Happy Halloween!!

* Nixon is way cooler than I ever gave him credit for. Today at school 2 boys were very cruel about his costume, calling him a girl and saying he was dressed as a lalaloopsie doll. Nixon ignored them, never saying more than "I'm a boy" when one said he was a girl.
   It wasn't all good, Nixon decided during the class parade to dart from the group towards the road. I've never ran so fast in my life! I was next to him when the teacher got there, which wasn't as dramatic as it sounds. Nixon was being Nixon and wanted to run and do a dance, he chose a really bad location. I nearly shat my pants when I saw him run off.

My Pinkie Pie and his teacher

* We went to the playground when we got home. Mac came with and Nixon had a ball! The three of us were happy to spend some time outside together for a bit.

* Finally, trick or treating! Nixon made out like a bandit! We went to an on-base neighborhood, 30 minutes and he filled his bag about 3/4 full! And his skunk costume was even thought to be a honey badger, which totally fits. We had another lovely night and it was great!

'Tis was the night before Halloween and there was a skunk on my steps....

But he's just the cutest, sweetest little skunk ever!! I even gave him some kisses!

Yes, tonight we took Nixon to a neighborhood shopping center that was doing Trick or Treating. Since it was a little on the chilly, and because he has a school Halloween party tomorrow to go to, he wore his backup costume tonight: a skunk. Pinkie Pie will be worn to school tomorrow.

Even though the area was crowded, older kids were rude, and Nixon usually would've been overwhelmed and throwing a tantrum halfway down the strip of store fronts, tonight he did awesome! A little quiet or lacking all-together with his "thank you" sometimes, but he was spot on with "Trick or Treat!" and sometimes replaced  a "thank you" with a "Happy Halloween" instead.

He was overjoyed with his bucket full of candy! He even asked to sit down just to look at all his candy. Last year, trick or treating was a bust. We were new to the area, thought we had a good game plan, but it was raining and we ended up at the mall, with everyone else. It was chaotic and poor Nixon was not really feeling it at all. Tonight he was loving it! His bucket was filled in less than 20 minutes and he was ready to go home when we hit the last store front.

It was fun. Nixon was the only skunk we saw and lots of people gave him compliments on the costume, his manners and how cute he was in general.

There's a smile under the skunk hood!

An apology...and then my kid almost made me piss myself!

(I have a good excuse for not posting last night. Mac had a sleep study and was given a sleeping pill for, with instructions to be driven to and picked up from the hospital. It was nearly an hour drive one-way and Nixon and I got home at nearly 9:30pm and needed to leave by 5am this morning. I didn't do the post because I needed to sleep.)

* Nixon and I woke up around 4:45am today, in order to leave and pick up Mac by 6am. Nixon was really good about getting up, dressed and in the car. He was even good when we got home and needed a nap (seriously...I was exhausted!). Nixon was so tired by 1pm, he was incredibly hyper. I finally had to force him to nap because I thought he was going to hurt himself! and I was going nuts listening to his hyper jabbering about total nonsense <- bad mom confession

* This evening, while making dinner, Nixon mastered the silent sneak up behind someone and yell "BOO!". It would've been a super awesome, proud mom moment...except he did it to me and I was in the middle of draining hot pasta in the sink and he was right behind me and nearly got elbowed in the face!
    Good job and the scare, bad timing.

* Finally....Nixon finally cleaned his room. By himself. While I supervised. When he was done I explained it's important for him to keep his room clean because for his birthday we're getting him a fish and his fish will need a nice, clean room to live in.
   He is super excited about his birthday gift! Nixon said "I can do it, because I'm a big, growing boy, Momma! Growing boys keep their rooms clean, like me!"

Nixon's very advanced...he's not going to runaway from home, he's taking an airplane!

* Mac woke me up today and said Nixon was asking for eggs and bacon. I promised him I'd make breakfast for him last night and he was ready for it!
   I made bacon, eggs and toast for the three of us. During breakfast, we started talking about football (duh, it's Sunday, of course football came up!) and Nixon says, out of nowhere, "The Eagles are going to beat the Giants!". I'm an Eagles fan so that was music to my ears!
    Nixon went on to say that the Dolphins (Mac's favorite team) was going to beat the Jets. He didn't actually know who was playing whom, but he was making these predictions and he was sticking to them.
    Sadly, the Eagles did not win and the Dolphins lost to the Patriots.

