Dog Party

Last night we attended a dog bday party for some friends of ours. Apparently they do this every year with the underlying reason being a good excuse to get people together for a couple cocktails and let the kids & dogs burn some energy off. We were skeptical at first but wound up having a great time!! We took Zoe (since she is the most well behaved) and Ty (of course) and let them have at it! Tyler was hesitant at first with 30 dogs running around like crazy but warmed up eventually. By the time we were ready to leave he was petting any dog that wandered his way. Zoe made sure there were NO birds hiding in any trees or bushes and got slobbered on by who knows how many other dogs. All in all we had a fantastic time....glass of wine, nice evening outside, good company, and two tired "kids"!!

Mirror

When Tyler begins a meltdown I have recently been asking him to look me in the eye so we can focus and discuss things out. When he won't look at me, I gently put my hands on his face and move it towards mine so we can be eye to eye. At the same time, we are also teaching him to say "Excuse me" when adults are talking and he wants to interrupt.

The other day I was holding him and talking to Nan when he begins saying "excuse me" and when he didn't get my attention he put his hands on my neck and gently pulled me towards his face. Nan pointed out that he was doing the same thing to me that I do to him when he begins his meltdown. I about fell on the floor laughing. He had been doing that for a week or so and I had no idea where it came from until she recognized that he was mirroring my actions to him. Amazing what kids pick up and how hard it can be for us to see our own actions.

The Blankie

I'm not sure we have discussed the "blankie" yet. This is Tyler's blue blankie. The one I bought to use as a prototype when making blankets for my friends' kids. The one he took to, out of all the other blankets. And now the one he CANNOT live without. UGH!!!! The only time he sucks his thumb is when he is carrying his blankie...and for some reason the thumb sometimes isn't enough so he sucks on the corners of the blanket...which in turn makes it wet and stinky and highly in need of multiple washings. Thus, we try to limit blankie time to when he is in his bed. However, every mom knows that good intentions sometime go undone. So our little "Linus" gets to drag his blankie around with his thumb in his mouth when he is tired, cranky, sad, frustrated, not getting his way........The other day we thought we had lost the blankie. Chad thought maybe it was a good time to ween him off it...part of me knew that wasn't a bad idea....and part of me felt panicked at losing the "baby boy" who still needed his blankie. I think I was more relieved than Ty was when we found it. As much as Ty wants that blue, stinky thing....I know there is a part of me that wants him to have it just a little more.

So for now....Tyler can remain "Linus" until he is at least a little older!!!!

Women Drivers

Apparently when you are kids you can stick two butts into a one seat car....even if you have to lean out the door a little!! Ty and Eva decided they both wanted to take a spin in the car so being the sharing kinda kids they are, they decided to squeeze in. What a great guy...Ty let Eva drive. We all know that will change in about 15 years!!! By then I'm sure he'll be telling blond, crazy women driver jokes and we'll have to pull out the proof that at one time he enjoyed letting her "Drive Mr. Daisy"......

Tess

Have you ever seen that commercial for carpet cleaning..."Hey Mom...Rover learned a new trick!!" and the dog is rubbing his ASS across the carpet? It makes me laugh every time...damn dog. Well needless to say its not so funny when its in your own backyard. Tess got into the trash and ate a whole chicken carcass. UGH!! All dog owners know that is a recipe for DISASTER!! She had BLOW OUT diarrea for two days and then started barfing. A trip to the vet with x-rays indicated she had passed most of the bones out by then (lucky us) and only needed some antibiotics to make sure she didn't get a bacterial infection. Here she is back home trying to rub her sore ass in the cool grass. DAMN DOG!!