I love it here!

It's 86 degrees here today. Yep, 86 right now. Right this minute. That means that Collin is sleeping a la no pants because heck, it's too hot to sleep with pants. It means Mama is wearing a tank top, capris and sandals. It means that all the windows are open and she can smell the ocean breeze and it means that we're doing all this in JANUARY! January! I swear, this never gets old.

Apparently, no matter how warm he is...he needs a blanket. Heck, I'm that way too. I'm not so much a fan of one on my face, but hey, Collin and I are different people. What can I say? Maybe he knew I'd sneak in and try to take his picture and wanted to be prepared...what it's not like I've ever done it before, right?

And, we went to the park today; like every day. But, you know what else never gets old...the fact that I grew up where it's stinking freezing in January. So, while I can accept the fact that he probably doesn't need a coat, I just can't put shorts on the kid in January, despite the fact that he probably needed them. So, he was as red as a tomato. He was so hot. I rolled his shorts up and he looked like a total idiot. I'm so glad he doesn't know what torture I inflict upon his image on a regular basis.

They were rolled up high enough to be more than just high waters and to actually serve as kind of shorts...but they fell down progressively as play wore on and he just became a dork. Okay, he looked like a dork all along; but less like one.

It also rocks here because we can seriously enjoy this garage playroom all the time. We cracked the door a bit yesterday and the breeze cooled it right down and we had some story time. Do these guys look totally happy, or what? I mean seriously. It's such a pleasure to watch them together, especially when it means I don't have to read the story...again. Not that I don't enjoy the truck story or the barn story, AGAIN. But, don't you think Daddy should get to read it once in a while? Yep, me too.

This is Collin, showing Gracie how the train thing is done...you can't exactly see her in the picture; but she's here. Yeah, he had his girl over to his play room and she loved it. I got to hold baby Ben and made Bryon nervous. Every coo and sweet face I made went right to his head, making him think my uterus was swelling with hormones or something. Not to worry, no baby fever has struck me, despite the cuteness of baby Ben and how snuggly-wuggly he was. Collin even gave him a hug...which was adorable.

So, I'm trying to be positive today, in case you can't tell. Tomorrow starts another fasting day preparing for yet another "cleanse" for what I hope is the final tummy test. I'm getting to be pro at these stupid tummy tests. This one should be it though. This "cleanse" will be friendlier than the first one, as it is the same as the last one and that one was much more "pleasant," if that's possible. Seriously, the worst part is not being allowed to eat anything solid. You get so hungry! I mean honestly, broth! Yum! If only my china bowls were delivered. Maybe that would help.

Wheeee! Daddy's Back! MAMA!

Yep, the Dada-guy's back. Know what that means? It means the cling-i-rific-ness that my son exemplifies as an art form only quadruples. Yep, he's mildly self-sufficient when Daddy's not around. I can do dishes, take a shower, pee (sometimes), all on my own. All my pictures today will be of random, pleasant, Collin enjoying Daddy and of him being adorable...because frankly, even when he's yelling in my face he's adorable. And, because I didn't take any pictures of him yelling in my face.

(oh, and if you ever wonder why Collin's always wearing different shirts in the same day, it's because he's suddenly taken a serious aversion to wearing bibs...like freak-out aversion. I'm sure you actually noticed, right? The Laundry Fairy doesn't mind one bit...nope, nada, not at all. She loves laundry)


I do all of these things with a minimum amount of the MAMA! MAMA! MAMA! shouts that translate to "what are you doing without my and please drop it to just look at me." No, he doesn't actually NEED me to read the story he's flapping against my thigh, or to drive the car he's zooming into my armpit. He just wants me to look, look at him, and look often, constantly, and never stop.
When Daddy's here, for some reason, I have to do this more. Endlessly more. And it's way worse the first day that Daddy gets home from a trip. I'm convinced that in his little head, Daddy just got home, which means Daddy is capable of leaving, so that means it's possible, just possible that Mommy can leave to....so, therefore, he must, must, must call for me, ALL the flipping time. If I leave the room, he's got to follow. If I turn around, he's got to make sure I turn back. Makes sense if you are approaching two.

So, even though Daddy was home this morning, I took a shower with Collin literally staring at me through the open shower door, pointing at my "ebow" then, my "neeeeee," then telling me I had more "booobles." Get your minds out of the gutter. Those were soap bubbles. Anyway, I'm more tired today, with the "help" from Daddy then I've been all week, going it alone. I think Collin might be too. Yelling Mama! at the top of your lungs, endlessly, is pretty exhausting.

But, they have had fun all day, when I'm in direct line-of-sight mind you. And, he's getting pretty interested in poop noises and sounds, which is a fun and totally off-subject, but still interesting development for the day. My Crocs slippers were making a fart noise on the floor today and he kept saying "poop" and pointing at me. And, he keeps doing it. Whenever he farts, he says poop too. And, the other day in the bath, he fake grunted and pulled a toy out of his butt, pretending to have pooped it out. Great stuff, huh? No pics of that, sorry. So, I've got a boy, interested in poop noises. Who would've thought that was possible? That's like a girl who likes pink, right? P.S. I saw Marley and Me last night...and if you have a dog, don't expect to come out of that movie with dry eyes. There is virtually no movie that will get me a-weeping but that one had me pretty sad-eyed. I cried enough that I had to use my sleeve. It was gross. Really. Eddie has gotten some serious treats the past 24 hours as a result. The worst part is I had read the book, so I should've known! I should've been prepared! Stupid! Stupid me!