* Nixon: I'm going to pack my things and fly away?
me: Are you running away from home then?
Nixon: No, I'm going to the airport and go on a airplane.
me: Oh, okay. where are you going?
Nixon: I don't know.
me: How are you buying your ticket? You're cute but you can't fly for free, kiddo.
Nixon: I don't have any dollars!
me: Well, it's a good idea but I think you need to plan a little better.
Nixon: Well, fine! Then I'm not taking BeBe! *as he leaves to stomp upstairs to his room*
me: Oh Nixon, I'll take BeBe. I'll love him while you're gone.
Nixon: Fine! You take him! *brings me BeBe and stomps up to his room*
This was brought on by....well, I have no clue what brought this on. He just decided he was going to fly away from us. And he was unimpressed by my lack of emotion as he tried leaving! Later, he did try extorting a thousand dollars from me, I think for his plane ticket. I was coming downstairs and he was sitting on the bottom step. He stood up and tried blocking my way, telling me "Give me a thousand dollars and I'll move!", I gave him a kiss and tickled him as I passed him.
   I ain't got no thousand dollars for him!

Another catch-up post! (Thursday, Friday & Saturday)

* Sorry for slacking. There hasn't been much out of the ordinary going on and I've been getting some real, quality sleep.
    Thursday was awesome in that I can't recall anything that happened in a negative way.

    Friday Nixon went to school and was super excited because they were going outside to the playground as soon as he arrived. No need to take his jacket off, he was ready!
    I picked him up and he was ready to go. No bad reports from teachers, high-five to one of his teachers on the way out and we were on our way to go meet Mac for lunch again. We stopped for lunch on the way and Nixon was super great. Even while we were in the store with Mac finding a long sleeve shirt and hoodie for Nixon and when he was told "no toys" he was great! On the way home I had to stop and get my prescriptions, which took less than 10 minutes, but Nixon was waiting without his PSP and he was amazing! I was super proud of him!
   Friday was a great day, except that Nixon is getting another cold and not sleeping well. He gets all the snot and stuff in his throat and he wakes up because he can't breathe clearly. Poor baby.

   Saturday....today, Nixon got to wear his Pinkie Pie costume! He woke up singing and very excited! He made a couple friends while waiting. There were 2 little girls dressed as Rainbow Dash and Princess Luna. Nixon spent some time chasing them and having a ball just being himself. It was great that there were no side glances, no rude words behind his back..nothing like that about his costume. Everyone loved his costume and were very wonderful about him wearing it.

Our family today

   Mac took Nixon home because the line for the signing was moving slow and Nixon was kind of at his max. I stayed and Nixon spent time with Mac without me....it was wonderful for all of us.

Fun day even if it started a little rainy.....

* It was raining this morning. It's a school day for Nixon, which is not a good start of the day for him because rain means no outdoor playground time...Nixon's favorite thing about school. I prepared him as best I could. I explained it was raining and that meant no outdoor play time today.
   I hoped for the best as I left him at school.
   I also let him do some dancing in the living room before we left for school. Just in case.

* I took Nixon to meet Mac for his lunch break today. We spent some time walking around a store waiting for Mac to get off for his lunch (he's in a class this week). Nixon asked for a mini Lalaloopsi doll from the toy section. What do I care, he was being good and it's a damned toy.
   So he got the doll. And he loves it! Even napped with her.

* To make up for no playground time today at school, and since it stopped raining, I took Nixon to a playground near our house. It was recently redone and today was the first time I've taken Nixon to see it since it was reopened.
   Nixon was loving it! He was on swings, there's a musical set with plastic bongos, drums that he could hit with his fingers, large wind chimes. He was in love with the music! Pure greatness. We played there until it started to sprinkle again. Then we went home to get lunch.

to be continued Wed while Nixon's in school....

Cheat sheet of the day:
* Nixon and me breakfast date- Nixon and I had a mommy & me breakfast date at Denny's. Nixon was in a bit of a funk at first, but quickly broke out of it and was adorable. He wrote his name on the paper placement and then really enjoyed his pancakes! After breakfast we went to a couple stores to grab a few last minute Halloween items.

* Crying baby in store and Nixon's reaction to it- At the dollar store, Nixon heard a very young baby crying. He says to me "Mommy, what's that noise?". I tell him it's a baby crying and he asks me why it's crying. I explain that babies cry because they can't talk and it's the only way babies can tell their mommy they're upset/hungry or need a hug. Nixon says "Mommy, someone needs to hug that baby so it'll be quiet...it's hurting my ears."

