year old! You had a WONDERFUL time at your birthday party - we had it at Gymboree, which is your favorite place in whole world at the moment - and 8 of your little friends came to celebrate with you. You loved being the center of attention and I just wanted to burst watching you prance around with a big huge smile on your face. It was worth every last penny.

Here are your twin buddies, Yash and Neil:


Here is your girlfriend, Avery:


Here you are main-lining sugar in the form of apple juice before stuffing your face with pizza:


Yup, it truly was an awesome party.

Now, as your mama, I know that it's important for you to learn that birthdays are not supposed to be all about the presents, but my God, child! You made out like a bandit! You even got your own house!





You also got a cool little scooter that came with knee pads, elbow pads and a toddler helmet (which barely fits your above average sized noggin, but it sure looks cute!).



(Notice in the picture above that even though you are now the ripe old age of two, your shirt is still covered in drool...)

And don't forget your Dora Backpack and Video Camera (yes, you are a Dora fanatic, and no amount of coaxing from your father can get you to start watching Diego instead!)



Little man, I'm so happy that you enjoyed your birthday - watching you live it up with your pals is definitely one of the perks of parenthood.

Have I mentioned lately how glad I am to be your mama?



Love,
Mom

An Early Birthday Present...

23 Month Newsletter

Dear Rory -
Today I sat writing out the invitations to your 2nd birthday party, and it wasn't until I was halfway through them that I realized exactly what I was doing - WRITING OUT INVITATIONS TO YOUR SECOND BIRTHDAY PARTY! - Holy cow! Obviously I've been in complete denial over the fact that you are turning two, even though I've planned your party and have everything ready to go. Everything, that is, except ME.

I'M NOT READY.

But apparently what I think is not important, because the truth of the matter is that March 10th is coming quickly, and I'm going to have to come to terms with the fact that I will soon be the mother of a two year old child. A very fiesty, opinionated, fast-moving child, but a two year old, none the less. Oye.

But enough about me. Let's talk about YOU.

This month I can honestly say that I'm seeing your true personality come to life. There's no doubt that you know EXACTLY what you do and don't like - and you aren't afraid of expressing it - EVERY CHANCE YOU GET. Here are some examples:

- DISLIKE: Getting your diaper changed - My GOD, child, can't you just hold still for a second? I'm pretty sure that I'm one of the quickest diaper-changers on the planet right now, and it STILL isn't fast enough for you. And your displeasure comes with kicking. Which makes it one of Mama's least favorite things to do, too.

- DISLIKE: Drinking anything but apple juice - Repeat after me. "Hello. My Name is Rory, and I am a juice-aholic." It may only be 1/3 juice and 2/3 water, but heaven help me if I don't get the ratio EXACTLY RIGHT.

- DISLIKE: Being left in the church nursery - we're able to leave you with babysitters at home now (hurray!), but we have yet to conquer leaving you in child care on Sundays. Five weeks in counting and you are still crying as though we're leaving you FOREVER. I wish we could make you understand that Mama and Dada ALWAYS come back.

- LIKE: Dora the Explorer- Okay, so it's kind of the same show over and over again, but watching you sing along and wave your arms to the "I Did It" song at the end makes the repetitiveness worth it.

- LIKE: Eating - Apples, apple bars, apple juice (seeing a trend here?), not to mention whatever someone ELSE is eating. I haven't been able to eat anything lately without seeing your head pop up over the plate and hearing you say "Hey, Roro eat that!" or "Little Bite, Pleeeeeese!" No wonder I'm losing weight.

- LIKE: Going to Gymboree classes - Let me tell you, people, Gymboree may be pricey, but it's been worth every single penny. You absolutely LOVE it, and therefore, so do we! And you plays so hard while you're there that you nap for at least 2-3 hours afterwards, and that in itself is PRICELESS.

- LIKE: Music - Your love of music has absolutely exploded, and during a rare time when you're not rocking out on your guitar or banging on your drums, you are singing and dancing all over place. And I LOVE IT. Watching you shake your groove thing and wave your arms around makes your dad and I dizzy with pride and joy. It's truly one of the best things ever.



