You ain't never had a friend like me

The Mud Puddle has a best friend. Ask him who his friends are and the list contains two names, first and foremost is “Coopah”. Coop’s mom is my best friend from High School so needless to say they get along like gangbusters.
The Mud Puddle still has some work to do on the “how” of being a friend. He talks about Coop ALL.THE.TIME.
For instance: We are driving in the car and he asks where is Coopah, can we go see Coopah, what is Coopah doing right at that very second.

But when we see the C man and his family, the Mud Puddle turns into a mime. He doesn’t talk, he hides behind me, he watches Coopah from a far. And the second Coopah is out of site: where is Coopah, can we go see Coopah, what is Coopah doing right at that very second. Yeah, that isn’t annoying or anything.

Now Coop on the other hand is a normal toddler when it comes to friendship, he talks to the Mud Puddle, pals around with him and is a really good guy. I just hope that someday the Mud Puddle will figure out it is better to interact with your best friend then just be all stalkery with them.

I had no idea how shy the Mud Puddle really was until we started spending time with other kids (Not like I keep him locked in a dungeon, we just don’t have many friends with kids and the ones we do have live elsewhere).
He is very quiet and not a big fan of hanging out with other kids. At daycare the other kids seems to like him well enough, happy to see him when he shows up and they say goodbye when he leaves but he really doesn’t seem to care for many of them. Perhaps he is an elitist or something. I know that I come across ‘snobby’ b/c I am extremely quiet around people I don’t know. I prefer to get a sense for who they are before bringing my A game (let’s face it; most people can’t handle “Kris on 10”).

I hope that in the future he will become more of an extravert and start enjoying his friendships instead of participating from a distance. That kind of behavior is frowned upon by law enforcement.

Thanks

So in light of the impending holiday I figured I would mix it up a little and do a free thought post (think of it like Slam Poetry in the Blogsphere – I KNOW, sooo geeky!!) on what I am most thankful for re: The Mud Puddle (When I start the “Gripings from the Wife of Stinky” blog he will get his due, let’s not hold our breath on that one).




On to the list (I am very thankful for lists, but I digress):
His big blue eyes
His crazy Sherman hair
His laugh
His fake smile
His REAL smile
The dimple in his chin
The way he grabs my head when he wants to kiss me on the cheek
His love of baths
The way he sings
The way he talks to himself
His cuddle ability
That he likes to take a book to bed with him
The big stinky fish
His ability to make us all laugh
That he says Please and Thank You
His streaking ability
That he eats good things
That he doesn’t eat many bad things (candy corn is pretty much it)
His orange winter hat
His belly (the pooch)
His shyness
The way he calls me mommy
The way he calls me “Mudder”
That he is happy
That he is healthy
That he is more than I dreamed he could be

Times they are a changing

When I was a wee lass, one of the coolest gifts I received was a personalized book. It detailed my fictitious adventures with a famous alligator who would come and visit me and my friends (and my dog) at my house. It was AWESOME. I still have what remains of it (four tattered pages) and still get a little excited (lo these 30 years later) when I read it.

Fast forward to present day, the equivalent of my personalized book? A personalized DVD. The Mud Puddle will be a proud owner this Christmas of his own Dora DVD complete with his picture and name included in the story. This is just one example of the difference between generations, the idea remains the same but the delivery method gets all high tech.

The Mud Puddle has computer time at daycare. (The irony that they use an old fashioned oven timer to clock each child’s turn is not lost on me). He loves ‘puter time’. At his age, my idea of high tech fun was spinning the dial on the tv so fast it fell off. He knows how to use a mouse and turn it on and off (I shudder when he doesn’t go through the proper power down procedure, but it isn’t my computer he is messing with).

I am curious to see how far this generation of kids who have never known a world without computers, the Internet, or DVDs makes its way in the future. It is like that email that circulates every year talking about how this generation doesn’t know life with out CDs or VCRs. That is funny, the idea that the Mud Puddle’s generation won’t know life with out TiVo or iPods is straight out of science fiction. Perhaps they will drive around in the hover crafts we have been dreaming of since the 50s.