* And the farts just kept coming......Nixon was tooting up a storm. I asked him what was going on and he tell me "Mommy, there are just a million farts in my butt getting out!" Well, alrighty then!

It was an interest day....was totally a Monday!

* Today is Monday. Nixon didn't have school on Friday, so he has had 5 days off since his last school day. This morning my alarm goes off, I snoozed it twice and got up just before the 3rd time it went off. I walked into Nixon's room and let the alarm wake him up because, shockingly, he was still sound asleep.
   He rolls over, barely opens his eyes to look at me and says "Ugg... really, Mom? It's too early for wake up, the sun is even still sleeping, see? Can I have 5 more minutes please?"
   What could I do but give him 5 minutes?!? I made a cup of coffee before going and getting him, this time he was sitting up in bed but still not totally awake yet.

* Nixon's had so many good days at school, a bad day was bound to happen. Today was that day. According to his teacher he was loud and disruptive, but did participate after his outbursts. So he was just loud, but still not a good day.
   Ugg.....

* And then, finally, Nixon's entire Halloween costume is finished. He even got to try it on....which he pouted about while wearing it, then demanded to wear it longer after he took it off!

He's bossy, but he can explain his reason for being bossy....I'm cool with that because his logic was sound.

* Tonight we had chili for dinner. I told Nixon he had to try it. By try it I meant take two bites. That's it, just two. He did it, but it took a lot of whining and complaining about it in addition to almost 30 minutes. But the point is: he tried it and that's all I was asking him to do.

* Mac and I have a couple friends over tonight. We're watching the late football game, which started after Nixon went to bed. Nixon was in his room for well over half an hour when I hear his bedroom door open followed by his little feet coming down the steps.
    He peeks around the corner of the stairs and says "You guys, can you keep it quiet? I'm supposed to be sleeping but you are being too loud!", just as serious and non-impressed as could be.
    Mac and I apologize and say we'll be quiet, our friends also say sorry and we send Nixon back to bed. This little smartypants says, as he's climbing the stairs back to his room, "Thank you for apologizing everybody. Good night now."
    What could we do but laugh as he closed his bedroom door?!? A very quiet and contained laugh, but we did laugh.

* As I was taking tonight's photos, Nixon rolled over and saw me.
"Mommy, what are you doing in here? It's too early for wake up." he said to me very groggy with sleep.
I assure him I wasn't there to wake him up, only take tonight's pictures. He tells me that's fine, but hurry "I need my sleep".
    Yes, sir!

...and today he wore a size 6 pants for the first time ever. Stop growing, baby boy!! Just slow down!

* Nixon heard Mac come home this morning and proudly showed him the clear path in his bedroom! He's been sleeping in our bed because his room is such a disaster even he doesn't want to sleep in there and possibly have to get up in the middle of the night to pee and walk across the matchbox-car-angry-birds-stuffed-animal minefield he created in there!
    To be fair, he had some help. We had a friend crash here last night and she was up when Nixon woke up. She told Nixon a great way to surprise his daddy and make him very happy would be to clean his room up a little before he came home. He did just that and was super proud of himself. And Mac? Mac was super pleased with the effort!

* It was pretty chilly in the house this morning, so I grabbed a blanket and Nixon and I snuggled while watching our Saturday cartoons together! Nixon would get up, say he was warm, then come back and say "Mommy, let me in, my feet and hands are cold!"

* Tonight was a major milestone! We had to go to the grocery store, and normally we go armed with the PSP or iTouch for Nixon to keep him occupied, but tonight we left without it and went anyways. This was either going to go really well or really bad!
   Turns out, it went really well! Nixon was great! He got a little cold in the meat and dairy section, but he liked picking out granola bars for himself and weighing the fruits and veggies for us. He didn't get antsy until the very end and even that wasn't bad.
    Best part of the whole trip? On the way out, Nixon walked past 2 older men and (of course!) said "Excuse me" as he passed them. These two guys were just blown away, completely awed by our little man's manners. The man closest to Mac and I said "Did you just hear that little boy say "excuse me" as he passed us? That's incredible! He's yours, right? Great job! He is so polite."
    Yep, that's our boy and we are so proud!

Oh the cuteness I've dealt with today!