The other best thing ever is finally being able to put you down to sleep with a kiss and then walking out the door. No more sitting on the floor waiting for you to fall asleep, no more tip-toeing out while trying to avoid the creaks in the floor. We just say goodnight and LEAVE. And amazingly, you are OKAY WITH THAT. How this happened, I'm not sure, but why question a good thing, right?

Speaking of good things, have I mentioned how much I've been enjoying being your mama this month? You and I have spent A LOT of time together these last few weeks since Nana and Papa were out of town, and although it took some tinkering, we finally found our rhthymn together. It may have taken almost TWO YEARS, but I think we're starting to get the hang of this mother-son thing. And it's WONDERFUL.

Happy 23 months, little man.

Love,
Mama

Introducing the Next Child Guitar Playing Prodigy..

My kid can ROCK...

A Day for Stacys Everywhere!

Yesterday, this package was delivered to my door step:



I opened it and found all this:



Apparently, Stacy's Pita Chips (which already happen to be a family favorite) did a big promotional campaign yesterday that included delivering one of these gift boxes to everyone in California with the name STACY. How cool is that! The box included five different chip flavors, "I LOVE STACY" stickers, coupons for more chips, and a mailer that allows me to select a friend to get a free gift box just like mine. (Any takers?)

It's the first time my name has ever come in handy :)

Happy Stacy Day to me!

More Than a Little Oops

On Thursday I had to take Rory to the local Urgent Care for yet another sinus infection. The doctor prescribed something called Duratan, and since I haven't had much luck with my regular pharmacy carrying liquid medications for infants, I asked the doctor to recommend a different pharmacy. He told me that The Medicine Shoppe usually has these types on medicines in stock, and it was conveniently located across the street, so Rory and I headed over there.

Okay, so the place smelled a bit like old cigarette smoke and cheap air freshener, and the woman at the counter barely spoke English, but hey, who am I to judge? I picked up Rory's prescription, went over the dosage details with the pharmacy assistant, verified that Rory should take 1 teaspoon every 12 hours, and left.

Since I've never given Rory this type of medication before, I decided to read the bottle for possible side effects to look out for and happened to glance at the dosage directions. And here's what I saw, "Adults- 1 Tsp every 12 hours". Um, wait a second, isn't that what Rory is supposed to be taking? Why would Rory need to take the adult dosage? Something wasn't right.

So I called the pharmacy back and said "I'm a little concerned over the fact that my son's medication says that the adult dosage is 1 teaspoon, and that's how much I'm supposed to be giving my son - AND HE'S NOT EVEN TWO YET. What's up with that?" So the person put me on hold and got the pharmacist on who says to me in broken English, "Oooooh, so sorry, Miss. Make mistake. Supposed to be 1/4 a teaspoon, not 1 teaspoon." WHAT!!!! You're so sorry? I almost gave my son FOUR TIMES the dose he was supposed to get. I could have KILLED him. And you're just "sorry"? ARE YOU KIDDING ME???

Needless to say, we won't be going back to the Medicine Shoppe in Camarillo. Ever. And neither should you.

Top Five Things That Annoy Your Coffee Barista: Part 2

Back by popular demand...

1) People who spend ten minutes holding up my line complaining to me that Starbucks doesn't offer enough low calorie items for people who are watching their weight, and then they finally go on to order a venti caramel mocha Frappuccino with whipped cream and extra chocolate and caramel drizzle both on top and in the cup. I'm getting a sugar headache just thinking about it.

2) Fellow Starbucks employees who come into the store on their time off and order the most obnoxious, time-consuming beverages they can think of, especially when it's BUSY. One girl actually asked specifically for ten ice cubes in her drink, and when I handed it to her, she asked, "Did you count them?" I looked her straight in the eye while trying to keep up with a rush of drink orders and said, "NOPE. Have a nice day!" You Starbucks people know what it's like behind the counter - give your fellow partners a friggin' break and save the complicated drink orders for when you are on shift and can make them your damn self.

3) People who leave their trash on the tables. There are garbage cans EVERYWHERE - not to mention the ones right next to the doors on your way out. There is NO excuse for leaving your garbage laying around and it's insulting to those of us who have to pick it up. Do you really have so little respect for people in the food service industry? What you people need is to walk a day in our shoes...

