Vacuum!

Ok- Ryan is TERRIFIED of the vacuum. He has never liked it. He cries hysterically when it's on - and is scared to the point where his whole body shakes. I often leave it out so that he can get used to seeing it- but even seeing it makes him very nervous and then all he talks about is the vacuum. He goes up to it and pets it saying "nice vacuum"- but you can tell he's very nervous. Even if he's in the basement, playing with daddy, and I am vacuuming upstairs- he gets very nervous and constantly talks about mommy & the vacuum. I have to check in every so often so that he can see that I'm alright. He's even afraid of the dust-buster (or whatever you call those things). Yesterday- at a mother's group get together- he was playing very nicely in the playroom with the other kids (they have babysitters)- and I was enjoying some adult conversation. Toward the end of the get together- one of the ladies brings Ryan out crying and shaking. She said that they just brought out the vacuum- but hadn't even plugged it in yet- and he totally freaked out. I don't know how to get him past this. We have 3 cats and a dog- so we HAVE to vacuum.

I've tried: 
Leaving the vacuum out so he can get used to it 
Holding him while I vacuum 
Putting him in a safe place where he can watch me vacuum 
We've watched vacuuming videos on youtube (he thinks those are funny- weirdo!) 
We got him a play vacuum (which he loves) 

I have no idea what else we can try.  I feel bad for his future spouse :)

The Man Rules

I must preface this by saying that I have a wonderful husband who really does a lot for our family.  He is very caring and always shows us love.  However, there are times when all women, including myself, need to vent about their husbands (hence my previous 'Man Eyes' post)  :)  I was sent the following in an email- and I found it funny.  No matter how fabulous your husband is- he is still a man- so he has no choice but to live by 'The Man Rules' - it's genetically ingrained.

The Man Rules  
At last- a guy has taken the time to write this all down    
Finally , the guys' side of the story.  These are our rules!
Please note.. these are all numbered "1 " ON PURPOSE!  

1.   Men are NOT mind readers.

1. Crying is blackmail.

1. Ask for what you want.  Let us be clear on this one: 
Subtle hints do not work!

Strong hints do not work!
Obvious hints do not work! 
Just say it!

1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.

1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.

1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become Null and void after 7 Days. 

1. If you think you're fat, you probably are.  Don't ask us.

1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one 

1. You can either ask us to do something.....Or tell us how you want it done.  Not both. If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.

1. Whenever possible, Please say whatever you have to say during commercials.. 

1. Christopher Columbus did NOT need directions and neither do we.

1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings.  Peach, for example, is a fruit, not A color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.

1. If it itches, it will be scratched.  We do that.

1. If we ask what is wrong and you say "nothing," We will act like nothing's wrong.   We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle. 

1. If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, Expect an answer you don't want to hear.

1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine... Really . 

1. You have enough clothes.

1. You have too many shoes.

1. I am in shape. Round IS a shape!

1. Thank you for reading this.

Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight;  But did you know men really don't mind that? It's like camping. 

Man Eyes!

Ok- I need to vent for a minute.  Why can't men see the same things women can see?  Why can they never find things that are right in front of them?  Maybe because they don't move things ('if it's not on the surface, then it's just not here') or care to take more than 10 seconds to look in any one place- or maybe the Y chromosome causes them to really see the world differently.  I guess we'll never know- but I know all you women know EXACTLY what I'm talking about!  What am I going to do with 3 sets of Man Eyes in this house?  What will life be like in 15-16 years when I have two teenage boys and a 40-something year old husband?  Ooh- I shudder just thinking about it.  It may almost be worth it to quit my occupational therapy job and start researching this phenomenon now for a cure .  It may make life with all these boys easier in the long run :)  And think of how much money I could make and all the respect and admiration I'd receive from women all over the world!  Hmmm- something to think about.  

At the moment, Ryan "my little man in the making", is desperately trying to get my attention.  Maybe he will help me to get started on that research.......

Almost 18 months??? Really?

Since Ryan was born, the days and weeks have just flown by.  I can hardly believe he will be 18 months old in just a couple of weeks.  I always used to look at 18 months as a magical number for some reason.  It was almost like a turning point, in my mind, that once Ryan got to be 18 months old- he would all of a sudden be more of a kid than a baby.  Somehow I thought that 18 months would be easier than "baby".  In reality- it's the same amount of "hard", it's just different.  Babies are very demanding - but toddlers can totally wear you out!  Will it get easier as they get even older?  I doubt it.  We are lucky that Ryan is such a good, happy kid.  Sure, he is super, duper active and has his naughty moments - but for the most part he is a really great, and really smart kid.  We had no idea, the day he was born, what his little personality would be, and how much love, pride, and enjoyment he would bring us.

But- I think I had a lot of difficulty adjusting to motherhood in the beginning.  The sleep deprivation sucked, I had a love/hate relationship with nursing- I loved my baby more than anything in the world, but let's be honest, he was just a blob for the first couple of months.  Of course he was a blob of cuteness- but a blob, nonetheless.  Yeah- I'm not a huge fan of the whole newborn/baby thing. 

So, why am I preggo and doing it all over again?  Because it's amazing to watch your child grow and develop their own little personality.  Because loving your own child is like no other love you have ever known before.  Because giving your child a sibling could be the best gift you ever give him (hopefully!).  I know it all sounds cliche- but it's really all true.  Nothing in the world could ever amaze you more than a wonderful little being that you helped bring into the world.  And then to watch them grow into an actual little person (rather than the blob I mentioned earlier) is just a crazy, wonderful experience.  

Also cliche- but as much as you don't think you will, you WILL become your mother.  I have a whole new respect for my mom.  I understand, now, decisions that she and my dad made when I was younger.  And I understand better the amazing love they have for me and my brother.  I just hope that I turn out to be half as great a mom as my own has been (and still is).  I hope I can raise my children as well as I think Chris and I were raised.  

Can I blog too?

So- it's only a couple of weeks into the new year and I figured I would give this Blog thing a try.  I've always wanted to start one- but then I could never figure out what I would talk about or who would ever care to read it.  But I figure that this blog will be more for me than anyone else.  And although my life as a "mostly" stay-at-home-mom will probably seem boring to most, I want a way to document our normal daily events- to remember what life was like in my late 20s, with only 1 small child (and 1 on the way).

I'm hoping to get the hang of this pretty quickly- but please just bear with me!