Pitiful, I know...

Yesterday I found myself in the local liquor store, Mia in the sling Lucas in my grasp. Now normally I have my dear husband to provide me with delicious wine and cold beer; two of my favorite things in life. However I was feeling his absence and decide that I would go and get myself some booze. However my demonic little angel Lucas was very overtired from a recent cold which inevitably leads to painful stubbornness. (A trait honestly come by as both Taurean parents are notoriously also obstinate.) He insisted that the wine bottles needed to be counted. And by this he meant touching each and every one as he went by it. My firm disapproval sent him into a puddle of tears as he fell limply on the liquor store floor with the injustice of it all. As I pleaded with him to just hold himself together for only a few moments longer because Mommy desperately needed her wine, a kindly employee came over and this is about how our conversation went.

"Can I help you with anything?" asked the man while trying to hide the look of disapproval on his face.

"Yes, I've kind of got my hands full."

"I can see that. What are you looking for?"

"Wine. Red. Not too cheap - but not a fortune. Quick."

"What grape?"

"Now." I gasped.

"How about this?" he tried pitifully.

"Great," I replied, paid, and was off.

Let me tell you, Rob was veeeerrrry disappointed in my choice when he asked the dreaded question on the phone last night. But me? Well, let's just say I was feeling better while I read my book by the fire... sipping crappy wine.

Another Note

I just re-read my last few posts and realized that you may not be able to follow the train of our busy lives without a little fill-in.

Rob's new job had some setbacks in the opening date of their restaurant (very common) and had to put it back a few months. In the meantime, they decided to send him to Santa Monica to work in their place there at the Viceroy Hotel. This all came very unexpectedly and threw a huge curve ball into our carefully orchestrated transitional fall. Thus I am alone with the kids until December.

A bail-out, a bird, a birthday and a bump

First things first, for those not yet in the know, I finally decided that I had had enough of living the single working mom lifestyle and quit my job. What a relief. I have so much respect for those who can make it work, but I was a disaster at it. Enough said.

This was the first Thanksgiving in years that I have truly enjoyed. Last year I was so pregnant and tired that I just lay on the sofa having hardly been able to eat any turkey. But this year... I let out my belt and dug in. The kids are at an age now that they played well together and we all enjoyed the company and the food in relative peace. It was lovely to have Rob home with us for the weekend, but of course it passed all too fast. He arrived the Saturday of the long weekend, spent a whirlwind couple of days with us, and was gone on Wednesday morning. We will see him again in November for another couple of days and then he should be home again for good at the end of the month. I am now back to the kiddy-routine of playing, eating, bathing and sleeping; albeit on a budget!

Lucas' birthday was a blast. We celebrated with some friends here at the house and enjoyed a Cinemazoo presentation of all sorts of wild and wonderful creatures. Personally, I was amazed at how long the kids stayed still for and how frightened some of the adults were! Ah... childhood innocence and adult fears...

As for the bump, well, that came after a particularly joyful stand and clap on Mia's part. In her highchair, that is. She tumbled out backwards and had a good fall. (Lucas really doesn't get it when I say that.. who made up that expression anyways?!) She suffered a bad concussion and had to be taken to Children's Hospital where we spent a good part of our night under observation. (Her for trauma, I'm fairly sure me for negligence.) After a frightening week of doctor and a repeat emergency room visit, we are fairly confident that she escaped this one unscathed. I am now so much more aware of the little safety details that are so easy to become relaxed with. I am also so very thankful for having a support network of friends of family to help me out. Being alone when things like this happen... not good. Especially when there is another child to be looked after as well. :(

So we are in recovery here. Readjusting schedules and getting ourselves into a better groove with less stress. (Hopefully.)

PS. I'm so sorry about the sideways pictures... another new program that I thought I had figured out... thought.

noisy new steps