Life

My little boy got his first goose egg. He fell on his head and has a big bump on his forehead. I'm sure this is the first of many, and as soon as he got it, I think he forgot about it, because when I went to pick him up after work, he was smiling and playing away.

Came home to find a sick husband - cold, vomiting, etc. Made a quick soup, fed the family (even Patrick liked the broth!), and got everyone in bed.

Up early this morning for routine bloodwork. Couldn't find the veins in my arms, so they had to go through a vein in my hand. Ugh.

Is this how mundane life gets over time?

Last night, I was suddenly 20 years younger...

Yes, I admit it, I went to see New Kids on the Block last night.  Actually, they are going by The Block these days.  But to me, they will always be the New Kids.  I blogged about this a few months ago, saying I was going to see them.  And I did.  Alone.

When I arrived at the arena, I was skeptical, worried that I would feel like an outcast, attending a concert by myself.  And the parking lot wasn't welcoming to a single attendee - there was tons of tailgating (at an NKOTB concert???) and old NKOTB music was blaring from the cars.  Once inside the venue, it was mass craziness - tons of girls, many in their tshirts from 1988 (you can imagine what that looked like), pregnant women, drunk girls declaring their love for Joey, Jordan, and Donnie (not much love for Jonathan and Danny, though).

Having always been a fan of Jordan, I still am, but I have a deep appreciation for Joey now.  His voice is great, he's really matured as a performer.  Jordan is the same sexiness as he always was (even giving the crowd a treat: singing bare chested!).  Donnie is still the bad boy (I don't know how many Red Sox hats he has - one in every color, it seems).  Danny is still... well, he's still the tallest (I don't know: he didn't do much.  Oh!!  He had a breakdancing solo, which was pretty cool).  And Jonathan is a little shy, but that's to be expected since he had all those issues about performing years ago.

The show itself was spectacular.  They did a great mixture of their old material ("Please, Don't Go Girl", "Didn't I Blow Your Mind this Time", "Step by Step") and their new ("Summertime", "Click, Click, Click"), plus honored those we had lost in the last 15 years (Tupac, Frank Sinatra, Marvin Gaye, Luther Vandross, plus those who were present in their personal lives: Donnie's father, Danny's mother).  They had an entourage of sexy dancers, of course, and both Jordan and Joey did performances of their solo works over the years.  Donnie, bad boy extraordinaire, emceed the evening and let the ladies know that he was single.

And they haven't lost their moves.  Well, considering it's been 20 years since they started doing them.  

I had a great time.  And I actually forgot I was there alone.  The girls that were sitting in my area was loads of fun, singing at the top of their lungs and dancing.  I, of course, was not far behind.

                              

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

 

             

           

                 

Pictures - or "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" by Patrick N.

   

Playing with new toys!                               Looking cute on my way to school.

 

 

Getting a tooth!                                          Hanging out at baseball games.

Spending time with my godfather.               Visiting Salem, Massachusetts

  

Learning how to stand up!            Napping with my "friends."

 

 

Hanging with my Daddy.                              Taking tours of Boston with Mommy, Daddy and Godmom.

Visiting Northeastern, Daddy's old school.    Riding in the car!

What a summer - what are we doing this winter??

Months Ten and Eleven

Dear Patrick,

Oh boy, I am way behind in my letters to you.  I'm so sorry, but you really know how to keep me busy!  Let me start by saying that the day after you turned ten months, you started standing up all on your own!  Since then, we are constantly keeping an eye on you, constantly wondering what you are going to get into next.  That said, you have perfected your crawling and you are very very fast.  But anyway, back to the standing.  You stand anywhere you can.  You stand in your crib and look over the rails until someone comes into your room to get you.  You stand up using your dad or I to help keep your balance.  You stand using the coffee table in the living room.  And on and on.

You also got your first tooth - lower left!  After months and months of drooling and biting on everything, the tooth made it's appearance about three weeks ago.  Now you bite into everything we give you - bread, apples, bananas, etc.  This tooth has really  made you appreciate food, I think, because you love mealtime.  You will eat anything we give you:  cheese, bread, watermelon, baby cookies, and of course, your favorites: sweet potato, carrots, applesauce, peaches.

You continue to babble:  DADADADADADADA and all its variations, including DA, DADA, DADDDDDDDDA.  It's great and your daddy couldn't be prouder than when he hears you calling for him (or so he thinks!).

You also started going to school two days a week - day care, or as I refer to it, 'baby jail.'  Except, it's no jail for you, as you LOVE IT!  You have your favorite teachers and many friends.  You play all day long and the teachers tell me you are adventurous and not afraid of anything.  You play in the sandbox and show off your reddish hair, smiling at everyone you pass.  Luckily, I am able to visit you during my lunch, and you always give me a big smile before going back to playing.  You also participate in snack time and music time at school, so you come home with all kinds of lessons:  peek-a-boo and touching your head are among your favorite things you do there.

