Crusing Right Aong for the Past 6 Years...

 Wow! Well, we have been busy.

Bee is in the home stretch of 5th grade, doing well, enjoying school, kind and great with little kids. He's been very happy and healthy, with a developing artistic talent and love of Manga. Mr. Right's suggestion to introduce Bee to comic books was brilliant, and he is an avid reader. And this was a kid who used to cry during his reading assignments in first grade. While most of what he reads are graphic novels, he also picks up more advanced books that spark his interest. He has good friends at school and home. He has a few girls who like him, and he likes them, but he doesn't know who he likes best. He prefers the girls who are nicest, not just the ones who are pretty. He's an awesome kid with a great sense of humor and I feel blessed every day that he is in our lives. He's not in any sports, but he's looking forward to joining something once he's in 6th grade.

My in-laws are doing well, and my FIL picks up our son at school every day, gives him a snack and helps him with his homework. We are very grateful for all they do! Sometimes they butt heads (the hormones have already started), but we talk them through it to resolve their issues. Bee always talks to us about whatever is bothering him, although sometimes it does take time for him to get into the swing of things.

Professionally, we've been busy and steady, so that's great. Bee will stay with his grandparents if we are under the crunch meeting our deadlines, and he's usually pretty happy there. He has his own room and play area, so that works out nicely.

My cousin's children are my Bee's cousins, for which we are very grateful. There are now five cousins, ranging in age from 7 to 2. My cousin who donated her eggs to us has since gone on to have twin boys herself, who are two and a half now. She is a wonderful mom, and our son was a tremendous help in watching the boys and his other younger cousins this year at Christmas. We still haven't told him, but we look forward to it. Like everything else, and all of his other questions, we know the right time will present itself.

I know this is just a brief update, but I wanted to let people know that we're still here, all is well, and I give thanks everyday. I hope you all are happy, healthy and whole.

Same old, same old. And I mean that in the best possible way...

Nope, I don't update too frequently. Very busy with work and life. Plus, really... all is well. How exciting is that? Our son turned five in early April and will be starting Kindergarten in September. He's bright and precocious, although can be lazy. It still drives me crazy that he doesn't do what I ask him to WHEN I ask him to do it. I'm not sure if that's an age thing, a boy thing, an Aries thing, or all combined...but he's a good boy. He's very healthy, for which we are exceedingly grateful every day.

Finally, after nearly TWO YEARS he's back to a better sleeping routine! We can now put him to bed in his bed, awake and say good night. He has returned to sleeping through the night. When he does wake up, usually for some water, he'll go back to bed without much ado. What sheer bliss! Wow, that's nice. :)

Life is a constant adjustment, as Bee grows and develops from a toddler to preschooler, from a baby to little boy to big boy. He's long and lean, so his pants often wind up short long before he outgrows the waistband. He's funny and all boy - he loves his action figures, super heroes and sports. He's good with girls, though and usually gentle with them, although sometimes he needs reminding. He's fascinated by the body. He was assigned to represent the letter "S" in his Nursery School Parade. We thought, surely he'll be Superman - he has a big red "S" on his chest! (And we have a Superman costume rather handy). However, Bee chose to be a skeleton instead. He has skeleton pajamas, but, since his dad and I work with bones and anatomy a great deal in our line of work, we didn't want him to feel he had to choose this. We suggested other options - spider, Spider-man, sun, Superman... No, he really wanted to be a skeleton! He also pointed out some "s" bones - skull, scapula, scaphoid, sacrum. Okay, yes, technically the skull is comprised up of many bones, but it sufficed for Nursery School. All went well ans I actually remembered to record it on video.

We get to see our extended family once a year at Christmastime. Bee has a cousin who is now 19 months! We stay connected on the FB, and need to S*kype more often, but we all do what we can with our schedules. My cousin who donated her eggs to get Bee here is well. She graduated and is now a practitioner in her field, owning her own home and paying off her student loans. She was kind enough to call and wish Bee a happy birthday, and we did the same on her day (they're both born in the same month). We wonder at which age it would be best to tell him the story of how he got here. He's seen the ultrasound pictures, from the two transferred embryos to right before he was born and he's fascinated. We want to disclose at a good stage of his emotional development, not too early that he can't understand it, but not too old that he'll wonder why we waited so long. If anyone has some suggestions, I'd be grateful. I don't think anyone actually reads this anymore, but I'm throwing it out there!

Be well, everyone and Happy Spring. May you all find your happiness in life.

Where's Bee? He left? Where did he go?

I am very blessed to be able to go to the gym during the week in the early morning while my dearest husband and angelic son remain blissfully asleep. On good days. On great days, when I return, I can hear my son playing quietly in our room while Mr. Right tries deperately to get a few more winks in. When Bee hears me come home, I can hear him tell his father: "Tell her I left! Tell her I drove off in my car!" [giggle giggle snort]

I enter our bedroom to see Mr. Right, sleepy in bed and smiling, along with a slightly moving large lump under the covers.