* Nixon's friend W called again tonight. Nixon was so cute! I was watching a video on my computer, when Nixon came over and says "Shhh, mommy I need you to keep your computer quiet because I'm on the phone. See?"
   I love that he was so interested in W he told me I needed to let him have quiet to focus on her!

Nixon on the phone with W...how cute is he?!?!?

* Nixon was crawling around on all fours and chasing a ball. He told me "Now you have 3 cats. I'm a cat meow."

* Nixon crawled into bed with Mac and I after his nap. His says "I want to give Daddy a hug and kiss because I missed him so much!"

Yep, he can be a little know-it-all some days...lucky he was cute earlier tonight!

(my computer is acting like a raging asshole, so I won't be able to post photos tonight....I have no idea what's wrong with it, but I can't even save a photo from a website and use it on here)

* Tonight, Nixon got a very special phone call. His best friend from Okinawa, W called him! It was adorable to see him light up when he knew who it was and they spent a little over 10 minutes on the phone talking. They were telling each other about their stuff. She was talking about a game her dad was playing and Nixon was telling her about My Little Pony: Equestria Girls! Her mom and I laughed about that.
   The sweetest moment was the first time he said good-bye (they said good-bye 3 times I think before the call was actually ended!), and the both said "I love you" to each other!

* Nixon's got no school tomorrow. So I decided tonight is a movie night for he and I. We watched Monsters University for the first time.
   Nixon suddenly paused the movie.
me: What's wrong?
Nixon: Mommy, I have to pee!
me: Oh, okay by all means go.
Nixon: *scrambling off the sofa running to the bathroom* Good thing I have a peenie, I can hold with my hands.
me: Uh-huh, just be sure to wash them when you're done.
    He pees, washes his hands and comes back, rubbing salt in my penis less wound.
Nixon: Well, peenies are great! I'm a boy with a peenie. Girls like you, mommy, you don't have a peenie. It's sad cause you have to sit down and let the water come out. I get to stand and pee.
me: Yep, you're lucky you're a boy. And thanks for reminding me I'm penis-challenged.
Nixon: No. You just don't have a peenie. You can't grown one anymore, because you a girl.

Well played son, well played.

Good day and songs too!

* Nixon had a wonderful day at school. It started with him getting dressed and asking to wear his striped tie to school. When I left he was showing it off to his teacher!
   When I picked him up, he was a little against leaving, but he showed me his sticker card...full of stickers from his teacher for good behavior! I was so proud of him, I bought him the Happy Meal he asked for when we left.

* Nixon was sitting on the floor, coloring in one of his books. He was singing to himself the "Chuggington" theme song just cute as could be.

It was a geek-out kind of day!

* Nixon was being wild and crazy...typical 4-year old stuff, this morning.
me: Nixon, can you tone it down a bit.
Nixon: Why?
me: What's mommy missing? Something I have every day that puts a smile on my face?
Nixon: I don't know.
Mac: Nixon, Mom needs her coffee before you go all crazy, okay?
Nixon: Yeah. Mommy, you need coffee right now!
me: Yes, I do.

* So check it, Nixon's getting good at his light saber skills:

* Nixon somehow cut his heel today. He was fine until he saw it was bleeding. Then he freaked out! "Mommy, I'm bleeding a million bloods!" as he was crying hysterically. Well, as my rule is "no blood no band-aid" it was time for a band-aid. I got him calmed and all cleaned up, he was still crying and missing Mac. A quick phone call to Mac, good nights said and he was in bed.
   Whew....

* Oh yeah and his Pinkie Pie hat is finally finished!! YAY!

I love his pouty face as he rolled over while I was taking this picture. Moments like this I see my baby boy instead of the grown-up boy he's becoming. 

Theme of the day seems to have ended up being: Music.

* While he was eating breakfast, I had some music playing. Nixon was getting up and dancing instead of eating and it was getting closer and closer to time to leave for school. Mac told Nixon he needed to sit down and finish eating. Nixon says "But I need to finish dancing first!", the only thing missing was jazz hands!

* Today Nixon had a great day at school! He got a hug from both his teachers, lots of praise and a special sticker before he left for the day! Mac and I were 2 happy parents when we picked him up, that's for sure.

* And then this happened:

* Finally, while helping me get the recycling together for pickup tomorrow morning, Nixon and I were listening to some music. First up? Matchbox Twenty "She's so Mean". I loved hearing him sing the chorus with me. It was awesome! Because he's liking music I like and because he's singing along to songs.
   The next song was Pink's "True Love". This song we sang and danced together!

