Just My Luck

It's no laughing matter, but I couldn't help cracking a smile today at Babies 'R Us when the store associate explained to me that they no longer stock crib tents. I shouldn't have smiled because that crib tent was in my mind the only item in the world that could save my sanity.

You see, yesterday was absolutely miserable. Baylor screamed for over 4 hours in protest because I was forcing him to lay down for his afternoon nap. Evidently, the ability to climb out of his crib makes sleep no longer necessary, at least in his warped little 19-month old brain it does. Baylor won that battle, by the way. Even though, I moved the safety gate to his doorway preventing him from leaving his room (hence, the tantrum), there was no nap. Also, even though he had to be absolutely exhausted, bedtime wasn't exactly a piece of cake. He cried and threw another tantrum, but it seemed mild by comparison to the show he put on that afternoon.

So, I'm sure you can see why I rushed out to purchase that crib tent! Our hope was that by trapping him in the crib, he would accept his fate and return to the well rehearsed routine that we've followed since birth. Of course, life just can't be that simple.

According to the Babies 'R Us associate, they no longer stock "my saving grace" because there were some safety concerns. "Safety concerns?" I repeated back to him. "Were children injured? Do the tents not work and children were falling and getting hurt?" I pressed for more information. As it turns out, no children have actually been harmed, only scared by...uhhhh...how to I say this delicately...chubby kitties. Yes, my misery will continue because of overweight kitties.

Now that you're completely confused and probably making the same "what the heck?" expression I was, allow me to explain. A crib tent is a mesh canopy that you install over the top of your crib. In addition to keeping small children in, the tents are used by some pet owners to keep cats out. Starting to get the picture? Basically, the tents are designed to support the weight of a normal cat, but when the more super-sized varieties jump on top, the tents cave in on the poor, unsuspecting baby. Again, no babies have been harmed to date or so says the Babies 'R Us associate.

There you have it! After hearing that ridiculous story, all I could do was smile because crying just wasn't an option. That associate would have probably called for "assistance" if I broke down in tears over an out-of-stock crib tent. So while I'm certain he was joking, I may just be taking Grandfather's advice and checking the automotive section of my closest store tomorrow!

A Constant Battle

It's the age! I know that, but it doesn't make it any easier. I said/complained about it before, but Baylor's early terrible 2's antics are driving me crazy. The latest battle involves his newly discovered ability to climb out of his crib. Up until this week, he's been too big of a chicken to make the leap, but I knew it was only a matter of time until he overcame that fear. Well, he did it! Great!

Now, he believes that he can determine when he will sleep. Before, you could up him in his crib when he started to get cranky, and even though he might not immediately fall asleep, he lay there peacefully, babbling to himself, and eventually drift off to sleep. It WAS a good routine. Nap/Bed time now involves screaming & tantrums as he tries to climb out of his crib to play with toys. I mean, why lay in bed when you can destroy your room or even better roam the house whenever you want?

I guess we'll work on developing a new routine that is acceptable to all parties or maybe we'll just invest in a kennel and lock him up. Either way, it's back to the drawing board.

One Last Hoorah

Even though we celebrated with a somewhat elaborate party on Saturday, we simply couldn't let Jax's true birthday slip by without some festivity to mark the occasion. So on Sunday, Aunt Nguyen took him to see the new Alvin & The Chipmunks movie at the theatre. Afterwards, we celebrated with a little party at home. That's pretty much all we had the energy for after Saturday's insanity. Little kids wear you out!This is how the boys spent the afternoon until called to the table for dinner & cake. I know...we have a rough life!After weeks of holiday overindulgence, we're all trying to get back into the routine of eating healthier. Therefore, I purchased the smallest cake I could find so we wouldn't be tempted and derail our progress. We all demonstrated great restraint on Saturday. Clearly, I wasn't feeling quite as confident the following day.The birthday made his final wish for year 5 with Baylor looking on...Oops! Two out of five isn't bad! With the flames extinguished, Baylor was eager to sample the treat, but we followed tradition and presented the guest of honor with the first piece. Baylor wasn't too thrilled with that decision. However, something tells me he won't mind in May.The messy cake-eating days are over. Now, Baylor uses his utensils with painstaking care.

When we asked if anyone thought they deserved more presents, we had single volunteer. Good thing he was the intended recipient!Uncle Travis knows his nephew very well. The vintage Wolverine sign was a big hit.Surprisingly, we didn't encounter any jealousy issues when it came to presents. Baylor was happy just to sit back and watch Jax tear into the colorful packages.Although, he did have some trouble resisting the bows. Luckily, big brother didn't care. He just wanted what was in the packaging.And really, who could blame him? I want a freakin' Nintendo DS! Maybe Jax will share, but I'm not going to hold my breath.After a quick tutorial from Dad, Jax was consumed by the game.This is how Jax spent the final hours of his day, playing Speedracer. As Anh tucked him into bed that night, Jax smiled and said, "Daddy, I like 5!" Good to know, buddy! Good to know!

