3 times and counting!

I get to be a "single mom" again! Twice in the past month! And three times in the past year!!! Of course, Harry is asleep now, so does that still count?

I am kidding. I am just responding to Kevin's blogs, which he never ceases to amaze me with. He is such a great dad and a wonderful husband! I honestly do not know what I would do without him. And with a 25 pound baby and a fear of the dark, I would have not only bigger chiropractic bills but I imagine I'd need some therapy to get over my phobia. Harry is a lot better now, but when he was a baby, his eyes always looked so huge and glaring in the middle of the night. I won't go into the details my imagination created. I have been trying not to watch any sci-fi or any horror movies to worsen my condition, but movie previews are unavoidable, and that's all it takes.

My statement about being "single mom" also reminds me of something I heard a guy say the other day. He was home with his kid and said he was "playing mom" for a couple of hours. "Playing mom." I didn;t quiet understand what he meant. Was he sticking a boob in the kid's mouth? How else woudl he be "playing mom"? I guess in his world, that meant hanging out in the backyard spending some time with his child. I like that Kevin refers to such behavior as "being a dad."

So, Kevin is at Kris's tonight. Even though we don't have the opportunity to spend as much time together as we would like, I think it is still important to maintain your friendships. I am really much more of a forest-thinker than a tree-thinker. I am trying to avoid empty nest syndrome as much as possible.

I am only half kidding.

I also worry that he does so much at work, for me, for Harry, and so little for himself, that he is on the way to a nervous breakdown. He says I am nuts, but I am just being cautious. I'd like to keep him around for a good long while.

I have suggested that I could take Harry by myself to some of Harry's classes, to give Kevin some free time, but this is also something he doesn't understand. We like to both take him to his classes, and both do things together for him. We both WANT to go to his classes. But, you know what? We do not seem to be the only ones. At most classes, probably half of the class has two parents. I have to exclude swim class from this one, but I have a feeling that has more to do with the pool than the kids!

As for our own activities...generally, I think extracurricular activities are good for your own mental health, and the mental health of a couple/family. Plus, children learn by example. I think that it is important that he sees his parents as active people. I believe we do spend lots of enjoyable quality time with him, and our lives are not always chaotic and crazy. There are other times when we go to activities. I think it is important for Harry to see that. I think it is important for him to see his dad go to play hockey, and for me to go to Krav Maga. I think half of the reason I am training for my next marathon is so that Harry can remember that I did it. I think it is very important that he sees us read books, and kiss, and laugh, and work out arguments (which we didn't seem to ever have before sleep deprivation kicked in!).

I think it is important to see that we still do things for Bailey. Sure, she is a dog. Dogs have feelings, too, but even if you do not believe that, you should at least be aware that what Harry knows is Bailey is another person, and it is important to do things for others, like take Bailey to the dog park, let her have her own toys, and stay out of her bed.

I am sure Bailey would laugh out loud if she could read this. I am sure if she could write, if she had thumbs, she would pace outside of our house with picket signs claiming neglect. It's all in the perception, though. We probably left her alone just as often before, but it was to suit our own purposes. How things have changed!

My friend May was asking the other day what happened to happy hours, late nights, etc...I think the straight answer is more likely that we got older, and are exhausted when the weekend comes regardless of the little ones. I do wonder what happened to long runs, weekend Krav Maga and movies. This weekend, so far, was made up of The Little Gym, Muffins at St. Elmo's, a trip to the park, and some time by the pool. Tomorrow, swim class...hmmm....Take out the "little" part and that was pretty much our old schedule! Except now they are all Harry's activities! Honestly though, he's a great excuse to be outside, and his arms are getting darker than mine!

The Little Gym has replaced Gymboree, which has replaced multiple Krav sessions and Saturday yoga with Tara. I still try to keep up with the latter, and we still like Gymboree, but The Little Gym has actual gymnastics equiptment,a nd offers Harry more of a chance to be upside down, tumble and improve his physical prowess. He even took a few steps today! It is also nice to get him away from his cell phone every now and then. I thought I felt like a chauffer before...when I picked himup Friday, all he did was talk on the phone. I don't think he spoke more than a few words to me teh whole ride, except to say, "Driver, could you turn down the radio!" Based on his body language, intonations, and the focus of his eyes, you would havethought there was actually someone on the other end!

Back to our weekend..muffins at St. Elmo's...back to DelRay! Sure, we used to live there, and I mean St. Elmo's Coffee Pub as much as I mean Delray! But now we make a bigger mess...

And by the park...not the dog park or the trail..the PLAYGROUND! It occurred to me that Harry might be ready. Oh, was he?! We will have to post some shots of him on the swings! He had a blast! And, as usually, he love s to watch what the older kids do.

As for the pool...well, it's a blow up elephant pool, a birthdy gift from the Brockways. His first expression as he hit the cold water was priceless! He immediately crawled out...and then turned around and crawled right back in! He spent at least another hour in there! Crazy kid!

We do hope to join a pool this summer though. I think it will be fun for all of us. The down time at home is great, but I think being cooped up behind a fence all summer may be a bit much to handle! Harry loves his backyard, but I think we might get more giggles from the swim club!