And Who Do We Have to Blame For This?

Stuff my kids have said that either made me want to hide under a rock or give them a great big bear hug:

1.) My mother-in-law and sister-in-law had Josh and Jess with them for the day. The kids were about six and five, as it was before Jo was born. They were in the backseat of the car while my sister-in-law was driving through town. My mother-in-law was lamenting about how she would like to lose weight. She talked about what she planned to do and what her goals were. She confided to her daughter that if she lost the weight in her stomach area, she would be happy. From the back seat, Josh and Jess were silently listening in on the conversation. At that point, Josh turned to Jess and whispered: (not quietly enough) "If you ask me, she could stand to lose a little of that butt, too!" Both women laughed all the way home. They couldn't wait to call me and tell me what was said. I am so glad that my mother-in-law has a great sense of humor!

2.) I had just discovered I was pregnant with Jo, my third child. I hadn't told many people yet. I was going to hold off telling my grandmother, even, because I wasn't sure she'd be excited. Though she had three boys of her own, then adopted my brother and I, she thought that since I had a boy and a girl already, I should consider my family complete. She could be quite stubborn and opinionated at times. So, when I told Josh and Jess the news that they were going to have a baby brother, I cautioned them not to say anything about it to their grandma. I told them I wanted to keep it a secret, and they seemed to understand. Josh was almost seven and Jess was 4 1/2, and they appeared to grasp the concept of what I was asking of them. I figured I'd wait for a few months to break the news gently.

So, on the next visit to Grandma's after the talk, we were all sitting around the table eating, and everything was going fine. Out of nowhere, Jess pipes up. "Grandma!" she announced, "We're not allowed to tell you something." I decided that nudging Jess under the table might encourage her to drop the subject. Offended, she glared my way. "Mom!" she exclaimed, "Why are you kicking me under the table?!??"

Plans were changed and I broke the news right then. To my surprise, my grandmother was very supportive and excited for us. Maybe my kids knew something I didn't.

3.) Finally, one from my baby's perspective. We took a trip to Boston to visit my friend and we had a great time. We went to the Boston aquarium, watched street performers, enjoyed the sights, had great food, stopped in several different states. Jo was just a month away from turning four at the time we went on this trip.

The only snafoo we experienced on this trip was that we got really bad directions going up. A local AAA gave us directions which turned out to be the scenic route. Not only did the trip take us four hours longer than we had planned, but it took us directly through New York City traffic. It was just a month after September 11th, and the whole ordeal made us both very nervous. Rob did the driving, and at one point we were in standstill gridlock for more than two hours. By the time we got to my friend's house, Rob was totally uptight. My friend kept calling to see where we were, and I had no idea how much longer we'd be on the road. During the 2 mile-an- hour traffic, I thought he was going to get out of the van and run screaming down the highway. I had never seen him so tense.

So when we walked in the door, my sympathetic friend offered Rob a beer. To my surprise, he said yes and drank the beer right away. I don't think Rob had drank a single alcoholic beverage in eight years. I know the kids had never seen him drink any alcohol. It wasn't that he was so dead set against having an occasional drink, it's just drinking wasn't his thing. However, the beer helped to relax his frayed nerves, and we ended up having a lovely visit.

Later, when we came back home, our friends and relatives were interested in how our trip went. This was Jo's first big trip out of state, so everyone wanted to know what he thought of such an adventure. From the first person to the last that asked, "What did you see on your trip to Boston?" Jo's reply was "Daddy had a beer." I couldn't believe it! The only significant thing my baby took away from the whole experience was "Daddy had a beer." Well, that, and he insisted on bringing home my friend's dog's stuffed monkey. He refused to part with it. Kids!

Hope you're having a great week.

More later.

P.S. In case you're wondering, about who do we have to blame for this? Ya gotta blame the parents. :)