And in Other News....

As per usual, I am a bit caught up with the happenings and doings of little Collin man, so I haven't updated you all on the rest of the world of McClain. I'm to be forgiven though, right...how can I NOT get distracted by someone so cute, they get stuck in a beanbag chair, right?

And, there's actually been some happenings there too. Some sad, sad happenings. No, no one died. But, I'm sad. Sad. Sad. Sad. You know how excited I was to FINALLY decide to pick out and go and buy my first beginnings of china? Yeah, I hemmed and hawed and didn't start collecting until I was 30! I didn't register for it at my wedding. I picked a freaking pattern that has been around for hundreds, yes HUNDREDS! of years so that I could collect it forever without worrying about it being discontinued. Heck, I liked the historical significance.

Blech! Spode officially went out of business. Spode! SPODE! Well, they are trying to sell their factory site in Stoke and they've already moved all their production to Asia. And, to make matters worse for all those who love beautiful, fancy things but who can't really afford to adorn every crevice of their house with them (but wish they could), Waterford Crystal filed for bankruptcy this week too. What is this world coming to! My grandma, who is probably the most materialistic person on the planet and will flip your plates over right in the middle of dinner to see if they are from "somewhere," almost cried. Seriously.

Alas, I managed to scare up enough plates and bowls to get place settings...not a hard task. Trust me. And, it was still really thrilling to open the boxes, wash them up and put them in the cupboard. Bowls are still on the way. Considering it's been around for a while, I think plenty of pieces will be floating around to buy for a loooooooong time to come. And, folks in the know say that it's only a matter of time for someone to buy the rights to the pattern and start making it again. I'll just notice a slight variation. Whatever. I can live with that.

Collin was equally as devastated by the news. He took to cornering the kitty and demanding comfort by way of forced hugging. The kitty, however, was not in the mood for hugs and preferred his fortress of solitude.

So, if anyone sees any "Christmas Tree" or "Blue Italian" pieces of Spode lying around for cheap, snap them up for me. I'll be eternally grateful and love you forever...unless you say something mean about Collin, then I'll just punch you in the nose.

Day of a (washed up) Rock Star

Last night, Collin totally, and I do mean totally, grooved to Bryan Adams in the car. He was clapping. He was head-bopping. He was singing. He was foot-stomping. It was rockin'! It was pretty cool for the Mommy up front because yes, I admit it, I'm a closet Bryan Adams fan...have been for years. I went to the concerts. I bought the T-shirt. Yep, I swayed to "Everything I do, I do it For You." Come on, people! It's a good song.

I digress. The song was, "Cuts like a Knife." Oh yeah and it DOES feel so right. Collin's favorite part is the Sha-na-na-na part. Surprise. Anyway, he's STILL singing it today. It's cool. So, he's living it up like a rock start today. All be it, a bit of a has been rock star of the eighties, and kind of semi-90's for those of us who hung on and were still loyal. And you know what? I challenge you NOT to sing along to "Summer of 69!" Try it!

So, this is what Rock Star Collin does with his days now that he knows he's totally cool...because Mommy told him he was...

He starts with a workout. Yep, he caught Mommy on the treadmill this morning because she (gasp!) slept in too late to work out before he got up. He thought the animals should work out too when she was done. Okay, well, before she was done, so he kept handing them to her to hold while she worked out. Not super helpful, mind you. But, when she was finally done, this is the result. Cute, no?

You should've seen it with his commentary: "yak...walk...sha-na-na-na...yak...go...sha-na-na! pig." Yep, he's pretty squeezable. P.S. because the Buffalo also has horns, he too, is a yak. In case you were wondering.

So, then it's off to the "pak." I guess no matter how big a rock star you are, you just can't buy "r's." Pretty tame play for a while...

Poking things with sticks....which by the way have taken the place of "cocks" for his dirty word. We used to say STicks; but we've resorted to calling them, you guessed it Dicks. Sometimes, we're lucky enough that it comes out ticks; but not usually.

Climbing trees....

Then, off in the distance...he thinks he spies something. Could it be? Maybe? Hmmmmmm...

GRACE!!! GRACE!!! Dear God, is that Grace! Check the flailing arms. She's a block away at this point, but it's like he's seen, jeesh, I don't know what would jazz up a 21-month old. I guess it would be my reaction if I saw a van driving around giving away unlimited free designer shoes in size seven.
Then, the play got fun. Seriously fun. Giggling, laughing and weee! This game of reach-thru-the bars and then DASH off went on for quite some time. What's fun about that? I don't know...ask a toddler. Apparently though, it's quite hilarious.