This last month, we spent a weekend in Boston - your first roadtrip - visiting with your godmom.  You loved the trip, the sights, the hotel, even the car ride.  You also enjoy trips to the grocery store and now you participate by pulling things into the cart and even knocking over items from the grocery aisles.

You still play with all your toys in your pack and play - monkey, bear, Curious George - and usually take your naps laying on one of them.  It's very sweet to see you hug your toys as you sleep,your first friends.

I can't believe how much you have grown the last few months.  Even more, I can't believe that you will turn one in only a few weeks. 

How much your dad and I love you, you will never know...

-Momma

How Genesis and Phil Collins Got Me Through My First Heartache

A few days ago, wandering through Borders, I came across a compilation CD in the clearance bin - Genesis Greatest Hits.  I quickly scanned the back, tried to remember what happened to my old Genesis cassette tapes (yes, cassette tapes), realized I had no clue, and decided to buy it.

When I got in the car and put the CD in, I was immediately thrown back in time:  my freshman year of college.  Like most college freshman, I was excited to be leaving home and going to live in the dorms.  To me, it was a new adventure, one that I had every intention of experiencing.  However, the summer before, I became close with a, ahem, young man.  Unfortunately for us, he was staying behind in Miami while I was embarking on new territory.

Like most young kids, we spoke on the phone ALL THE TIME.  And being young kids, we had a love of different kinds of music.  Coincidentally, we both enjoyed Genesis and Phil Collins.  Looking back, it was all very silly - but oh!  so innocent.

Late at night, we would whisper into the phone:

I remember long ago -
Ooh when the sun was shining
Yes and the stars were bright
All through the night
And the sound of your laughter
As I held you tight
So long ago -

And later that year, when we fought and we no longer on speaking terms, I would blast other songs:

There must be some misunderstanding
There must be some kind of mistake
I waited in the rain for hours
And you were late

and:

Throwing it all away
Throwing it all away
Is there nothing that I can say
To make you change your mind
I watch the world go round and round
And see mine turning upside down
You're throwing it all away

My personal favorite was this one:

How can I just let you walk away, just let you leave without a trace
When I stand here taking every breath with you, ooh
You're the only one who really knew me at all
How can you just walk away from me,
When all I can do is watch you leave
Cos we've shared the laughter and the pain and even shared the tears
You're the only one who really knew me at all
So take a look at me now, oh there's just an empty space
And there's nothing left here to remind me,
Just the memory of your face
Ooh take a look at me now, well there's just an empty space
And you coming back to me is against all odds and that's what I've got to face

Oh my gawd... I can't believe I was so, hmmm, what's the word, MELODRAMATIC.  My poor roommate must have thought I was nuts (Cher: if you by some chance find this and are reading, I'm sooooo sorry for making you listen to these songs over and over again when you were trying to studying or watch tv or talk to your own boyfriend on the phone - I'm truly sorry!).  But at the time, it was so real to me.  My emotions were so raw and my outlet was the music.

Eventually (and I do mean, eventually), I moved on.  And by my junior year, I was pretty much okay (I know, I know, I already said I was a drama queen, sue me!).  But Genesis and Phil Collins always stayed with me.  They are still with me today.

And now, as I drive to work and listen to these old songs, I can't seem to wipe a silly grin off my face.

I think I'm grinning because I was so young.  But then again, I grin because I've come such a long way.

Para Mami y Papi: Pictures of our new ride

 

Things I don't blog about anymore

It's funny, all the while I was pregnant, I promised myself that this wouldn't turn into a "mommy-blog", that I would continue to write about the crazy happenings in my life, and that no matter what, I wouldn't bombard this page with pictures of my baby.

More than ten months later, I haven't kept that promise.  And I am truly sorry.

I went back to work about two months ago.  While it's only part-time, I hardly have any time when I get home.  I really admire all the single mothers out there and the mothers (and fathers) whose spouses are overseas defending our country.  I've been very fortunate:  I've had my parents, my mother-in-law, and countless friends to help me along the way.  And, of course, I've had Mike.  He's been great. 

Still, I'm exhausted.  I'm really tired.

Someone asked me the other day what I missed most about life before Patrick and I answered, without hesitation:  napping.  I've never been a big napper, but right now, I miss having the chance to grab a few minutes of sleep, cuddling underneath my favorite blanket and taking a snooze.  I even miss short naps in the car.

But now, life isn't about me.  It's not even about Mike and I.  It's about my family.

Family.

I love saying that.  I love saying, "I have a family waiting for me at home" at the end of my workday.  It makes my life that much more meaningful.

I still have lots of things to say about my crazy life.  Except now I'm just too tired to write about them.  I'll get back there, I promise.

But for now, I hope you will bear with me, my life as a mommy, and the bombarding of pictures of my son, who has given new meaning to my life.