Embrace the Crazy



Force of Nature would be an understatement



I think many can agree that raising a boy is just different than raising a girl, at least that is what I gather based on watching others.  These beautiful girls will eat all daintily, not get too messy, then play very sweetly.  Then there is Teddy.  We often must change clothes four times a day, plus change Teddy four times, then there is food all over the floor, not to mention what is all over the table.  (I have never tipped so much in my life, that is how bad I feel. You may hate us while we are there but I try to make up for that when you see the check.) When Teddy has a playdate, he plays dictator (autocrat, Prime Minister Putin, whatever) and decides what every child must play with and when, which does not include his toys, only the ones he deems appropriate for them, which is usually tennis (wracket) or Playdoh. (I am embarrassed to admit that I only recently discovered that Teddy loves Playdoh and chalk.  He is loves to draw circles on everything and we are working on other shapes, which he recognizes, but he only draws and talks about circles.)

The hiding spot to avoid time out

I have just gotten to the point where I am embracing the crazy, as in the crazy that comes from being the mother of a toddler, a toddler boy.  I feel like I never know exactly what those mischievous eyes are plotting and I turn around to find him climbing to jump from the dining room table (true story), trying to open the freezer to get a pop (what he calls his Popsicles, a huge bribery tool), taking his tennis racket and beating the life out of the couch, watching him find dead bugs and try to eat them (they are all spiders to him or ladybugs and he loves them all) or, the best yet, taking his pen and drawing all over our wedding photo album (seriously, he was drawing circles on his table and next thing I knew, he had his Daddy looking like a scribble pad in our one of a kind wedding album, lovely).  Like I said folks, I am going to embrace it.  I mean he wants to scream at the top of his lungs in Target, I just let him, I mean why try and stop him.  He wants to throw pasta on the walls, let me show you where to aim.  It is too much work to try and keep everything under control constantly.  Teddy has no attention span and this blog sums it all up nicely.  Don't get me wrong, I am not going to let him harm your child, ruin your carpets/walls/china, but I am just not going to try and harness the wind EVERY SINGLE TIME IT BLOWS.  I have a full time job, I am a wife (I am sure I am not doing nearly as good a job at being a wife either but I am trying) and I am doing my best to raise Teddy to be a polite, cheerful young man, but there is only so much room in the day for everything.  I also feel like at some point, helicoptering in to save him from every possible peril just will not serve him in the long run.  The other day Teddy kept hitting his head on a shelf he was trying to crawl out of and another parent tried to rescue him and I stopped him, because I am convinced the only way he is going to learn to do things (and/or not do others) is to hit his head a few times (and no, I am not talking about letting him seriously endanger himself or try drugs, that is where I draw the line) to figure out you don't try to stand up under a shelf that is shorter than you are.  (I also think that sometimes you have to fail before you figure out how to succeed, and while my philosophy may change at points, I will not be that parent who is bailing him out of everything and only paving the way with roses and gold.  I failed, was not picked for things, lost contests and had disappointments, each of which taught me something about myself and I think they all combined to make me who I am, for better or worse.  I am not saying I won't try to counsel him or teach him or maybe even save him if he really needs it, just that some lessons are better learned in defeat.)

So Teddy, my darling, you are going to have to hit your head, slam your fingers in the drawer, eat it when its too hot, spill the glass of water and fall a few more times to learn these lessons.  It does not mean I do not love you, because I will always be here to kiss the boo boo's and wipe away the tears, it just means that I want to let you learn by doing and not by me doing it for you. (And, point of fact, I do want more/better for you, which is why I am working so hard (and your Dad too) to make sure you have access to even more (if that is possible) than I had access to.  But my parents did not do everything for me and you will have a summer job (like I had), you will be polite and take cottillion (because I had to take those lessons too), you will get a bad grade and be upset (but I won't be mad at you or even disappointed if it was the best your could do) and you may not get selected for the sports team (I did not make the 4th grade basketball team but I went on to play Varsity in high school and even got ejected from a game (long story and I still contend that I did not do it)).  One day you will look back on each of these events and each of them will represent a decision you made, a change in your path or lesson you had to learn the hard way, and in some way, each of them will somehow play a part in your fate, whether that be a very adorable scar you always have to explain, your second choice of schools you go to and meet the girl of your dreams or the new hobby you pick up in place of another.  I always say things happen for a reason and you just have to wait for it all to work out. And the crazy part is that you may have no idea how it will work out or what great things will come from your failure, but I promise that with time, that failure will seem a blessing and the chance it gives you to move on to something else will be more rewarding than what you could have imagined.  My advice is don't get bogged down in the crazy, embrace it and embrace that you are part of a plan, a fate and a destiny--embrace them and you will laugh more, cry harder and relish the victories with the knowledge that it all will work out in the end. 