So, we go home and superstar decides it's time to learn to put on his own slippers. He comes tearing up to me shouting: Mama! Shoes! Mama! Shoes! You tell me what's wrong with this picture. Well, besides the fact that he's not wearing any pants. That happens in our house sometimes after a trip to the park. What?! I have a BOY! He sometimes gets stripped in the garage before coming inside because he's either soaked or covered in mud. I do put clothes on him before he goes to bed for nap...promise. It just seems silly to put pants on for lunch for him to shmear with food.
And the hives are slowly but surely receding. He's got a pretty gnarly looking batch on his arms still and new crop on his legs. But, we're optimistic that they will heal up by the weekend. Fingers crossed.

By the way...I do take a lot of pictures, don't I? I think it's some kind of sickness.

The Leper Gets His Day at the Park

Since we aren't quarantined and Collin pretty much can't live without going to the park on a daily basis, or without his daily fix of seeing his gal-pal, we were off to the park today; or the "paak" as the case may be if you ask Collin what it's called. Anyway, Wednesday is officially playgroup day and it's usually pretty busy. Apparently, word got out that my son is covered with leprosy spots, so all but his most faithful of sidekicks stayed away and we had the place to ourselves. Yep, it's a testament to their bond. She's a keeper, I think.

I think he looks pretty cute when he's at the park, but I think I'm pretty biased about when he looks cute and when he doesn't. If I think he looks cute when he's covered with face boils, I'm not a fair judge of his appearance, am I?

Check out the face boils in this shot...yes, it's blurry but it's Collin trying to grab his "teat," which is conveniently located slightly out of reach. He gets a tiny piece of candy for finishing his medicine without spitting it out. Strangely enough, he doesn't like Benedryl. Doesn't that face look PAINFUL? They are all oozy and raw. I feel owie just looking at him.

Maybe the bias has something to do with his new, and yes, improved penchant for giving hugs. Yes, my son, loves hugs. And, they are honest to goodness hugs! I have noticed that I tell him that I have a boo-boo in my heart and I need a hug, he'll dash over to me and nestle into my shoulder, and wrap his arms around my neck! And, it's not just a quickie either! He'll stay until I say my boo-boo is all better. Do, I play this card for all it's worth right now. You betcha. Is it terrible of me. You betcha. Do I care? Nope. I'm pretty sure hugging your Mommy extra isn't going to scar him for life. And besides, when I say it, I do have a boo-boo in my heart...it's a longing for a hug that only he can fill. So, it's kind of true, right? Right? RIGHT!

There, a clearer shot of the face Mommy loves...a smile! Guess who's got a "teat!" Know what? "teat" sounds a little dirty, doesn't it? I'm sure you know that means "treat," right? Well, it does.

Now, THOSE are hives....

So, since I have deluded myself that anyone out there cares, here's what Collin looked like this morning. A vast improvement over yesterday; but still kind of like crapola on a cracker. Finally though, the ones on his face actually show up in a picture, which is weird because they actually look better than they did yesterday. Well, they show up on my camera screen, we'll see if they show up on the computer.

Alas, when I asked him how he was feeling today, he said: UP HIGH! So, that's why you get this picture of him raising the roof like he just don't care y'all!

If he'd have looked like this yesterday, I would've been freaked out yes, but not so panicked because these do, indeed, look like hives, no? The bumps have morphed into blobs. So, I think he's finally on the mend. The ones on his belly have all but dissipated and his neck is almost gone...well he still HAS a neck, but the bumps are gone. Phew.

Since I was up half the night checking on him to make sure he wasn't in a Benedryl induced coma, paranoid that the doctor gave me too much medicine (yes, I am just that worried...and no, I didn't sleep in the crib with him!), I figured someone other than me would care to see the progress of his grossness...at least Daddy will want to see tonight. And probably the G-parent clan (they sound like a gang, don't they?).

Hopefully, Grace won't be scared of him at the park today...he looked like a bad ass the last time he was there on his trike with her. Thanks for the pic, Gramps!

The Daddy Update Column

For the Daddy who wanted to see if there was improvement on the pox front. Yeah, I'm still calling it that because it sounds better than hives. Hives makes me think of bees attacking my son when I'm not looking, crawling and burrowing under his skin and making stinging-like homes there.

Anyway, Collin seems to have gotten suspicious of this whole, lift your shirt and let me take your picture thing. I think that might be a good thing, don't you?

Yeah, I'm going to go ahead and put my clothes back on you crazy camera lady!

So, improvement from the doctor's office. A five hour nap will do that for you, I guess. Most of the tummy hives have regained normalcy and calmed down into singular hives. The tiny ones don't really show up on the camera, so the few dozen itty-bitty ones that you can't see are still there. And since Mommy isn't going to strip the kid, trust me, Daddy, there still on his feet, butt and the rest of him.

He seems to be on the mend though, thanks to the hard work I provided him with while I barbecued dinner tonight. I made up a job for him...putting all the leaves in the backyard in a shopping bag. It's pretty important work, right?

Oh yeah, and he is healing up by watching "Potty Power." I caved to his relentless demands for this ever-popular favorite in our house. He gets to watch it about once a week, as his only t.v. and he begs the other remaining minutes of the week for it. Good medicine, no? He seems pretty happy with it.