"Where's Bee?" I ask knowingly.

"Oh, I don't know. He got in his car and drove off. I think he went to one of his girlfriends'."
[giggle giggle giggle]

"Hmmmm. You mean his Pooh car? He won't get very far in that."
[muffled: "I went to get coffee! glug glug glug!"]

"Hey, that sounded like Bee!" I peek under the covers to his laughter.

"No! I left! Don't spill my coffee!"

We play this game, one of my favorites, and it never fails to crack me up or get me in a great mood for the rest of the day.

Covered in... I beg your pardon?

Well! Happy New Year to you all, hopefully this year will bring good things to those of you working so hard for them. I keep my fingers (and toes) crossed for everyone.

We had a lovely, relaxing Christmas and New Years with our favorite family out west and have now hit the ground running with work. In fact, I'm in the office n a Saturday and should be working, but I thought I'd interject with this little anecdote from June of 2009 before it goes down the memory hole.

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Scene: Mr. Right and I in our bathroom, getting ready to turn in for the night. This has been the third day of potty training our 3 year old son.

Me: "Ugh, I was covered in pee before."
Mr. R: "Oooh, kinky."

I look at Mr. Right as if to say, Oh, yes, I just love being covered in our son's pee.

Mr. R: "Yeah, I know. Not the kind of covered-in-pee you'd want."

-pause. We both burst out laughing.

Me: "You mean, there's a "covered-in-pee" you would want?"
Mr. R: "No, but I thought it was funny!"

Aaaaaaaaaand scene.

Bee actually did very well with potty training, so it all worked out for the best. Any stories of your own? Please share!

Oh, for crying out loud...

Well! It would appear that 13 MONTHS have past since my last post. I have managed to keep up with most of your blogs through Bloglines (boy, somebody was thinking!) What have I been doing all this time? Working! And after that, I try to make dinner, spend some time with the Bee before his bedtime. If I'm lucky, I'm awake enough to chill and watch a little entertainment before I fall asleep. Because I usually get up at 5:30 - 6 am to go work out. And the day starts all over!

So - I'm busy. I know y'all get it. Bee is 3.5 years old, very active, lean, muscular, loquacious, bright, funny and defiant. He's sweet and compassionate, but also protective. Saturday I had to talk to Mr. Right, who was lying on the couch with a chest cold watching a movie with the Bee. Bee flung his arm across his father and scolded me: "You don't talk to my friend Daddy that way!" He practically growled!! First of all, I never speak rudely to my husband. Ever. It's just funny that this little boy picked up on me talking to the Man and interrupting his movie time! Sometimes he "defends" me too, although none of us ever need defending. The boy is fierce! And did I mention chatty? That's what his nursery school teacher told me on his first day. He cried when we dropped him off, practically sprinted to the door, but the teacher scooped him up and distracted him. They called later to say he was upset for the first five minutes, then became really interested in the opening activities. "He's having a great time and he's very chatty!" We thought that was funny, because I thought, oh lady, you have no idea. He's very clear and talks up a storm. Knows all his colors. Only seems to know the letter "s", but we know he'll pick up the rest soon enough. We LOVE his nursery school. He goes 2 days a week for 2.5 hours in the afternoons. The teachers are wonderful, the classroom is adorable and we're really thrilled. He loves it too. It took a couple of weeks, but know when we drop him off, there's no more anxiety. He can't wait to talk to his teachers and make things. He knows that we will always come to pick him up "when the work is done."

Work is good, but we had to let our last person go, which really sucked. She was a sweet girl who did a great job, but we had been terribly slow snce last November, and couldn't justify another person. So, it's just me and Mr. Right. Of course, 1 month after she was let go, business picked up and we've been busy ever since. We're busy enough for two, but not for three. So we're doing okay, especially since our overhead is now lower.

I like being a working mom, but gee it's tiring! That's why I've made friends with my slow cooker. That's the one wedding gift that keeps on giving! We've decided that we would like another child, but we'll have to wait. I don't think we're going to ask my cousin to donate, since she has now graduated and is working in her field. She's busy, and donating is a lot to do in a month that's far from where she lives. She bought a house and is doing great - we're so proud of her! We'll see her again at Christmas when we go to my aunt's for Christmas and New Year's. We're trying to make that a yearly tradition. We have such a wonderful time being part of a family! Plus my cousin J got married and had a son earlier this year so we'll be able to meet the baby. Bee's very first cousin! He's very excited.

We're nearly out of credit card debt, so then we can start saving. I guess the only option is IVF/PGD with my eggs, but I'm not terribly optimistic. They're not like cheese or wine; age is not their friend and I just turned 39. I saw a psychic who said I have one more baby coming - a girl, who will be healthy. So either we go through IVF or I miraculously become pregnant with a singleton, intrauterine pregnancy despite my tubal ligation. But I suppose stranger things have happened. I have put it God's hands. If it's meant to be, it will. It's a LOT easier to take this approach since we already have a happy, well-adjusted child in our lives. I will be fine if it doesn't work out, but I'll know that somewhere "up there" Amelie will be about. Supposed to be with us, but waiting. Ah well.