So, I am going to embrace the crazy and let nature take her course, that winding path with no apparent plan, but so masterfuly executed that it seems obvious in the end.  

Lookalikes and Bad Reports at School

This is me at 2 looking like a boy

Everyone, and I mean, everyone always tells me how much Teddy looks and acts like Adrian.  Well, I am sure that is true, but then my Mom brought me some photos of me when I was two.  I think the evidence speaks for itself....(My friend Amanda was also kind enough to point out that it may be because his mannerism are so much like Adrian that it influences the choice. Hey, no offense here, because lately, Teddy is a disaster so I am happy to pass that off to Adrian.)

Me with my Cousin Tara (whose son is also a lookalike)

Tell me that this is not Teddy

Bad Reports:
Then there was also the dreaded day we thought was coming, Teddy's first bad report from school.  Apparently this whole terrible two's thing has gone from just being mean to Mommy to sometimes acting out at school.  I kept asking if they had witnessed it, but nothing was coming out, then came yesterday's report.  I will let it speak for itself.  I am just hoping that this will pass as quickly as it came. ( I love the part where he cries when they talk to him about his behavior, which I think is his way of trying to charm you out of punishing him....sneaky boy.)

The things that are Teddy

Teddy,

I have not really had time to write you a letter recently, but I thought this was as good a time as any.  You are really getting up there, you know 2 years old is the beginning of a whole new world.  In all honesty lovey, I cannot believe it has been two years.  It seems like literally a minute ago I was pregnant in the August heat waiting for you to arrive and here you are now, a little man.  You went from being that blobby little (well, let's be honest, you were a big baby) baby to this walking, talking, tantrum throwing, hugging and kissing little man.  I just marvel everyday at what you are learning and what you are picking up from the world.  Like today for example, you decided to start screaming the word "Booger" out complete with demonstration in case I was not clear what you mean by booger.  You are just so funny.

You love to sing.  Even when you are upset, you like to sing.  I have no idea where this came form but sometimes when we are just being quiet, I can hear you humming you favorite songs (either Pop goes the Weasel, or the Sad Little Puppy song).  You also love to give people hugs.  You are quite social and you especially love your family.  My favorite part of every day is when I come in the door and you run to me for a hug--it literally makes my day.

You are not a great sleeper.  I have no idea what we did wrong, but you are still not a great sleeper.  But I love that when you wake up in the middle of the night, you ask for us, Mama, Dada, and one of us comes to you.

You have a very mischievous side to you.  Your face has a particular look when you are about to do something and hope not to be caught.  I laugh at you and gasp at the same time because I am not sure where you get both the idea and the courage for some of your stunts.  You were crawling and walking early and you have not stopped since that time.  You are learning to play tennis now and make contact with the ball.  Sometimes you prefer to play golf with a tennis racket and do the best Johnny Mac we have ever seen with a racket, but most of the time, you really just want to hit the ball and see us clap for you.

You have been telling me a lot about your girlfriends from school and your best buds.  You seem to really be enjoying being around other people.  I can tell you that you get that from me; I love doing things with other people and I love my friends so dearly and I am sure you will too.  Always remember that the measure of a man is what he does when no one is looking and when he does not have to do anything.

You like to entertain everyone.  You make noises, play with their faces and do funny things for a laugh.  Sometimes I think you don't even know why its funny but you know others are laughing so you do it more.  I love this about you and I hope you never lose that exuberance.

The things that make you Teddy are the things I love most about you.  You really are out little man.  We cannot wait to see what you will become but I am excited to be there for it.

Love always and forever,


Your Momma

Teddy aka The Natural Disaster Azer's 2nd Birthday

Ready for Tennis!

Well, I would be lying if I did not admit that I have a "flair for the dramatic" and it appears that Teddy's may have inherited that same streak--in spades if his 2nd birthday week is any indication.  It is certainly unheard of in the DC area to have an earthquake, and well, to have a 5.9, it is probably a once in a lifetime event, but to follow that up with a Hurricane named Irene, well, that is just Mother Nature acknowledging a truth we know all too well, Teddy is a force of nature! (My personal belief is that Teddy ordered this up just to make sure EVERYONE knew it was his birthday so they would not forget but I am never sure what all that babble really is....)

Not Happy at all!