4) People who bring their little dogs into our store. I hate to break it to you folks, but they are DOGS, not people, no matter how many cute tiny sweaters you may dress them in. Dogs have FUR, and fur SHEDS. Enough said. So don't give me grief when I tell you that we don't allow dogs in the store - because I, like most people, prefer my lattes fur-less.

and last but not least...

5) I thought that people just talking on their cell phones while ordering was bad, but I've actually found something that's WORSE - people who ANSWER their cell phone while ordering! Let's face it, in this age of technology, we ALL have voice mail. Is it going to kill you to let the phone ring for a second while you finish ordering so we can get to the next person in line? As as I've said before, just HANG UP YOUR DAMN PHONES people!

Sighhh. Yeah, it's just been one of those weeks...

The Alphabet Song

Yeah. My kid is DAMN CUTE.

Pucker Up!

Oops...

The other evening, we were walking home from the grocery store with Rory in his stroller. We stopped at the corner, where there was a car waiting to turn right who was blocking the cross walk. The driver looked over in our direction and saw that we were waiting to cross the street, so without looking, he threw his car in reverse to make way for us in the cross walk - and totally smashed into a car that was also waiting to turn right behind him. Ugh! We felt TERRIBLE. Luckily, no one was hurt, but I don't think that mattered much to the two people involved in the accident. All we could hear were cuss words flying as we continued home feeling awful... with Rory repeating "Cars go CRASH!!" over and over again.

What a bummer...

Month 21 and Month 22 Newsletter PLUS A Mariposa Christmas 2006

Dear Rory -

Okay, so I'm running a little behind on your monthly newsletters, but since you've been the one keeping me so busy, I'm hoping that you'll let it slide. These last few months have been a whirlwind of holiday activity in our festive interfaith household - and it's only made it more crazy having a Mama that works in retail during the biggest shopping season of the year. But although it's been a bit exhausting, it's been wonderful watching you take it all in with that enormous sponge brain of yours. You have loved reading about the 8 nights of Hanukkah, especially pretending to spin the dreidal and eat latkes (you like pretending to feed all of your stuffed animals some latkes, too!) You also became OBSESSED with your very first DVD, The Polar Express, which taught you about the North Pole and Santa Claus, as well as one of your new favorite sayings "Watch the MOOOOOVIE!".

The holidays also meant our annual Christmas trip up to Mariposa to visit with your grandparents on the Pearce side, which is ALWAYS an adventure. (For those of you who are not familiar with Mariposa, a tiny, rural town just outside of Yosemite, you should check out a more descriptive post here.) It's the kind of place where people have wood burning stoves that they actually chop their own wood for (see your Papa Stan below) and people have bumper stickers on their cars that read "Man + Woman = Marriage."



As always, you had your fair share of soda pop from Grandma Judy and watched your five year old cousin Joaquin play with pocket knives, but this year, instead of being given a BB gun as a gift, you and your cousin were actually given your very own machetes. REAL ONES. But yours came with a leather carrying case that could be strapped onto your little leg because as your Uncle Dubby said, you "might be a bit too young to just carry it around on your own". Thanks, Uncle Dubby...

Actually, aside from the machete, you got some pretty terrific, more, um, age-appropriate gifts, including your own little vacuum cleaner and a little motor bike from your grandparents that is sure to make you the envy of all the other boys on our block. I think your face would have split in half if you had smiled any bigger:



You also got to spend some quality time with your cousins and grandparents, and that, in itself, is priceless.





Speaking of priceless, now that you are practically speaking in sentences, some of the things that come out of your mouth are definitely noteworthy enough to be mentioned here:

- "BATCHIPOSA" - your way of saying "Mariposa"
- "CARRY YOU" - which means, carry me
- "ELMO-ZOE-ROCCO!" - your demand for a specific episode of Sesame Street
- "MORE BOOTY PLEEEZ" - Now, now, it's not what you think! This is your way of asking for more Pirates Booty from Trader Joes aka crack for toddlers.
- "MAMA ALL DONE!" - The new way you ask to get out of your high chair since I always say that you can't get down until I'm done eating. (You sneaky devil, you!)
- "WAITING...CHANGE!!!" - The endless demand that we hear in the car for your favorite song by John Mayor, "Waiting for the World to Change".
- "STARBUCKS - VANILLA MILK! - Well, this one is pretty self explanatory, and I guess a hazard of your Mama's job, eh?