And now, I've got to get back to work. I've got deadlines to meet and a son to pick from school soon, waiting to show me the neat things he made during the day. I'm happy, healthy and blessed. I'm married to my best friend, working in a career I love with lots of work to keep us busy, and a home of our own. We've got some great family and good friends. Life is good.

How about you? And can anyone recommend a great slow cooker? I want to get one for my cousin as a housewarming gift. I'd love to hear about your opinions in the comments. Thank you! Have a pleasant day ;)

My, My... How Time Does Fly...

I had all these wonderful intentions to update regularly, and now it's October. Good Lord, time does fly. As a kid, it seemed like time would drag on and on, waiting for a birthday, Christmas, Halloween.... forever. The older I get, time seems to just speed by faster and faster.

Case in point, the Bee is now a two-and-a-half year-old little boy with a personality all his own. Really, the obsession with sports and (soccer, basket, base, foot) balls... Where on EARTH did that come from? Not us! Although he does like Su.perman and Harr.y Potte.r, The Iron Gi.ant and Fin.ding N.emo. He loves to run and play with his friends and we can have actual conversations with him. "Mom? I like this blanket. I think it's better for me." Well, okay! You can use that blanket, then. Cutie.

Here's an exchange from today:

"Mommy! There's a man sitting in a chair. Come see! Let me show you, Mom." As Bee was pointing to our living room, I was wondering if this was an imaginary man, or perhaps my brother or...

Bee points to our DVD collection, where Mr. Right has action figures set up near the films they represent. In front of The Ma.trix, we have Morpheus sitting in a chair, next to a small table with a telephone. This is the man in question. I'm a bit relieved.

"See, Mommy? There's a telephone! I want to touch it..." I guide him away from the action figure, as we've taught him that this is Daddy's Museum, and Not For Touching. Of course, after I leave the room, he opens the glass case and takes the telephone anyway.

"Mommy! Look! I have a telephone!" I thank him, put it back where it belongs and take him out of the room, which is the consequence for touching the things in Daddy's Museum he's not supposed to. He puts up a bit of a fight, and in a couple of minutes, he's fine and excited about his Opah coming over to play.

He's in a big-boy bed now, which is really taking some adjustment on our part. Sometimes at night he'll get out of bed, just to see "What's going on?" This is usually right after we've put him in for the night. Or it's "I want the other one pillow." Or "I want blanket on/off me." He's getting up less in the middle of the night since we've started using a night light in the hallway and leave his door open all night. He does get up early, however. Well, early for us: 6:00 or 7:00 a.m. In his crib, he'd wake up early but play by himself until we'd go in to get him, around 8:00 am. We're trying to teach him that when he gets up he can play quietly by himself until we get up, although he usually comes in to check on us about 7:00 a.m. It's hard to be upset with his smiling, beautiful face saying "Good morning! I love you, Mommy/Daddy!" Really, how can you get mad at that? And that's even considering my husband and I used to be morning people, as far as intimacy is concerned. We've had to change to the evening shift, which is, again, a big adjustment. But kind of exciting.... I mean, if I'm awake enough, we could get together anytime! Which means I'm needing to shave more than once a week. After all this time, I find I need to be on my toes. Now there's an exciting consequence I hadn't considered before... I love mommyhood!

Four for...

She lives!

Ooooh, my first meme! I have been tagged by Snickollet (basically) and in lieu of an update post which I swear is coming (essentailly we're fine, Bee's growing and talking), I thought I'd start with this to get things going again. Yeesh, those blogging joints are achey. Five months?! Good Lord!

Four Jobs I Have Held
1. Stable hand
2. Pizza maker
3. Phlebotomist
4. Illustrator/Project Manager

Four Movies I Could Watch Over and Over
1. Raiders of the Lost Ark
2. Aliens
3. The Man Who Knew Too Little
4. Sliding Doors

Four Places I Have Lived
1. Long Island, NY
2. Rochester, NY
3. Atlanta, GA
4. Central NJ

Four TV Shows I Like
1. Battlestar Gallactica
2. Dr. Who
3. Lost
4. Smallville

Four Favorite Foods
1. Chocolate
2. Palak paneer
3. Cherries
4. Filet mignon, medium rare

Four Places I Would Rather Be
1. With Mr. Right and the Bee, just about anywhere fun
2. Visiting our family in Albuquerque
3. Sorrento, Italy
4. Atlanta, GA

Four People I'm Tagging
1. You,
2. You,
3. You and...
4. You

In grade school, I was always picked last for sports (on account of being 'corroded'), so I like these things where "anyone" can be picked. If you'd like to do one, I'd love to read your answers!

Ugh, shame on me for taking such a long time to post... I'll be back with more soon. Thank you, Clover, for reminding me...