Yep, he's a pretty honest kid....he honestly thought my hair looked horrible tonight & he wasn't afraid to tell me about it.

* Nixon and I were quick to get up and dressed this morning. Nixon didn't know why, but I had a surprise for him. I asked him to put pants on and find socks, while I got dressed. He got dressed and was asking me "Why mommy? Where are we going? Is it a surprise?" like I would give away the surprise by telling him where we were going.
  We got into the car and started driving, Nixon still a little pouty that he didn't know what was going on. And then...he knew where we were. I took an unexpected turn to throw him off, and he kept telling me I was "missing parking places". He saw Dunkin Donuts and asked me "Are we getting donuts?". Finally I told him yes.
  He was doing great, until I told him we were going home to eat the donuts. He decided he was going to try to force me to stay and eat. I'm sick with a sore throat and coughing, I'm not feeling like being in public around a bunch of strangers who will just glare at me as I cough anyways. So I told him, as I stood right next to the door and the garbage can "Nixon, you can come with me right now or I'll throw the donuts in the trash and carry you to the car."
   He came with me to the car.

* We skyped with Mac's mom tonight. Nixon went to bed saying we needed to go get her. *sigh* He misses her and really wants to see her again, and we miss her too of course, but he doesn't understand that we can't just pick up and go visit her and vice versa.
   He was super happy to show off his Pinkie Pie hat, with ears and his Yoda pumpkin.

* While Nixon was in the tub, I was goofing around with my hair. I tried brushing it all up from the roots (bottom up) and asked Nixon what he thought. I was not looking in the mirror, I was just being silly.
Nixon: Umm....Mom, that's not good. It looks horrible. You need to fix it.
me: You don't like it?
Nixon: No. I don't like it. You look weird.
(I brush my hair flat and then repeat the question)
Nixon: Oh Mommy, that's much better. You look good!
me: Not pretty?
Nixon: Mommy, you're always pretty, but you're hair was horrible. Not it's not so bad.

Random hair color musing, brought to you by: a sappy mommy moment!

* I told Nixon I was going to take a shower, while he watched Phineas and Ferb's Marvel Mash-up. He loves the episode, and it's almost an hour long so I know I'll be able to take a nice relaxing shower, not a rushed one with him checking in on me every 2-3 minutes.
  Nixon comes over to me and says "Let me smell you mommy".
me: Eww..gross Nixon. No! Trust me, I know I need a shower.
Nixon: *walks over to me, stops about 3 feet away* Pee-yew, Mommy you stink.
me: Thanks Nixon.

* Nixon spent part of the day walking around as Bucket Head. When it came time to clean up, he was refusing. So, I grabbed his bucket, put it on my head and said "I am Mother Bucket Head, now pick up your toys!".
   Yeah, he laughed at me. Then I told him I was going to get the garbage can and he picked up all his toys.

* I asked Nixon about his birthday cake. He wants a pink cake with pink frosting. He says "Mom, did you hear me? Pink cake AND pink frosting! That's a lot of pink, okay?" Sure, that's fine with me kiddo!

I just realized as I looked at tonight's photos, how dark his hair has gotten. It's not possible to call it dark blond anymore, I don't think. He's truly hitting that brunette color. It was inevitable, but I never really noticed until tonight. 

Thanks for the compliment, Nixon.....

* Here's how you don't want to start the day:
Nixon: Mommy, I think you need more sleep.
me: I agree.
me: Wait...what time is it? Where's your dad? Nixon, can you hand me my phone?
Nixon: OKay, but you look horrible.
me: *roll over look at the cable box* Nixon, we have to hurry this morning. My phone shut off and my alarm never went off. It's way late!
Nixon: No it's not mommy, Dad's blue car isn't even home yet.
me: Nix, Dad's probably at the gym but it is late and we need to get you fed and dressed and fast.
Nixon: Alright....don't forget, today is "o" day. *he needs to bring something that begins with the letter o to school*

* Nixon had his first rainy day school day. Which meant no playground time. He wasn't happy about it, but he didn't throw a total fit. He was happy when we got home and he got a PB&J sandwich.

* Nixon chose his dinner again tonight: pasta, butter and parmesan cheese. And tonight, he ate all but a few noodles. It took him a while but he did it.