I'm sure I'll think of more, but these are the gems for now. You amaze us everyday with the new words that you're picking up - it's one of the highlights of my day to see what's going to come out of your mouth next.

I have to say that in these last two months, I really feel like we are beginning to find our rhythm as mother and son. As other kids your age start heading towards their "terrible twos", and scaring their parents with sudden personality changes, it seems to me like you are just getting better and better. Yes, you have your melt downs and your tantrums, but we're able to communicate so much more now and usually we are able to resolve things fairly quickly and get back to having fun. And I love that. I love playing "boo" with you and watching your eyes light up when you help me vacuum the house or we read your favorite book. I am SO PROUD of you, Rory - you are unbelievably smart (sometimes almost TOO smart for your own good!), and I wonder if you know how much I beam when people tell me how impressed they are with your ever growing vocabulary. "He's not even TWO?!" they always say and I think to myself, "I KNOW! Isn't he AMAZING?" And you are. You REALLY are. In EVERY way.

Happy 22 Months, little man.

Love,
Mama

Just thought you all should know...

That I can't breathe through my nose. AT ALL.

I am truly miserable.

Tagged

Okay, okay - I usually don't do this sort of thing, but I was "tagged" by my friend Amanda, who I don't think usually does this sort of thing either...so why the heck not?!

My 3 Things...

3 Things that scare me:
* Fire
* Heights (I'm only 5'1", so obviously God didn't intend for me to be far off the ground!)
* The idea of my son Rory getting hurt

3 People who make me laugh:
* My husband, Hoby - have you met him? He's a total dork :)
* Rory - especially when he dances. It's TOO funny!
* My friend Allison who lives on the east coast. We have some terrific inside jokes from our college days at Humboldt State ("Say it with me now - MIATA!" Ha ha ha!). We don't talk as often as I'd like, but when we do, her sarcastic sense of humor makes me roll on the floor and cry with laughter. Boy, do I miss her...

3 Things I love:
* My family and friends
* Singing to the radio in my car with the windows down
* Reading a good book

3 Things I hate:
* People who talk on their cell phones while you are trying to take their order at Starbucks. Hang up your damn phone, people!
* Saying "No" all day long to my son. (The terrible twos have started early!)
* Getting up in the morning. I am NOT, and will NEVER BE a morning person!

3 Things I do not understand:
* How to get Rory to listen to me more often
* Why religion is the cause of so many wars
* why food that tastes good is bad for you and why healthy food costs more

3 Things on my desk:
* Wow! For the first time in my life, I can actually say that I don't have a desk!

3 Things I am doing right now:
* Blogging
* Trying to get over the Flu and a cold :(
* Craving chocolate and peanut butter (even thought I probably couldn't taste it right now anyways!)

3 Things I want to do before I die:
* Go to Israel
* Write a book
* Get this parenting thing under control!

3 Things I can do:
* Play the cello (really!)
* Stand up for what I believe in (and trust me, it can get me in trouble)
* Pack a suitcase really well. (Think "Optimum Space Value")

3 Things I can not do:
* Throw a Frisbee (really, it's ridiculous but true)
* wrap a present (thank goodness for bags!)
* Do math in my head on the fly

3 Things I think you should listen to:
* John Mayor's Continuum CD - I'm hopelessly addicted
* The Garden State Sound Track
* Anything by Sarah Mclaughlin or Dave Matthews Band

3 Things you should never listen to:
* BARNEY!!!!
* The B-52's
* Did I mention BARNEY? Ugh!

3 Things I'd like to learn:
* to speak Spanish fluently (I Do live in California, after all!)
* to sew with a sewing machine
* To drive a stick shift

3 Favorite foods:
* Gyros
* Sushi (Dynamite rolls rock my world!)
* Lobster

3 Beverages I drink regularly:
* Iced Chai Lattes from the 'Bucks
* Iced Chai Lattes from the 'Bucks
* Iced Chai Lattes from the 'Bucks (see a trend here?)

3 Shows I watched as a kid:
* Growing Pains
* Smurfs
* Fame

3 People I'm tagging:
* Sara
* Cherylynn
* Kristie