Either he has no sense of humor or I'm not as funny to him as I used to be....It's gotta be the first option, right?!?!

* Evidently, Nixon is already getting tired of my humor. He will say to me, multiple times a day, "Hey Mom, guess what?" or "Mommy, I've got really good news!" which leaves him wide open for my response "You just saved me a ton of money on car insurance!"
   He has never once laughed at that.
   People around us, in stores or at coffee shops, now they always chuckle when they hear this exchange between us. But, c'mon kid, this is pure regurgitated commercial comedy gold I'm giving you!

* And then this happened today:
Nixon: I finished my breakfast, please can I have candy please?me: No. You are not getting candy this early in the day.
Nixon: But please I love candy.
me: I realize you love candy but you're not getting any.
Nixon: Please can I want candy please?
me: Sure, you can want candy all your little heart desires.
Nixon: *happy smile on his face* Aww...thanks Mom
me: But wanting and having are 2 different things. I can't stop you from wanting something, but I can stop you from having it.

* Finally, he's been really bad about cleaning up his toys. Tonight I started small: pick up all the toys on the floor and put them in the bins. From there it was: put all the clothes in the basket. After that, back to toys: put the bins on the table. Look your room is all cleaned!
   We went back to the living room and did the same thing. Small tasks, big results! I told him every night we're doing the same thing. 

Please let him sleep through till morning.....I don't want a repeat of last week's 3am drive with a wide-awake kiddo!

* After several, several long weeks of Nixon's non-stop snacking and then refusing to eat at meal times, I tried something different today. He asked for blueberry oatmeal for breakfast. He then refused to eat it. So I refused to let him have any snacks until lunchtime. If he was hungry, his oatmeal was still an option.
   Guess what? He ended up eating it about 2 hours later. I did re-heat it, just a touch, for him. He then also at him lunch.

* Nixon, one of the cutest little comic book store patrons ever, was in full-on charmer mode today! Just totally adorable, counting Green Lantern rings, telling me about Hulk and talking to all the store employees. He was even trying to set up his own photo op with the tentacle finger puppets. Oh he's so cute!

* It's another early bedtime for Nixon. He's been asleep since 6pm. Tonight I'm not waking him. Hopefully, he'll stay asleep all night....fingers crossed.

The night Nixon asks me to create a costume for BeBe

* Nixon comes up to me and whispers in my ear "Mommy, its ice time". "Ice time" is Nixonese for popsicles. He didn't ask, so he didn't get one until he looked me in the eyes and asked me the correct way.

* Nixon was getting scared of the thunder that was part of the storm rolling through this evening. He kept saying it was loud and scary. I told him its just noise and won't hurt him. That didn't seem to work. I continued "Baby, thunder is like your Daddy. It's loud and sounds scary, but it won't ever hurt you." Nixon looked at me and said "Thunder is my Daddy?" SO not the point I was trying to make, but he wasn't scared of it anymore!

* We are going to a local Comic Con tomorrow. All our costumes are figured out and Nixon decides tonight to drop this bomb on me: He wants BeBe to have a costume too! BeBe is his teddy bear, and a total part of the family, so I of course tell him "I'll see what I can come up with". I end up with a cape and eye patch for his bear. It took about 90 minutes, because I had to take apart and put back together my sewing machine, but none of that will matter as long as Nixon likes what I came up with for his bear.

He gets his rewards and entertains people all day long

* Nixon got his TMNT reward today! He was overjoyed and practically ran to the back of the store to see the toys and choose his prize. He ultimately chose the blue one (Leonardo), with only one choice before. He happily carried around the store and showed it to anyone who paid attention to him.

* Nixon answered the door with me when our pizza delivery arrived. The delivery guy was awesome and friendly not in a creepy manner towards him.
Pizza guy: How old are you? (to Nixon)
Nixon: Uh.....crap on a stick!
PG: What's your name?
Nixon: I'm Nixon!
me: Nix, how old are you?
Nixon: I'm 4.
PG: My daughter is the same age.
me: Does she say "crap on a stick" to random people?
PG: No, but...
me:....it's better than the other more colorful alternatives, right?
PG: *chuckling* Yep, sure is. Have a great night!

He started the day a little low, then recovered enough to show his ass side, got a haircut and his 7th smiley face!

* I woke up this morning, to find Nixon lying on the carpet in my bedroom looking like he's about to vomit. I quickly tell him to go to the bathroom (three or four time "Nixon, hurry go to the toilet..the toilet, Nixon go to the TOILET!"), jump out of bed and follow him into the bathroom. He dry heaved, but felt clammy and looked just awful!
He snuggled in our bed for a couple hours watching TV. Not sure what was wrong with him, but he was definitely off for lack of a better word.