Five

Say hello to our little man or should I say fisherman? Jaxon turned five on Sunday, but he celebrated a day early with a fishing party. Nineteen of Jax's buddies joined us at the neighborhood pond to try their hand at catching a whopper. I was very worried that the never-ending freeze would put a negative spin on the festivities, but the 33 degree day didn't dampen the spirit. These kids were ready to party!At the last minute, after seeing that Mother Nature was not going to cooperate, Anh and I made the executive decision to relocate the actual party from the park pavilion to our much warmer house. The game plan was to meet our guests at the pond, fish until frozen, and then return to our house to defrost & continue the good times. To set the stage, I ordered a fishing themed cake for the birthday boy and draped the tables with fishing nets accented with fishing lures (hooks removed, of course).Plus, Aunt Nguyen and I made fish-shaped rice krispie treats and sugar cookies.Continuing the theme, Jax filled some fish bowls with Goldfish crackers and Swedish Fish...And I placed some cute little fishing-themed accessories (like Aunt Glenda & Uncle Robert's antique fishing game) around the house.We even found coolers that looked like fishing bobbers and filled them with juice boxes for the kids...Fish coozies doubled as utensil holders...And, as party favors we gave the kids tackle boxes filled with candy "bait" to pair with the cane fishing poles that Grandfather and Uncle Travis made especially for the party. Everything was beyond cute in my very humble and completely unbiased opinion. Thank you so much for the help, Everyone!Like I said before, once we gathered at the park, the kids weren't going to let some freezing temps interrupt their adventure. With a quick round of instruction, they were fishing like pros. Sadly, the fish just weren't biting.There was a moment of excitement when we all thought Jax had a bite, but the big catch turned out to be some pond scum. Yeah, not exactly the "big one" we were all hoping for. Oh well!We gave it our best shot, and the kids really didn't seem disappointed. Maybe they actually had realistic expectations unlike me. Honestly, the kids were more excited about hooking worms than anything else. Is that a good or a bad thing?When the wind started to pick up, we called it a day and headed back to the house where the parents could enjoy hot cider and sandwiches around the fireplace, and the kids could celebrate with cake and ice cream. Woo hoo!

Notice Baylor pointing to the giant piece of cake he wanted!Knowing that the sugar rush would result in a burst of energy, I tried to provide the kids with some activities. Some were structured projects like cookie decorating. This appealed mainly to the girls.The boys naturally gravitated towards the toy fishing game. I guess it's in their competitive nature.Of course, both the boys and the girls were HUGE fans of the playroom. That place was a mad house! Only a few parents dared climbing the stairs to witness the insanity, most were either having too much fun in the cocktail party-style environment downstairs to care what was happening upstairs or they were afraid of what they might see. Either way, the kids were having fun while the parents were entertained. It was like two parties in one!However, all good things must eventually come to an end. Before our guests bundled up to once again brave the elements, we snapped pictures of them with the "catch of the day."Everyone left with a smile on their face, but the birthday boy's grin was the only one I really cared about. He truly enjoyed his celebration which made all the hard work worthwhile. Thanks again, Everyone, for contributing to the memories!

So Young, Yet So Wise

Aunt Kelly shared a little story with me that has turned out to be one of my favorites of all time...

At some point during the holiday gathering, Aunt Kelly found herself alone in the kitchen with Jax and Baylor. Out of the blue, Jax turned to her and said in a very matter-of-fact tone, "Mommy is the boss of Daddy, and I'm the boss of Baylor." Well said, son! Thanks for filling her in.

Surprise

You probably would be better off not knowing this information (I certainly was!), but I simply must share the list of items I discovered when taking down the Christmas tree. All of this was hidden beneath the tree skirt:

• A LIVE lizard! Yeah, that freaked me out just a bit! I guess he decided to ride out the current cold wave inside the house unlike his silly buddies. At least, I hope his buddies weren't as bright.
• A collection of outlet safety plugs? I guess Baylor or Jax decided to round up all of the unused plugs that I removed to plug in the Christmas lights.
• A toy gun. Hey, ya' gotta' be ready for invasion at any moment!
• A little car. No doubt hidden from one of my sons by the other son. This happens a lot around here.
• An ornament. I'm absolutely 100% certain this was hidden by Baylor. He's been warned about touching the ornaments from the day the tree went up, and clearly, he just couldn't resist & had to hide the evidence.
• And, last but not least, a half eatten roll from Christmas dinner! Yuck! I guess someone was saving it for later or maybe the lizard stole it.

I guess, next year, I'll periodically check this lovely hiding spot for goodies. I'm already afraid of what I may find. Boys!

The Party Never Stops

The occasion just changes! That's what it feels like, at least. I suppose it's a good problem to have. Anyway, my party planning abilities are being put to the test. I'm Type-A which means I plan for EVERYTHING. So how did I overlook the most unpredictable element in Florida, Mother Nature, when planning Jax's 5th birthday party?

I guess I assumed that since most January days in North Florida are dry with temperatures in the 50's and 60's that it would be safe to plan a fishing themed party at our neighborhood park. Naturally, that peaked Mother Nature's interest, and she decided to stir up the longest cold snap on record for our area. Thanks, bitch!

Sorry for the harsh language, but I'm assuming that if you can read my blog, you're over the age of 6 and have probably heard the word before. And, this is one of those moments where my Type-A personality is annoyed that my plans won't play out perfectly. If you know me, then you know I don't like when things don't go according to plan.

So, today, I'm formulating a new plan. If the forecast doesn't change then we will be starting the party at the park around the pond, but then herding the group back to the house for the main event. It's the best I can aside from buying patio heaters...hmmm...off to investigate patio heaters!