Home again

While I was away, I called home every night at Little Bit's bedtime. He would say, happily, "Mommy...Mommy...Mommy!" I'd ask him if he had played ball that day and he'd say, "I play ball" or "I slide". When I said, "I love you", he said back, "I love you, Mommy." {Here's where my heart melted into a puddle of goo.}

It was so amazingly awesome to be able to 'talk' to him on the phone and to know that he understood that his mommy was coming back. Eight months ago, when I turned down a business trip, he was just too young, I thought, for him to understand I'd be back and too young for me to be able to leave for a week. But he's a big boy now, and this business trip was just for three nights. We could do it.

During the first two nights I was away, Little Bit did ok. He would ask where I was, but accept when DH told him that I was away on an airplane and would be back in so-many nights. Little Bit began to expect my call each night. If the phone rang near his bedtime, he got a big smile and became very excited. On the third night, my last night away, Little Bit had had enough. He kept asking for me and had trouble being settled down to sleep.

I flew back home yesterday. I was very excited to see Little Bit, figuring he would be ecstatic to see me. I was looking forward to that moment when the huge smile of joy lit up his face, and he came running to hug me. I was at home when DH returned from picking Little Bit up at daycare. Little Bit came inside the house saying, "Ride bike outside!!" Basically, he seemed to notice me, like - oh, hai - and kept running to get his tricycle. DH said the look on my face was priceless, like, whut? I certainly didn't expect that reaction.

We all went outside. Little Bit rode his tricycle, walking his feet along as he sat on the seat (he's still working the the whole pedaling thing), while DH and I walked behind him.

On the walk back home, DH reminded Little Bit how they had talked before bed the last few nights about mommy being away on the airplane, but that mommy would be back, and here I was. Maybe Little Bit had been playing cool, because he was annoyed I had left. If so, I was forgiven now. The distraction of his tricycle could last only so long.

For the rest of the evening, Little Bit wanted Mommy. He wanted me to carry him when he was through riding his tricycle. He wanted to sit on my lap while we ate dinner. He was glued to my side or in my lap as we watched cartoons before bedtime. That was a balm to my slightly injured feelings. He did miss me. I soaked in the warmth of his small body next to mine.

Not too long ago, I was settling Little Bit into my lap for storytime before bed. I exclaimed as I hefted him, "You're getting so big!" He said, "No big boy," and snuggled in closer to me. {Here's where my heart melted into a puddle of goo.} Right then, he didn't want to be a big boy. He wanted to be my little boy. I reassured him, "You'll always be my baby." I hugged him even closer.

Wordless Wednesday

At the launch pad.

Missing my family, but on the bright side...

Business travel and all day meetings - $1000.
Daquiri on the beach at sunset - Priceless.

Hot, hot, hot!

Something fun to do tomorrow here in Houston --
The Houston Fire Fest will take place 10/25/08 from 10 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the HFD Training Facility located by Hobby Airport (8030 Braniff). Admission is FREE!

Further information is available at the following Web site: http://www.houstonfiremuseum.org/firefest.html

One of my coworkers mentioned it today. Maybe there will be some hot firemen there, too. Heh. Little Bit will love the big fire trucks.

The other night, Little Bit sat on the toilet at home for the first time! They've been doing potty training at daycare -- having him sit on the potty and sometimes he goes. I haven't been too stressed about potty training. Sarah, over at life at 45 degrees, and I have the same potty training philosophy:

Part of me hopes that one day, as we near his 3rd birthday, he will grab a copy of the NY Times, announce that he needs some privacy and then abscond to the bathroom for 20 minutes, returning with freshly washed hands and saying, "I need real underwear. The ones with Thomas on them. Let's go to Target."

But the other night, as DH was getting Little Bit ready for bed, LB asked to go to the potty. I heard them go into the bathroom and DH put LB onto the toilet.
Little Bit said proudly, "I be big boy!"

I tip-toed to the edge of the door and peeked around to see our little guy perched on the big toilet. That's how unhurried we are about training - we don't even have a potty seat to put on top the toilet. He just had to balance so he wouldn't fall in. Little Bit saw me peeking around the corner and grinned, then ducked his head shyly.

It was so cute to see him perched on the edge of that big toilet, with his little bare legs dangling. I was tempted to take a pic of him, but I didn't want to distract him if he was actually going to use it. He didn't, but maybe next time he just needs some reading material.

Wordless Wedesday

(Now if I could just figure out how to rotate the video on my phone or the computer...)

Update

Next week I'll be going on a business trip. This will be the first time I'll be away from Little Bit for longer than 8-12 hours. Back in March, I declined a business trip. It just felt too soon to leave Little Bit that long. This time, while I am still a little apprehensive about leaving him, I'm also looking forward to having free evenings for a few days. I'll be staying at a hotel on the beach near KSC. I know I'm going to miss Little Bit and DH, but it's going to be nice to recharge my batteries by the ocean.

I talked in detail with my doctor about the results of my CT scan. The upper sinuses on the one side are just eff'ed up, and in a much worse state than before my previous surgery six years ago. We set my revision sinus surgery for just under three weeks from now.

Friday Funnies

Now for the lighter side -- breaking out the robot at the debates:

More caption gems for the photo here. "Apparently he was trying to reach across party lines and his shock collar went off..."

