A little late but.....Christmas finally arrived!!!

   I was so exhausted yesterday I fell asleep around 9pm! It was glorious! Nixon and I got comfy in my bed and settled in to watch Chipwrecked together, when it was over we both fell asleep.

  And now, some pictures from our Christmas morning! Mac came home and woke us up around 630am, because he would be going to sleep as soon as we were done with all the gifts.

Santa was here! 

opening his gift from Santa!

His big gift from Mac and I....I think he likes it, eh?

gifts from the grandparents and his great-grandparents

Mac, fading fast

Clothes from nana!

The carnage!

My first macaroni art gift! 

My surprise gift from Mac...Catwoman figurine!

   Nixon came up to me later in the day, upset because Arwen's stocking was empty. He said "Santa forgot her!"
    I said "Maybe Santa didn't forget her. Maybe it's empty because she's on the naughty list for being mean and chasing Amber all year long. Do you think that's possible?"
   He looks at me, shocked and says "That's real?!"

He's 5!!! Happy 5th birthday, Nixon!

I wish I could say today was wonderful from the start. That butterflies came out just to celebrate the day my son entered the world and that at the exact moment of his birth a lark landed on our windowsill and serenaded him.
Unfortunately, none of that happened. Here's what actually did happen:

He woke up and was kind of awesome. He was excited to get ready for school and share his birthday cupcakes. We got to school and he wanted to play with the toys but the class was going outside....I left, letting the teachers do what they do. I made purple cupcakes at home for him, totally ready to celebrate Nixon's birthday.

Instead, I was greeted by a crying child who told me "Mommy, you're heart's going to be sad. I had a bad day at school." when I entered his classroom. And oh boy, he was not lying! My newly 5-year old son was defiant, crass, disrespectful and last but by no means least, exposed himself. All to a teacher. He entered the teacher's office area, was asked to come out, refused, asked to come out again, yelled and refused again, when the teacher went in to the office to bring him out Nixon pulled his pants and undies down...this happened 3 times before they got him to keep his undies on and his pants only dropped to his knees. (This was told to me as if I should be comforted by this "progress").

Nixon and I talked about this in the car. We talked about it when we got home. I finally came up with a punishment by the time Mac woke up and the 3 of us talked about it. Nixon is not phased by spankings, or taking things away, or spending time in his room without toys, but he has been looking forward to getting a pet fish for weeks now. We had planned on doing it for his birthday, taking him to pick out his own fish.  I decided to put that on pause and told him we're going to wait to see how he behaves on Friday in school. The tank is set up, in his room, it's just waiting for a fish. But it's not happening right now.
Just talking to him about what happened he was dismissive, rude (looking away, trying to get away from me while I'm talking to him) and....I just don't know what was going on in his head.

By bedtime he was better. He snuggled with me for a bit, after he managed to fall off the love seat in the living room, and had a blanket bunker he was hiding under watching his psp before Mac left for work. We even went out to get our traditional Taco Bell dinner we've done every year since Nixon's birth.
As I was putting him to bed, I was talking to him telling him how much I loved him and he starts moving his hand mimicking me as I was talking. I stopped talking and just looked at him. He kept doing it, I still said nothing, just looked at him waiting for him to stop. He didn't so I left his room and didn't say goodnight.
I cried silently once earlier today, I'm not going to do it again tonight.....

I adore Nixon, but we might need to talk about his team support. This is not how I wanted the Eagles season to begin....yes I am blaming my kid for my team's bad performance!

* Mac asked me what happened to this hilarious moment from last night. The honest truth? I forgot about it when I did last night's post.
   The story:
Last night Mac called his mom to talk to her and let her know he's fine, given everything going on nearby in DC I had a feeling she'd be worrying a bit. She talked to Mac a bit, then me and finally she spoke to Nixon. Nixon gets on the phone and says "Why did you forget about me, Nana?". It was hilarious!

* Today. Nixon decided to play dress-up most of the morning. He was a transformer, a soldier and a giant pile of clothes on the floor that resembled my room when I was teenager. He stood over the pile of clothes and started saying, out loud, "What do I want be? Who am I right now?"...exactly like me when I was a teenager! He ultimately decided he was going to be a boy, in a tee shirt and undies.

* At bathtime tonight, Nixon and I were talking football. The Eagles are playing tonight. I asked Nixon if he thinks the Eagles were going to win.
Nixon: Yes!
me: Really? That's great why?
Nixon: Because Eagles fly high in the sky.
me: I can't beat that logic, baby boy.
Nixon: Duh! I know that's why I said it!