*  Tonight, Nixon helped me do dishes. He helped me load the dishwasher and he helped me put dishes in the drying rack. And he volunteered to help! I didn't ask, he wanted to help me!

If I stop asking stupid questions, he'll stop having to answer my stupid questions. Some day I will remember that.....

* Today was wet and cold. It's fall for sure. I was able to sleep in until 11am because Mac got last night off. He was up with Nixon, who was very good about letting me sleep in.

* Nixon is quite possibly the most stubborn and picky eater ever! Today I gave him a choice for dinner: fried rice (he says "I don't know what that is") or spaghetti. After I explain fried rice and let him know he either chooses one or he goes to bed without dinner, he says "Fried rice! I want your fried rice, Mommy."
   So I make the fried rice, put his in a bowl, cool it off in the freezer and give it to him. He says "I'm not eating that!" and I was seriously sad. Mac wanted to send him right to bed, but I knew if I could get him to take one bite he'd like it. Eventually, thanks to me agreeing to give him a pickle, Nixon took one bite. And just like I knew he would, said "Mmmm, this isn't bad. This is good!" In the end he ate half of what I gave him, which was pretty damned good considering he started out saying he wasn't going to eat any of it.

* I had to run to the store tonight. Since it was wet, cold and rainy I went alone. I was gone not more than 30 minutes, but when I walked in the door Nixon says "Oh Mommy, I'm so glad you got home safe!". Ummm.....what now? Apparently, Nixon was worried about me driving in the "bad weather".
Sweetest.Kid.Ever!

* Tonight I read Nixon "I Love you, My Only Child". We don't often talk about Nixon's status as an only child, but sometimes I like to talk to him just because. Tonight, after I read the book, I asked him if he was happy with our family...
Nixon: Yes.
me: Do you ever feel alone, without a brother or sister?
Nixon: Umm....yeah.
me: Really? You're lonely?
Nixon: No! I have you and I have Daddy and the cats.
me: Nixon, did you just say you felt alone because I asked you?
Nixon: Yeah. I'm really happy mommy!
me: Oh Nixon, I'm so happy too!

This is how I found him when I walked into his room.

This is how I left him.....

He's a Star Wars loving, teddy bear dependant, bed stealing ninja! ~~~~~~~~~ NINJA~~~~~~~~

* Nixon slept until my alarm went off at 6:45am. He somehow wound up in bed with me, which I did not know until after I elbowed him in the head while turning off (alright, fine...I was hitting the snooze button) my alarm. He says to me "Ow! Mommy, you hit me in the head." and me, being the awesome and caring mother I am and in a pre-coffee state, say "Well baby, I didn't know you were there."
    We ended up snuggling under the covers for about 15 more minutes (yes....2 more snoozes) before we got up and started our day.

* He is feeling much better. His nose is still running, but it's clear. He's still coughing, but it's a productive cough not a dry cough. He's on the mend.

* Nixon had a pumpkin patch at school today. They had a "farmer" visit, and the kids got to pet rabbits & chicks, they helped fill a scarecrow with straw and then they got to pick a pumpkin to take home.
    When I arrived, Nixon was pretty much reaching his max. I walked over and asked if he wanted to show me what he was doing, letting his teacher have a break, and he was good. He sat on my lap while the "farmer" explained the job of a scarecrow and he sat with me while the younger class got their pumpkins first.
   He chose his pumpkin and within a few minutes he was ready to leave. We left and I told him we'd get a decoration kit for his pumpkin later.
    We went to Target when Mac woke up and Nixon chose a great pumpkin kit:

Nixon and his Yoda pumpkin...the Force is strong with our youngling! 

* Nixon came into our bedroom and was totally distraught....apparently he had taken BeBe with him into the bathroom and BeBe took a plunge into the toilet. Nixon pulled him out but he was so upset because BeBe was "yucky and wet and needs a bath right now!", which is Nixon begging us to put him (BeBe, not Nixon) in the washing machine. He has never been that upset over anything that isn't BeBe-related.
   I can report, that BeBe was washed and dried before Nixon got him back. He's happily sleeping in bed with Nixon as I type this. 

   Crisis averted. 

He's always silly, always thoughtful and hopefully finally kicking this cold to the curb!

