Is there such a thing as the Terrible 4's?

Ricky is no angel but is usually a pretty good kid. In his preschool class, his teacher and all the kids' parents have always told us that Ricky is the best behaved in school. The school year is almost over and -knock on wood - he almost finished this year without being "bad" once. Bad meaning bad enough that the teacher has to tell me he did something in school. In the beginning I was happy about it but kind of freaked out that maybe he wasn't normal - I always thought little boys were supposed to be troublemakers by nature. 

Well ever since we had Teddy, it's been hard for Ricky to adjust. This weekend was hard because we really didn't leave the house much. Mark has come down with some virus that he's on antibiotics for and we've stayed home a lot. Mark is unemployed at the moment too - so both parents are home. He loves playing video games with his dad. 

So yesterday I told my family that we had to get out of the house. We pored over the internet looking up museums and all kinds of things to do. But everything was either too expensive or too crowded - we thought - due to the holiday weekend. So we decided to make it simple and do a little shopping and get out for lunch.

God was Ricky so bad. Not listening, and doing the opposite of what we ask to a dangerous level - like leaving us in the store to run around or run to the other parent when he/she isn't aware - hello kidnapper!! Pulling his hand away while walking in busy parking lots - like he wants to run and get hit by a car.  It was so bad that Mark spanked him in the parking lot of Old Navy. Thankfully nobody saw - that I was aware of. Before I had kids I always tsked people for doing that in public and thought they were really shitty parents. Now I know why that happens. Ricky hasn't been spanked in about 3 months - his last spanking was because he whipped a piece of cardboard very hard on his baby brother's head. Teddy was about 1 month old. 

We've tried really hard to spend quality time with Ricky whenever we can. I played Legos with him for a few hours over the weekend and I always try to read books before naptime and bedtime. I struggle with this and also keeping a tidy house and all the million other things I have to do around the house. 

Well whatever the heck is going on, I hope it stops because this really sucks. 

Teddy at 4 Months & my Crappy mother's day

Here is Teddy at four months old. How time flies. I have been awful with the pictures - I take them but never get around to developing them. They all sit on my card. As the second kid in my family, I used to whine about how the second kid gets the crappy end of the stick - and I vowed I wouldn't do that to Teddy, and look at me - I'm doing it. bad mommy, bad mommy.

Mother's Day was pretty crappy for me. I hate that holiday usually - it's a hallmark holiday and a day to make you feel guilty for everything your mom does for you - at least that's what I used to think. I wanted to spend the day doing nothing if I wanted. I got bullied into a lunch with my in-laws by my mother in law. When someone tells you that they prefer not to do something 3 times, isn't that your cue that they are politely saying no?? 

When we got to the restaurant, I needed to sit in the corner, so we could put the baby carrier there and if I needed to nurse, I could do so with plenty of room. But no, my mother in law sat there - and Mark asked her if I could sit there because of the baby, and she said no, that she is left handed and needed to sit there. What a beeyatch. I ended up sitting in the worst spot - smack in the middle of the walkway where the waiters enter/leave with food. I spent the whole lunch standing and holding a crying Teddy (because the restaurant was so noisy) and when I had to nurse him, my sister in law put a chair in the corner for me behind my mother in law - facing the wall. Now, do you think maybe my mother in law would offer up her seat when she saw what a hard time I was having? No way. 

That was the worst lunch. Mark held a crying Teddy while I shoveled the food in my mouth - it was cold and I didn't even get to taste it. I was so mad when I got home - at least I met my mom at the book store to browse in peace and quiet and have a cup of coffee!! 

In any case, Teddy's christening is this saturday so we've been busy getting ready for that. We're having a lunch here at our house afterwards. We just got new furniture for Ricky - and we got rid of our office so he has that room now. I've been busy organizing the boys' clothes and toys and I'm still not finished! 

My mother in law was nice and emailed me that she's bringing 2 dishes. I called her the B word to my husband's face on mothers day before leaving for the bookstore. I think she didn't think she was being selfish by sitting in the best spot. I think people are just stupid and don't know better.

A Sad Story from my Backyard

A bird has been sitting in her nest on top of the light outside our garage door. She just sits there all the time - and leaves to get food - but she is always sitting there. Mark and I assumed that she had a baby in there - why else would she spend so much time at home? So we've been really quiet going in and out of the garage all the time - being so careful not to scare the poor thing. 

Well everything for this poor bird came crashing down today. Mark said that the bird was squawking all over the place. He looked over and saw the bird baby in several pieces on the concrete - with ants eating it. He said the pieces looked dry so it happened a while ago. Isn't that the saddest thing? We've been trying to figure out how that might have happened. I wonder if it fell out of the nest when she went out looking for food or if a squirrel or some other bird pulled it out of the nest - making it fall. 

Mark and I are so sad. We've been looking at this bird and we felt like it was our friend. Mark says that when she was squawking he felt like she was trying to tell him something. I went out and saw the dried blood on the sidewalk while Mark buried the baby in the garden. I looked at the nest and it's empty. I feel so sad for this mother who lost her baby. 

Both boys were sick over the weekend. Ricky missed his friend's birthday party but he was able to go on the field trip today. Mark isn't working this week - his assignment was cut early - so the four of us all went. Teddy was so good on the trip. It was to a nature place and my stroller is for walking around the mall. So he was able to nap with all the bouncing around. I was home all weekend and was beginning to get stir crazy so it was good to get out of the house!!