* I was talking to Mac who was in his geek corner of the house, about 15 feet away from where I was sitting. The TV was on and Mac is partially deaf so I have to speak loudly to talk to him, since walking over to him would just make sense.
Nixon: Mom, you need to calm down. I'm watching tv.
me: *I ignore him and continue talking*
Mac: responds, and we both laugh.
Nixon: "You too, Dad. You are being too loud!"
he says this without an ounce of sarcasm, dead serious.I burst out laughing, and Mac instantly corrects Nixon for talking to us like that. I was SO in the wrong on this one!

* Nixon finally got his haircut today. He was awesome during it too. And it's all gone now. It was a total buzz job, which is good since he's been saying his head is itchy no matter how often I wash his hair.

TMNT update: Nixon reached 7 smiley faces!! He did all that work to earn it and when I told him he finally got 7 smileys, he couldn't have cared less.

He showed how much he is like his dad today....I like it!

* Nixon: I'm packing up. *grabs his now empty boxes*
me: Are you going somewhere?
Nixon: Mmhhmmm. I'm packing up my suitcases and going to the comic book store.
me: Suitcases to the comic book store?
Nixon: I'm all packed up. Oh wait! Something is missing.
me: What's missing?
Nixon: A chair. I'm missing a chair!
me: What do you need a chair for at the comic book store?
Nixon: For at the airport. For waiting.

(I didn't get it either. But it made sense to him...I guess.)

He is one smiley face away from his TMNT. I did not see, hear or feel his fingers in his mouth at all today! When I mentioned this to him he said "that's because I kept them out all day! Fingers do not belong in my mouth, because I am a big boy." One more good day and he gets his TMNT toy (action figure...whatever. He'll have earned his reward!)

"....I fell and bumped my brain"

* Nixon says to me today "Mommy, my fingers are dry now. I wiped them off". Nice. I've started random finger checks. This is where I ask him to show me his fingers. Once today they were dry. The second time I asked him he says "Hold on a minute mommy", and he walks away with his back turned to me, then comes back and says "Now they're good. I wiped them off."
Yep, today was a sad face kind of day.
On the plus side (because I think my son's cup-half-full attitude is rubbing off on me), I haven't caught him with his fingers in his mouth while he's asleep in almost 2 weeks. To me, that is a far bigger deal than him putting them in his mouth while he's awake. Awake, it's a choice he's making...but asleep, he's doing that on a subconscious level. To get over that first, well I'll take it as a win.
But he's not getting no TMNT for it.

* Nixon was goofing off instead of cleaning up his toys. He was climbing in and out of a large box we use to store his dress-up clothes in. He, inevitably, took a tumble backwards out of the box and hit the floor with his head. He didn't cry, but he did come over and tell me "Mommy, I fell and bumped my brain. It's inside my head and I hit it. Kiss my brain please."

He's a sweetheart...and he's all mine, for as long as he wants to be mine!

* Nixon says to me this morning "Mommy, I need energy. Do we have cookies?" I like how he knows food gives him energy, but I'm not giving him sugary snacks for energy. He got peanut butter and jelly plus oranges and a glass of water.

* We watched Finding Nemo tonight and Nixon came over at the very beginning of the movie to give me a hug and kiss. Why? Because he wanted me to not be sad when Nemo's mommy "gets lost" as Nixon says. I love that he thought to comfort me during a part of the movie he knew was sad.

TMNT update: smiles and frowns hit a dead-heat today, at 5 each.

He's a nudist and a comedian in the making....and he's a normal 4-year old with normal 4 year old fears.

*Nixon's first "knock, knock" joke
Nixon: knock knock mom
me: who's there?
Nixon: it's me package Nixon, from the mail truck
me: It's me package Nixon from the mail truck who?
Nixon: here, I have a delivery for you...it's a frog!

Eh, it's a work in progress but he's trying!

* Nixon asked if he could get naked and run around wild before bed. Since the curtains are closed and it's just us, I told him to go for it. I don't know why but this kid loves being naked! He asked for a "fun hug" and I told him he couldn't have one while naked. So he put on undies and a tee shirt, walked over to me and said "Mommy, I have clothes on, fun hug now please!" haha

* In the car today..
me: Nixon, what's your name?
Nixon: 4
me: No. Nixon, what are you called?
Nixon: I am Nixon.
me: Yes, that's your name. What's Daddy's name?
Nixon: Daddy.
me: No, Nixon, Daddy's name is Mac. Do you know Mommy's name?
Nixon: Mac?
me: *laughing* No, my name is Rea.
Nixon: Really? It's not Mommy?
me: Only you call me mommy. But it's important that you know mommy and daddy's names, so if you ever get lost you can tell a police officer and they can help you find us.
Nixon: You are going to lost me?!
me: Not today, but some day it might happen, but never on purpose.
Nixon: Okay.
me: What's Daddy's name?
Nixon: Daddy's name is MAC!
me: And what is my name?
Nixon: Rea! Your name is Rea! And I am Nixon Mathieu!