* Nixon and I were walking down to our mailbox (it's a community box with individual boxes for each house), when Nixon notices the house across from us has set up some Halloween decorations in the yard.
Nixon: Look mommy. I spy a moon, monster and a batman!
me: Really?!
Nixon: Yeah, right there...in that grass.
me: Nixon, who would you rather be: Batman or Iron Man?
Nixon: Duh mom....Pinkie Pie!
me: *laughing* That's awesome buddy!
Nixon: Because Pinkie Pie makes everyone laugh and smile, and I like to make you laugh and smile. That's why Pinkie Pie is the best!

    And there you have it folks. Flawless logic according to a 4-year old.

* Nixon's birthday is coming up, next month. He's starting a gift list and I'm asking what he wants to do for his birthday. Today we talked about his cake:
me: Nixon, what kind of cake do you want?
Nixon: *silent, thinking really hard* I want a cake with pink frosting!
me: Okay. What would you like on the cake? What kind of decorations?
Nixon: Iron Man! With a purple candle.
me: Really? That's quite a cake, my friend.
Nixon: But the purple candle is for you, Mommy. You like purple.
me: Aw, baby boy, I do like purple...but it's your birthday. Do you really want purple candles because that's okay.
Nixon: I'm going to think about this some more. I have lots of thinking to do.

* I think we're finally getting to the end of this awful cold Nixon's had. Seems he's sleeping the last of it off. He fell asleep on the futon around 530 tonight. By 8pm he wouldn't wake up to eat dinner, so I carried him up to bed, hoping he stays asleep for the night. Sometimes he just needs a lot of sleep to finally kick an illness. I'm hoping this is it.

Let Monday be a good omen for the rest of the week.....because today was Great!!

* Nixon woke up today and was not ready for school. We worked with him and eventually he got dressed and we left for school.
   He had a good day there too! Learned how to wash dishes (this week is all about chores), was playing dinosaurs with friends as we left (his teacher said "How about we play dinosaurs who can't touch each other?" HA!) and even did everything in the circle today!

* Nixon's still a little sick, so when he got home from school (because today was cloudy, raining, windy and we had a tornado warning in effect until 5pm) we got into Mac and I's bed, snuggled under the covers to watch some TV and then it was nap time. Nixon took a 3 hours nap and then went to bed on time, without a fight!

* Nixon started crying when we picked him up today. He said "I miss Amber so much.", he was really emotional about it too. He's so crazy sometimes. I adore him and he came home to give Amber a kiss!

Friends are the best form of chaos! (weekend recap)

* Even though he was sick, Nixon had an awesome weekend with his cousins (my friend C's kids are known as cousins, because family isn't always born to you, sometimes we're lucky and we get to pick our family members!). Friday night Nixon and I spent the night sitting up sleeping on C's oversized sofa, because Nixon's cough was so bad.
 
I also spent some quality time with C's dog, Leonidas. For those who don't know, L is a husky and I have a serious fear of that breed. I was good with him, so much so that I offered to brush him last year when we had all returned to Maryland after being apart for 3 years. I was good...until I hit a snarl in his fur and he yelped and growled at me. Yep, not so good....my old fear hit me head-on and I was a basket case around him.
 But we made peace this weekend:

* Saturday went by way too fast! We spent some time at a neighborhood bbq, Claire made an incredible chicken curry for lunch and the kids all crashed and slept well.  Nixon stayed in bed all night and had very little coughing. 

   The bbq was a house full of kids, noise and friends. It's obvious C has a great support system where she's at. And Nixon and K-bug were fast friends...even if they did spend most of the time fighting over the same toys!

*Sunday we had to leave. My goal was to leave early, but we got waylaid a bit. We left 30 minutes late and with all our stops along the way home plus the traffic we hit we made it home in about 8 hours. Not bad and Nixon was a champ in the car. Did not get sick once, liked the music I put on and never watched his PSP during the whole ride. Yeah, I may have bought new toys for him when we stopped for Boogie Wipes, but they weren't expensive and he was being awesome!

Just before our good-byes...

I'm not allowed to call other drivers "stupid", Nixon says that's a mean word.

* Friday was our road trip to see my best friend in North Carolina. Nixon woke up with a wicked wet-sounding cough, so no school again, but we were still going to NC for the weekend.
   My goal was to not cuss during the car ride. So instead of my usual bombs, I was calling people "stupid vaginas". Nixon corrected me and told me "No, mommy that's not nice. Don't say stupid!" So I dropped the stupid and called people "vaginas" for the rest of the 7+ hour trip.