Preschool Party

Well, this one did not go quite as planned.  I picked up my parents, GrandNan and Pawpaw, who flew in just in time for this party and we rushed over to celebrate with cupcakes.  We got there and lo and behold, Teddy was NOT happy, in fact, that would be an understatement.  He wanted to GO HOME and he wanted to GO HOME NOW, no cupcake, no singing, no laughing, let's go people.  So we ended up leaving in the middle of that one because those other kids were loving those cupcakes and who am I to disturb a great cupcake.  As soon as we got to the car, he was fine, as if nothing has happened and he was readdy to hang out with GrandNan and Pawpaw...Weird.

Birthday Extravaganza

Teddy's 2nd Birthday extravaganza was to be held at the tennis center at the Club, followed by music with Groovy Nate and cupcakes.  (The Club literally asked me to cancel the party at 11:30 that morning and I almost blew a gasket, who cancels 3 hours before a party, but we got it straightened out.  I think people actually thought somehow a hurricane was going to be in Alexandria and did not realize that this would be less than any severe thunderstorm we have had this summer....oh well.)



Tennis Experts Jack "Bjorn Borg" and
Jesse "Sampras" Azer and Teddy "MacEnroe"



The Tennis party was so MUCH FUN!  I give major credit to the pro's who were able to entertain kids from ages 2-7 for 45 minutes in an organized fashion.  Teddy insisted on having his racket at ALL TIMES and tried out every single racket they had.  Pearl and Mason were the tennis champs for sure, hitting everything in sight and showing some real skills to these kids.  The adults got in on the action as well and I think tired themselves out instead of the other way around.

Avery Liou telling Teddy NO!

Groovy Nate was so fun and Jack led the team on this activity.  The dancing and singing was heard by everyone in the Club and I am sure they all felt it too and were afraid it was an aftershock during "Pop Goes the Weasel" which is for sure Teddy's anthem.  When he pops, he POPS!  Teddy also decided that he liked this kid he saw in the mirror and he liked them so much he decided to kiss that kid A LOT!  We would look over and see Teddy just kissing that reflection of himself over and over (I think he gets this from Adrian, I pretty much hate mirrors, I like to just pretend I know what I look like and stick with how I look in my mind vs. reality).  Then he decided that he wanted to love on Miss Avery (the only toddler lady at this shindig) and he came over and asked for her hand, to which she replied loudly NO.  Hilarious!  Her Daddy was so proud.

Rocking out to Groovy Nate

Temptation is hard to resist and Teddy decided he wanted to skip dinner and get to the cupcakes (maybe he is my kid after all).  Every time I turned my back, he had a new cupcake in his hands.  So I did what every Mother would do, I sent him to his Father with his bright red sticky hands! Needless to say, he slept well and basically asked us to put him to bed early!  We genuinely appreciate everyone who came to the party, sent us notes or called to say Happy Birthday to Teddy!

Things I Have Learned

Regardless of what party I plan (my wedding, a brunch, Teddy's 2nd Birthday) some weather event is going to interfere.  I need to somehow fake out Mother Nature and pick one date, then change to mix her up.  I have also learned that my child has a "lot of energy" as compared to other children.  He likes to express himself in many different ways, by screaming, crying and dropping to the ground and slamming his fists and kicking his feet. (Wonder where he gets this from? As I look around innocently.)  My Mother says he is going to be a "corker" and I am not sure what that means but he is our little (natural) disaster and we love and adore him!  Watch out world, Hurricane Teddy coming through!  If you are patient, God will reward you with more than you ever thought possible.  Thank you for teaching me that Teddy.

HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY TEDDY! We love you more than we can say and more than you will ever know!  You are a precious gift, tantrums and all, and we love your spunk and cannot wait to plan your next birthday already.  Much move, Mommy and Daddy

P.S. Your stats have improved, 26.3 pounds (35%), and 34.5 inches tall (50%) as of your 2nd birthday wellness checkup!  May God continue to bless us with your good health!



Snuggle Time with GrandNan



Birthday Hugs with PopPop and Baka



Hanging out with Jake and Amanda




Loving on Auntie Viv

 



Pop Goes the Weasel



Feeding Nana









The amazing Cars cookies!






Can you believe they got them all on the line?