My Little Pony, helping Nixon enjoy writing without him even realizing he's writing! Thank you....

* Nixon has been fighting doing any kind of writing, or holding a writing utensil of any kind, lately. He gets easily frustrated when trying to write letters especially.
   Imagine my surprise when Nixon and I spent over 45 minutes drawing and coloring in a My Little Pony coloring book, with Nixon doing most of the drawing. We played tic-tac-toe and Nixon drew both "x" and "o" in the game and he beat me 2 of 4 games, we tied once.  Nixon connected matching ponies over 10 times, drawing perfectly straight lines.
   But the most incredible moment of the whole moment happened when Nixon was looking to match cutie marks to pony names. He asked me to read the name, instead I asked him to spell out the letters. He saw "P" in the first one, and based on the possible cutie marks, Nixon blurts out "Pinkie Pie!" which was correct. We moved on to the next choice, and he saw the "A" and gleefully said "Applejack!", again correct!

* Tonight is the beginning our our new bedtime routine. Bath at 7:30pm, in bed by 8pm. Nixon was very excited when he learned that the reason for the new bedtime was because he starts school tomorrow. He even shampooed his own hair! For those not aware, this is a huge deal! He's always had issues with water in his face and ears, but he seemed to get over it as long as he was doing it for himself.
    He came downstairs, after Mac left for work and asked me "Mommy, how is the operation going?"
me: The operation is not going well. *I wave a hand all over him* It's been a complete bed-ectomy. Now let's get you back into bed.
Nixon: No, it's too early.
me: How about, if you help me pick out your clothes for tomorrow, before you go to bed?
Nixon: Yay!

   So we picked out his shirt, went back to his bedroom, more hugs kisses and another good-night.

Amber taking advantage of a few moments she's allowed in Nixon's room by getting into bed with him 

Yep, we might be raising a nudist.

* I was looking for something in Nixon's baby box today. Nixon was napping at the time. Well, I hadn't put it away before he woke up, so when he woke up he wanted to look through the box. The box is mostly clothes that I couldn't let go, first shoes, first Halloween costume and an ornament from his first christmas. Nixon was loving looking at everything and I was just amazed by how much he's grown! It was so odd seeing him holding the shoes that once were too big for him, now the size of the palm of his hand!
   I've saved it all in hopes that one day I'll make a quilt from everything I've kept.

* Before Nixon went to bed, I told him he needed to change clothes. He went into the bathroom and came out...completely naked! He starts wiggling his hips and laughing! I asked him what he was doing and he says "Mom, I'm doing my exercises!" Apparently, he likes to exercise in the nude. I guess we'll never have to buy a gym membership for him, unless someone knows of a nudist-friendly gym?

* Speaking of Nixon and nudity, Nixon says to me this morning: Mommy, you'll be okay when your peenie grows bigger.
   I explain to him, once again, that boys have penises and girls like me have vaginas. He says to me, "Well, Daddy and I can pee like this" he walks into the bathroom and pees standing up. Thus doing the one thing I can not do, that I have always wanted to do.

He's a dapper, chill, smart little guy

* Nixon and I took a short trip to Third Eye Comics tonight. Nixon was sporting a bow tie and was looking extremely dapper. There was another little boy at the store, probably 2-3 years old, who pointed out Nixon's tie and Nixon pointed at the boy's shirt and said "Mom look, it's Yo Gabba Gabba!" Kids bond over the most random things, eh?

* I adore Nixon's random ways of picking new things to learn. Today he's decided to memorize our house number. I added our street name, which is kind of a mouthful, but he repeated it and then says "Mom, it's a big deal I know this, right?"

* Phrases of the week:
   Oh.My.God- he says this when he sees an ant almost anywhere.
   Crap on a stick- he says this when something goes wrong.
   Umm, no, I'm Nixon- he says this any time Mac or I call him by something other than his name.

Nana put him to work!

* Mac called and checked on things at home this morning. His mom was home with Nixon while we were still at Free Comic Book Day, standing in line at the time. Nixon was fine, he was actually putting his laundry away with Nana! He's done this once or twice with me, but it was a major battle. But with Nana, it was apparently fun.