TMNT update: today was a frowny day. He was fine until bedtime when I found him sucking his fingers hard and fast while I was reading his story. Total count- 5 smiles, 4 frowns

Long live Bucket Head

* Every morning Mac is home, I get to sleep in without worrying about what kind of trouble Nixon is getting into. It's one of the most awesome perks of having Mac as my parenting partner. On those days, I get greeted, after I get out of bed and finally head downstairs, by a giant hug from Nixon who excitedly cries "Mommmyyyyy!" as soon as he sees me. He says it in such a way it makes me feel like I'm the sun in his world. That greeting never gets old!

* Nixon was incredibly cranky and pissy while we were running errands today. Very uncooperative and mouthy, just being a punk beyond his usual punkness.
  We got home and told him it was naptime. He took an almost 4.5 hour nap! Mac asked if we should wake him up, the answer is always no! He's either sick, fighting something and bout to get sick or heading for a growth spurt when he sleeps like that. Whatever the cause, I never wake him up when he's sleeping if I don't have too. He's been super cranky lately and this nap today just proved there's something causing it, I just don't know what yet.

this is Bucket Head!

* Nixon has this orange plastic bucket that has seen better days. Today he put a big crack in it and I said it was time to throw it out. Nixon was devastated! Big, real tears over this bucket.
I couldn't take it. I told him to calm down I'd fix it. And I did. I duct taped that bucket up! It's not breaking or cracking again anytime soon...or ever. Normally, I'd have just thrown it out and let it go, but he was honestly very upset about it being broken and I couldn't not fix it for him. It's his "bucket head" bucket, you don't just get rid of "bucket head".


TMNT update: 5 smiley vs 3 frownys! If he keeps this up he could get his turtle by this weekend!

I have my limits...I could not bring myself to put the bucket on him in his sleep. Putting it above his head was as close as I'd go. 

...I have no privacy anymore. None. It's gone. Because I became a mom.

* While I'm in the bathroom, Nixon opens the door and sits down on his stool. I ask him what he's doing and he says "I want to watch you poop." Umm...no that's not okay! I tell him we don't do that and he says "But the cats poop where we see them"...damn cats! I get him to leave only to have him knock a minute later and ask if I need help wiping.
Oh, Nixon!.....

* I built Nixon a new Lego airplane today and Nixon said "Mommy, you're the best builder ever!" I'll take it, because I have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to putting something together with those little blocks from hell!

TMNT update: 4 smileys and 3 frownies. Today was another good finger-in-mouth-free day.

today I admitted defeat....

* I've struggled with migraines most of the past two decades. As horrible as my pregnancy was with Nixon, migraines were not an issue. For the most part, I haven't had a bad bout with them since Nixon was born. I get migraines but nothing like I used to have (days in bed, where light brought me to my knees and I could see sounds and cried from the pain).
Today, I woke up with that "old familiar" feeling. A migraine....
I struggled to remember to feed Nixon, I laid on the couch trying to stay still and not move too much because the movement hurt my head and I was close to vomiting from the pain. Nixon and I napped together in my bed, my hope was a nap would ease the pain in my head. I was wrong.
I finally admitted defeat and as night fell and the house got darker I gained some functionality. Unfortunately for me, Nixon realized I was not going to force him to clean his toys up today. Since I couldn't yell without hurting my head and possibly vomiting, I let it go....for today.
Tomorrow? Tomorrow is another day and I will be better! Mommy's back son!

* Nixon saw me coming upstairs when he should have been in bed sleeping. I had just finished working out and was pretty beat. Nixon says "Mommy, you need a nap". What can I say? I certainly felt like I needed my bed.

TMNT update: 3 smileys and 3 frownys. Today he got a smiley!

The random things he says over the span of one day...

* Nixon randomly starts saying "nah-nahna-na-nah cry babies". There's no rhyme or reason for the things that come out of his mouth.