Let's get political

Kyla, over at The Journey, posted a fantastic letter to Joe the Plumber, pointing out the idiocy that is the McCain health plan. $5000 is not enough to cover health insurance for most people, let alone health insurance for people with "pre-existing conditions" or chronic health issues. As Kyla points out, McCain doesn't even bother to address/mention the uninsured.

A local radio show host said this morning that during the Presidential debate last night, McCain reminded him of the old man who yells at you to get off his lawn. McCain wants to keep the big tax breaks for the rich and the big corporations, while 95% of the rest of us get nothing. That's how you get a $10+ trillion national debt; you keep spending money you don't have over the last 8 years, but still continue to give tax breaks to big corporations and the very wealthy. Regarding the claims of tax increases and fines for small businesses that McCain has made about Obama's tax plan, the truth is that "fewer than 2% of business owners would be hit by Obama's proposed rate increase. For those who are affected, the increase would be levied only on a part of their earnings, not all of them." ~from CNN Money

Additionally, Obama will not "fine" small business if they can't afford to provide health insurance for their employees. Small business is exempt from the payroll tax.

DH and I were talking last night about how very tired we are of the Republican campaign strategy to continue repeating the same lies over and over, even when those lies have been refuted. Maybe they hope that more of America is computer illiterate and won't be able to check the facts.

Oh, yeah, and Palin didn't even have a passport until 2006?!?! No wonder the idea of her as possible VP, being a heartbeat away from the presidency, makes Europe cringe. She is definitely no Margaret Thatcher.

His vocabulary is expanding

Last week, we were getting ready to go out to eat dinner. I started to buckle Little Bit into his carseat.

He said, "I poo-poo."

I said, "Oh, son," thinking about having to unbuckle him and change his diaper, "Did you really poo-poo?"

He answered, "No, I just farted."

Bwah-hahahaha! DH and I fell over laughing. I'm so proud; he's only 2.

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My parents just left yesterday from a long weekend visit. When they arrived late last Friday night, Little Bit woke up as usual about 11 pm. He smiled shyly at them and hid his face, then flirted with them from the protection of my arms. We could tell that he remembered them from the last time he saw them about 5.5 months ago. They were so tickled that he remembered them.

A nose by any other name

I went for the follow-up with my sinus doc last week. After 2 months (!!) on the nebulized antibiotics, only half of my sinus infection is cleared up. The doc suggested sinus surgery to open up the passageways on that side of my nose. I go for the CT scan on Friday, then he'll call me with the results and schedule the surgery.

*big sigh* I just want to not have sinus headaches every day, to be able to breathe out of both sides of my nose, and to not be exhausted all the time. Is that too much to ask?

And just because you might be wondering who is lying or being misleading in his presidential campaign or who is being fairly truthful, go check cnn or factcheck.org

Fear and Loving in Houston

In movies, they sometimes show it by slowing down the film speed. The heroine or hero suddenly moves in molasses as the unthinkable seems to be happening -- the car crashes, the rope breaks, the shot is fired. It wasn't anything as dramatic as that, but, nonetheless, as potentially devastating.

I had just walked out of the restaurant door to meet with DH and Little Bit. Little Bit saw me and grinned in delight. The next instant he was running towards me, across the grass, towards the pavement of the parking lot...then I saw the SUV driving from my right, heading towards what looked like a meeting with my precious boy. It didn't feel like time had slowed down; everything moved much too quickly.

I could see every detail around me. I saw DH trying to catch up with Little Bit, who had been just out of reach. I noticed the older couple who exited the doors after me, looking in suprise and alarm as I screamed, "Noooooooooo!!!!" with my hand stretched out as if I could physically push Little Bit away, to stop him, to hold him safe. In my hyper-awareness, I saw the driver of the SUV, a woman, hear my scream and realize quickly where the danger was. She hit the brakes. I saw the SUV roll to a stop just as Little Bit disappeared behind the front wheel of her car. I ran forward, not knowing.(please, no...please, no...)

Heart racing, I turned the corner of the front bumper to see Little Bit running behind the rear of the car, still intent on getting to me. Ohmigod, he was running, he wasn't hit! But I was desperate to catch him before another car pulled into the lot, desperate to make sure he hadn't been hurt at all. I caught up with him as DH got to us. I grabbed my little boy and held him close, saying, "Ohmigod, ohmigod... oh, don't do that to us, little one!" He was fine, smiling at me, wondering why the adults were so excited. The woman driving the SUV had gotten out and ran around to us in panic, too. When she saw that he was fine, she looked upwards in thankfulness.

DH and I held him close as we walked to our car. Our hearts were still hammering, the adrenaline rushing through our veins. It had been just another ordinary day, that almost wasn't.

This is what it's like to live with the most tender part of your heart outside your body, outside your control. Just a few seconds difference, a driver's inattention...I shudder. I try to protect my overly sensitive mother's heart when I can. I don't read certain news stories; I can't. I can't read the details of little children who died by accident or malice. I don't click through to the news stories, but sometimes the local paper betrays me. Their website contains too much information in the headlines. Information that I did not want to know. Information that haunts me when I see the pictures of those children with bright, inquisitive eyes.

So, I try to protect my little one the best I can, knowing that it's not all under my control. Hoping that we continue to be among the lucky.

Wordless Wednesday