* We got home a little after 130pm, and Nixon was napping! He'd apparently had a bad night's sleep, woken up early and when asked if he wanted a nap he accepted. I can't say I blame him, I also took a nap shortly after getting home!

the perfect toy

* Mac is trying to get Nixon to look at him and talk to him
Mac: Nixon, you need to look at people and talk to them, not touch your peenie.
Nixon: But it's the perfect thing to play!
me: *laughing quietly but uncontrollable*
Mac: Nixon, you can not play with your peenie while talking to people.
Nixon: Okay *as he walks away*

Seriously, we brought this on ourselves because we let him chill in his undies when we have no plans to go anywhere. From now on we're stopping that. Pants or shorts at all times, so says Dad.

It's SUPER CRANKYPANTS!!

* Nixon has been in full-on crankypants mode this whole week. Some days he's okay, other days like today he admits he's being bossy and he's mad. I let him go, as long as he's not throwing things/hitting anyone/hurting himself.
  We had errands that HAD to get done, but I needed to let him get his bossy attitude out before leaving the house. It worked. Eventually he came to me and said "I'm done being bossy and mad. Can I get dressed and go bye-bye now?"

* Four-hour nap today! What?!?! Yeah, thinking his never-ending appetite and this mood thing might be a growth spurt in the making....

* After he went to bed, he wasn't asleep. I checked on him and he says "Mommy, youse being too loud I cannot sleep because your mouth is too loud!" I was downstairs talking to Mac, not laughing outrageously loud! Thankfully, Amber went back into the room with him and he quickly fell asleep with her in bed with him.

sometimes I get pure, accidental magic in these photos. this is tonight's magic shot. Nixon rubbed his eye as the photo was taken.  

Days like today make me appreciate Nixon so much!

* Another awesome co-existing day with Nixon. He came into the bedroom at 630am...NOT a wake-up time in our house. I told him he should come into bed with me and sleep some more. He did, until around 8am when he kissed my cheek and asked me to turn on cartoons.

* I spent the morning in the kitchen, at the dining room table, working on some silhouette pieces. Well, really just one piece. Nixon was in and out, with requests for drinks or food, and I'd offer him some of the scrapes of my card stock paper cut in different shapes for him. He was overjoyed by them! He'd come running to me and telling me about the shapes and the rocket, or house, or bridge he built from the shapes I gave him.
Then he brought me the shapes and asked me "which one is bigger?", "which one is longer?", "which one is the shortest?", he was being awesome! And best of all, I had the time to finish what I was working on, while I was still interacting with him. His questions were awesome!

* Nixon got ready for bed, and said to me "Arwen needs a kiss". He walked over to where she was sleeping and gave her kisses on her head.

today was a MUCH better day

he loves free swag, just like his dad.

* From the moment I rolled over and realized it was morning, I knew yesterday was over. My first coherent glimpse of Nixon this morning, was one of him lying belly on the floor, legs kicked up behind him while he gently and carefully leafed through the pages of a My Little Pony comic book I'd left on my night stand. He was telling himself the story as he saw it, and he was quite pleased with how carefully he was handling the book.

* We met Mac at Third Eye Comics for a signing, and something that doesn't usually happen, Nixon got a little piece of his own free swag today. He got a free map from the 2 creators that were given to all the customers waiting outside. Nixon was so happy! We got it personalized for him and will hang it on his wall in the very near future.
Nixon also got a large applause from people in line, when he cried "BOOOO!" because his number (really mine) wasn't called for the giveaway raffle the store was awesome enough to do. It was in good fun and luckily the employees find him adorable, but in the future that's not going to be okay. Today he was just following his dad's lead....that's a whole 'nother issue.

* The night ended with Nixon getting a few minutes of naked time. I don't know what he has against clothes, but if letting him be naked for a bit makes bedtime easier, I'm all for it.

I'm raising a little gentleman. Yeah, I'm pretty proud

* Nixon says to me "Mommy, I have something to show you. Let me hold your hand so you don't step on a sharpy (the floor was covered in Lego's)". Such the little gentleman. He wanted to show me the pantry where he asked for crackers.

* "Mommy, I like to be naked. My clothes just come off and *ta-da* I am naked!"

* At bedtime, Nixon says to me "Mommy, why do you call me your baby boy?"
me: "Because you are my baby boy."
Nixon: "Really?"
me: "Yep. And one day, when your older and all grown up, you'll probably have your own boy or girl and they'll be your baby boy or baby girl. Even then you will still be my baby boy."
Nixon: "Can you sing me my baby song? It's my favorite song."
And sing it I did.

When your child asks you to sing a song you made up just for them, you sing it...every time. 