I am glad that he still enjoys the classic toys, Lincoln logs, Candy Land, I would be sad if he missed out on those games that use your noggin more than your mouse. I have fond memories of those games and it is fun for me to play along.

I am sure he will surpass my computer savvy by the time he is four and I will be asking him the equivalent of ‘Can you fix the clock on my VCR? It always blinks 12.” I just hope that he will be patient with his tech illiterate mom.

Man, am I getting OLD.

Trick or Treat, Smell My Feet, Give me Something Sweet to Eat

So this was the first Halloween that we took the Mud Puddle out trick or treating. Now, as a child of Halloween (my b-day is the 29th) I am a HUGE fan. Imagine how cool it was to get presents one day and candy the next? (we did the Beggar’s night thing in my home town.)
The Mud Puddle was equally excited about the trick or treaters and the trip into the ‘hood for some candy.
He and I were racing to the door each time it rang to hand out the candy. Scott was sitting on the couch and had barely started to get up when we were already throwing Charleston Chews at the witches, ninjas, and Harry Potters on the stoop.

When we headed out into the neighborhood (he as a pirate and me as a convict – my crime was probably felonious blogging about private family matters) the only way you could tell I was the adult was b/c I am taller (and fatter) than he is. We were all giggly and excited.

I sometimes wonder how much is natural excitement and how much is feeding off the emotions that we project.

The Mud Puddle doesn’t eat a lot of candy (although this year he discovered the joy of the candy corn pumpkin) partly by his own choosing and he wasn’t jazzed about the costume in the morning when he first jumped in and was a parrot hugging swash buckler. So was it the thrill of being out in the evening air, after dark, walking the streets of Nash with a high powered flashlight to guide the way? Or is it the fact this his mother is a full blown Halloween spaz?

We may never know the answer b/c whatever the reason, he is now officially hooked on the whole ‘get candy from the neighbors’ stuff. He will probably still balk about the getting dressed up part (and we need to work on answering the door sans pants, I think his Nemo drawers were a shock to some of the kids), but it is a small price to pay for the bottomless bag of candy – doled out one piece per evening, it should last ‘til Tax Day in April.

Oh, and his trick or treat delivery? “Trick or Treat Please.” Score one for the anal retentive manners mommy!!

Time, Time, Time, See What’s Become of Me

Daylight Savings Time, it is on the list of reasons that I love Fall (in addition to the leaves, apples, birthday and Halloween).
That all ended with the arrival of the Mud Puddle. That fall back thing doesn’t come naturally to a child.
As an adult, and perhaps due in part to my travel adventures (LA to Boston to Iceland in 24 hours once, that messed up the internal clock for a WEEK), I have no trouble resetting my clock to compensate for the hour. Let’s face it, that ‘extra’ hour of sleep is a gift for a week or two.

To a three year old what once is 6:30 is STILL 6:30 even though the clock says 5:30. UGH!! Here is how this week has played out:
Sunday morning he was up at 5 (thankfully on my parents' watch and not mine).
Monday morning up at 5:30. Tuesday and Wednesday up at 6:30, even though he slept in the car coming and going to Burlington Tuesday night.
At one point (whilst being forced to listen to The Finding Nemo soundtrack) I heard SNORING coming from the back seat. Have you ever seen a Nemo CD fly? As soon as I had confirmation of unconsciousness it was GONE.

He has been cranky, we have been cranky and that extra hour has been snatched away.
As I have stated in past postings I have read 8 baby/child rearing books. EIGHT. How many mentioned the phenomena of the daylight savings adjustment? That would be NONE. Someone should have told me. I feel like I do when the power is out and I open the refrigerator and wonder for a split second why the light doesn’t come on. That kind of sinking “Oh right, I forgot” feeling that comes over you.

So when you have a friend with a new child, or about to have one, in addition to the blanket or onesie tell them about this. Let them know so they can be prepared for it – knowledge is power people. Pass it on.