Daddy and Auntie Viv



Dancing with Nana and Pawpaw









All Shook Up

Today was a monumental day for sure and we can check living in San Francisco off the list of possible places I am willing to move to (I mean, the first requirement is that when I ask for tea, the next question better be sweet or unsweet, but apparently that is asking too much) if we leave DC (not sure that will ever happen, but you never know....).  Around 1:45 today Adrian called me for the usual "watcha doin" call and we discussed some random stuff and then I said, "hey, my office is shaking" and he said "wait mine is too."  I hung up and that is when the REAL shaking began, I was not entirely certain what was going on but I knew enough to crouch down and watch my head for falling objects.  Time was sort of still because it probably was only 10-15 seconds but it felt much longer and I was dizzy and sort of nauseous.  Someone asked what happened and I said I think we just had an earthquake.  They then told me that was next to impossible and that it must have been the construction across the street but I told them that Adrian felt it and he was being evacuated and that we should too.  Then we all evacuated, which was a little like mass panic.  (Some jackass had the nerve to make fun of me for leaving and I thought you jerk!  I mean if you wanted to sit there and wait for the sky to fall, be my guest, but I am going to err on the side of caution knowing that no building in DC is built to earthquake standards....)

Once outside no one had phone service and very slow email service.  It was hard to know exactly what happened and in the back of mind I was worried it was some sort of terrorist act but then someone got info that it was in fact an earthquake and we sort of all breathed a sigh of relief.

I then made the decision to get my car and leave to check on Teddy.  Then Adrian finally got through to me and told me they had closed his school as a precaution.

So many cliches came to mind but it really looked and felt like being in a snow globe, all shook up, you now, shaken, not stirred, etc.  So Teddy, you can officially say that you braved your first earthquake, a 5.9/6.0 and came out smiling little man! Now, we just have to weather Hurricane Irene this weekend for your birthday, which is so apropos, because you really are shaking up our world as our little hurricane!

The Terrible Two's

Adrian had to leave us last week for, gasp, 6 days and nights.  It was the longest stretch we have all been apart since Teddy was 2 weeks old and he went to NYC for almost the same amount of time. Thank goodness I had just finished a huge deal and was not overly stressed for this time period.  My parents decided to come up for the weekend and help with Teddy (because trust me, I needed it, as you will read later).  

We had a great time on Friday, doing all kind of fun things like the pool and playing with GrandNan and Pawpaw.  We even bought Teddy his first BIG BOY bed.  I was determined to get this done with my Dad here to help, so I refused to wait on something to come in and only bought what they had in stock at that store, so we did what the Beverly Hillbillies perfected, and loaded up the car and headed out---mattress and all!  My Mom thought is was hilarious and insisted we have a picture of us driving home with a mattress attached to the car. 

Teddy also got a haircut and he HATED it.  My parents took him and everyone, including the barber, had to hold him down to get it done.  (Thankfully I was spared this trip and was getting my pedicure and enjoying that instead of being freaked out about whether the barber would cut him as he jerked and screamed.)  Teddy kept thinking that Nana and Pawpaw had moved in with us so when they left and we came home, he was disappointed to find they were not there.  He really loves their visits and we do too!

Teddy has also decided that he is a Big Boy and will tell me what he wants and does not want, regardless of the situation.  For example, if I give him a cup of water, he takes it from me while yelling "MINE,"  as if that Dixie cup were a gold chalice that I was coveting.  Or, he will see me with a popsicle and come take it from me and then say "MINE" ignoring the idea that something may not be his.  And I would admit that saying "MINE" might equal "Want" except that he knows how to say and express those desires as well, trust me we get that a lot too, especially at night when he is trying to avoid sleeping.  We had a photo shoot and he was AWFUL, I mean, truly AWFUL and the photographer said to me, "don't you just hate the Terrible Two's?"  Up until then it had not dawned on me that this is what people were talking about, i.e. that my sweet little boy would become this enraged monster, almost like he was on a roid rage or something, and be so possessive of everything.  Then a parent tells me, oh wait, this is nothing, wait until the Truly Terrible Three's hit.  Great, something to look forward to, but I will say that Teddy has come back around to giving me kisses, which I will take as a tradeoff for these Terrible Two's!   

Mama MUST wear Shoes

Teddy likes to put our shoes on and walk around, which is in and of itself, hilarious, because he tries his hardest to go as fast in our shoes as in his shoes.  He picked out some flip flops of mine this morning and brought them out to play with (and he was hilarious trying to walk around in my flip flops).  When we were leaving to go downstairs, I walked out barefoot because my shoes were downstairs.  Teddy says "No Mama, shoes, shoes!"  and points to the flip flops.  I told him my shoes were downstairs but he was adamant that I put on shoes before we went downstairs.  So I put them on and we went downstairs.  But then I got busy gathering everything he needed for school and the pool that day, including his new milk (Yay, we are allowed to try Soy Milk now!), etc.  When I was dropping him off at school, I happen to look at my feet, and you guessed it, I am wearing those flips flops today for work.  Hilarious!  Every time I look at my feet it makes me smile thinking about my precious boy picking them out for me!