* Nixon: I love you, mom
me: I love you too, baby.
Nixon: Why did you call me baby? I'm a big boy!
me: I know. You are a big boy, but you will always be my baby. So I call you baby.
Nixon: Oh. I like it when you call me baby.
me: You will be my baby forever, no matter how big, old or grown up you get.

* Nixon touches my face and looks at my eyes and says: Mommy, what color are you eyes?
me: My eyes? They are green.
Nixon: What color are my eyes?
me: Your eyes are brown.
Nixon: Not green like yours?
me: Nope, you've got daddy's brown eyes.
Nixon: But why? I like you green eyes.
me: I do too, but you got daddy's brown eyes because they were stronger when we made you.
Nixon: Green eyes are weak?
me: No, they aren't weak but they don't fight well against brown.
Nixon: I have strong brown eyes, like Daddy!

TMNT update: I'm going to call it a bad day. One warning before nap time and 2 after his nap. It's a frowny day.

I adore his randomness!

Nixon kind of lacks empathy...either that or he just doesn't care about anyone but himself. He is 4 so it could go either way.

* Nixon seems to lack empathy. Mac's lower back has been bothering him for a week or so. Nixon has been relentless in his quest for "fun hugs". Mac has tried to be accommodating but has had to say no more than once, always explaining that he hurts. Nixon doesn't seem to understand this concept so he'll walk away, then come back 10-20 minutes later and say "Please can I have a fun hug now please?", when he is inevitably told "no" he pouts and says "but I asked the right way!". While Mac explains its not how he asked but what he asked for, Nixon walks away only to repeat this same scene several more times before relenting and finally asking me for a fun hug.

* TMNT challenge update: We have a day 2 success! I even made a board up so he can keep track of his good days (smiley face) and bad days (frowny face) and how many of each he has, with the ultimate goal of: 7 (smiley face) = turtle

From the time Nixon was really, really little, he'd sleep with his butt in the air. So tonight, finding him like this, kind of made me feel like my baby was back if only for a moment. 

And friendliest kid of the day award goes to.....MINE!

ladies and gentlemen...welcome to the gun show! ^^ 

* While I was in the shower, Nixon was grabbing every pillow from every bed we have in the house and making himself a pillow fortress on our bed. He had 8-10 pillows on our bed and he was loving life!

* Another Saturday, another signing at Third Eye Comics. Nixon and I got there our usual time, about 30 minutes before doors open, and Nixon was being awesome. He saw a couple kids a little older than himself, he said hi and tried to get some high-fives. He was just so chill and in his element, not at all shy about going up and saying "hello". He even told Mac and I that one of the kid's "looked like Batman. That's so cool!" I have no idea what he was talking about. The kid wasn't wearing a cape or mask and nothing black or yellow, but Nixon saw Batman and the other kid was pretty happy to hear that some thought he looked like Batman, so it's a win-win, even if the adults were all looking at each other like "what the hell are you seeing?" 

Finally, another day with fingers in his mouth....1 good day, 2 no days.

for some reason, he only takes off one sock and leaves the other one on. 

He's quirky and odd and so completely awesome! And, he's all mine! Well, mine and Mac's. 

Who is the Master Of Fun?!? Mommy is!

* Mac is the "fun" parent. Nixon goes to him for wrestling, fun hugs (wrestling, lifting, tickling hugs), Lego's time and all around good time usually is Mac's gig. I'm the hardass parent. I set the rules, I dole out punishments...I'm mean.
   Until tonight! Tonight I became the MASTER of FUN HUGS! *echo, echo, echo*
Mac's lower back has been aching and he tripped on one of Nixon's many small toys which put him down for the count. I offered to do fun hugs with Nixon. I tickled him, kissed him and had him crying "NO mommy, stop! NO more fun hugs!!" because I'm too good at them!
After that I gave him a bucking bronco ride and a piggy back ride to bed. The moral of all this? I rock!

* In other news: Nixon did not keep his fingers out of his mouth today.

* Oh yeah, and this happened today, he really is so awkward sometimes:

I wore him out good!! 

When in doubt...never underestimate the power of a really good bribe

* Nixon is still struggling with keeping his fingers out of his mouth. Today he asked for a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle (TMNT in the future...I am not typing that out all over again) action figure. I'm normally horrible at just buying him something, if I have the money, but I thought this might be a great time to make him work for it.
So, we struck up a deal:
If Nixon goes 7 days without being told to get his fingers out of his mouth, I will take him to get his TMNT toy. And I made it seem like it would be super awesome because he's earning it, like a big boy!  At one point today I caught him telling his fingers "NO! I want to be a big boy and big boys earn their toys! No fingers in the mouth!" Is he cute or what?!

Day 1 in the books without a single warning about