* Nixon and I ended up sleeping in the living room, on my BFF's awesome oversized chair. Around 230am, Nixon started coughing very badly in his sleep. I woke him up and we snuggled in the living room in said chair, so Nixon could sleep sitting up. It let him sleep without coughing, but it was pure hell on my back and neck. But, I'd do just about anything as long as it means Nixon is sleeping and feeling better. 

Let the sickies leave the house!!! Please?!?!?!

* Day 3 of this pesky cold found Nixon awake around 7am, which I quickly informed him was too early and he needed to go back to sleep. He did, without much of a fuss, and we both finally got out of bed around 930am. He was still subdued this morning and didn't really show he was feeling substantially better until after his (our) 4 hour nap on the futon this afternoon. I could hear him breathing more clearly in his sleep, which made me hopeful he'd have a full night's sleep tonight.
   So far so good!

   As long as he sleeps through the night, without any night terrors or waking up because he can't breath, he's going to school tomorrow. He's asking to go, because he misses it and he's very upset he missed one day already this week.

no photo tonight because I don't want the flash to possibly wake him up. he sleeps lighter when he's sick....but trust me, he is still adorable, just a little crusty around the nose area! 

Tuesday and Wednesday....it's a two'fer!

*Tuesday:
 Nixon spent the day, well most of the day, in bed with a "yucky tummy". Mac woke me up, to let me know we had a little boy with a yucky tummy and he wanted "mommy snuggles". I happily obliged and about 20 minutes later Nixon was sleeping in his own bed, clammy and obviously very tired.
  He woke up and was sick. He was dry heaving, and asking for water.
  A while later he was eating toast and keeping it down. More water and another nap. This time a 3 hour nap.

  He ate a good dinner, went to bed on time even...and woke up 4 times during the night. He was very congested and stuffed up. I guess I should've known that today would start like this.....

*Wednesday:
  *sniffles* "mommy, I sick can I snuggle with you?" *cough, cough*
  Yep, he's home from school today.
We did leave the house for OJ and medicine for him. Then it was home again and more naps.
Sadly, after dinner, Nixon had a coughing fit so bad he vomited a little. I felt horrible because it happened right after he had the Popsicle I gave him.

   He was in bed for less than an hour when I heard him crying in his room. I rushed up there and found him in the middle of a night terror! While sick! He was a wreck and not making any sense. I would just get him calmed down and back to sleep when he'd start another terror episode!
   This went on for over 30 minutes before (I thought) he was finally asleep for the night. I was wrong. He woke up 20 minutes later, crying all over again.
   He's down stairs with me, while I'm letting his medicine kick in, hopefully he'll have a better night's sleep than last night. We'll see.......

My poor, sickly baby boy :(

About last night....Sept 30th's post

   I couldn't write a post last night. I was raw and emotional from the day.

   It started really bad, with Nixon crying and refusing to go to school. Ultimately I sat down with him and talked to him (and listened). My poor, sweet boy is dealing with what sounds like a bully situation at school...in preschool?!?! For real!
   Mac and I took Nixon to school, and I spoke to his teachers about the situation we face at home (sadly, this is not the first day Nix hasn't wanted to go to school) and what he had told me that morning. Nixon pointed out the child to Mac, who in turn brought it to the teachers attention.
   When we picked him up, the teachers assured us nothing out of the ordinary happened and they saw no inappropriate interactions between Nixon and the other child. It was also mentioned that Nixon sometimes overreacts to some social interactions (example given was Nixon telling a teacher she was mean when a Lego she tossed into a pile, bounced and hit Nixon's arm. The group was sitting on the floor and it was clean up time, and the Lego toss was part of a clean up effort, apparently) and perhaps Nixon is just misinterpreting normal play with bullying. It was also said that Nixon was playing with all the boys yesterday, as they were all chasing each other and "shooting" each other (gun play is not allowed on school grounds and this was quickly discouraged).
   While I'm not totally opposed to listening to that, I've witnessed the child Nixon pointed out mock Nixon in the past. Nixon has a very sweet voice, and has trouble with some pronouncing some words and I heard this child mocking Nixon's voice and speech. Nixon, at the time, laughed it off and walked away that day. It makes me wonder what happened since then.

   I was, and still am, upset over the idea that Nixon is being bullied already. But I'm listening to him, talking about things and helping him deal with this at home, all while letting him know his parents are here for him no matter what. Sometimes I just need to slow down and listen to him instead of reacting to him. Yesterday morning was that day.