I might be raising a nudist...oh well.

* I adore Nixon and his odd ways. Today, he decided it was a good day to be naked. Who doesn't get tired of clothes now and then?!? Maybe I'm doing this whole parenting thing wrong, but if we've got nothing going on, and the door & curtains are closed, I let him go naked for a while. Sometimes, letting him spend a few minutes naked, makes it easier to get him dressed.

* Nixon made scrambled eggs by himself! Well, he scrambled the eggs all by himself, then asked me to cook them because he's still nervous around the stove. And at only 4 years old I think it's a healthy fear to have.

He does have to wear clothes to bed...you know, in the event of a fire or something like that, we always wear clothes to bed...

A return visit from Captain Obvious

* Out running errands today, it started wet sloppy snowing. Nixon's seen snow and played in it but hasn't ever been outside in it while it was snowing heavily. I took him to the car while Mac paid for our items and it was pretty ugly outside. Nixon was all disgusted as I was buckling him in his carseat telling me "Mommy, this snow is getting me all wet and cold. It's not pretty at all!" I laughed and told him "I know baby, sometimes snow is just a big mess." He says "Crap on a stick mom, it's getting my chips wet. This is not fun at all."
  Guess he's as over snow as I am. haha Well, I grew up outside of Buffalo, New York and spent 20 plus winters there, he's in his first winter. I think he'll get over it and love it again next time it's not ruining the bag of chips he was enjoying :) He gets that from his daddy.

this was right before I had to "wrestle" with my sleeping child, to keep his fingers out of his mouth! It's a helluva struggle to break him of this habit and he's terrible at it in his sleep. I won, tonight, this one round...it's a small victory, but one I'm quite proud of!

"I need back-up please Mommy"

* Nixon says some really off-the-wall things, but tonight's phrase kind of took the cake! While getting undressed for his shower, he had a hard time getting his arm out of his shirt. Instead of just asking for help he says "I need back-up Mommy". I look at him and he says "I need back-up, it's like help but I need it now!"

* Nixon sang "Twinkle, Twinkle little star" at bedtime for Mac and I tonight. He doesn't get all the words right, but he sounds adorable and I love hearing him sing!

crazy, cute and funny?!? Yep, he's all mine! 

telling the doctor how it is!

*4-year well child check up: 42.5 inches tall and 38 pounds. Our boy is growing strong!

*Nixon told the doctor "Mommy says I have to keep my undies up so no one can look at my peenie"

* 4 shots and Nixon cried less than 10 seconds! What a champ! 

out of the mouth of my babe...what will he say tomorrow?

Only my kid could see chocolate chips as cookie clothing

* Nixon was eating chocolate chip cookies, when he found one without any chips:
Nixon: Oh no! It's missing all it's chocolate!
me: It is?? It's a naked cookie?
Nixon: *quickly covers the cookie* Don't look at it, it's nakey!
Nixon: *finds one with a lot of chocolate chips* Look the cookie is wearing a pretty dress!

* "You are so super strong mom. You can carry Arwen" (she's my 9.5-10 pound cat)

* Nixon knows I need my glasses to see distances. I keep them on top of my head most times. When he's supposed to be cleaning up his toys, he sits down beside and says "I'm done". I find that hard to believe. "Can I put my glasses on?" He says "Yes, but don't look over there", as he points to where none of his toys have been picked up.

*Please, just fall asleep....mommy has a date with a bag of popcorn and Arrow on dvr!

finally picked a bed and fell asleep...not his bed, but a desperate mommy can't be picky. Until tomorrow...goodnight! 

"That's a lotta poop?"

*While I was making our breakfast, Nixon comes in with the broom. I asked him what he was doing and he says "Mommy, its germy in here! I need to clean the germ because youse too busy."

* Nixon was walking around in his undies (good gods, someday he's going to be really pissed about this blog!) when I saw that he had put them on backwards.
me: Nixon, your undies are on backwards.
Nixon: They are?!?!
me: You didn't notice? Aren't they uncomfortable?
Nixon: Yeah.
me: So turn them around!
Nixon: But they keep my butt warm....
Once again I'm awed by his logic.


* Nixon, sitting next to me on the sofa with his 2 teddy bears. I hear him talking, playing with his teddy bears "you need to touch your toes", I turn and look at him and he's got BeBe touching her toes and Giant BeBe looking at her butt. He then says "That's a lotta poop in there."

fell asleep on his book....so cute!