Slut

That got your attention, didn't it? Thankfully, I am not referring to anyone I know of the human variety. It is the pug of which I speak. Yes, Puggie Smalls, the Notoriuos P.U.G is also a notorious whore, for belly rubs in particular, but she will take any pats anywhere from anyone. This was reinforced several times yesterday. My sister came over to see the girls (and me, but I am realistic enough to realize she wanted to play with her nieces more). The poor girl could not go anywhere without the pug falling at her feet exposing her belly. You would think that with four people in the house the dog would get enough. Heck, even Angela at 18 months knows how to rub the dog's stomach (pretty gently too I might add). But that silly dog is never satisfied. There she always wants more. I wonder if they have doggie support groups for this affliction.


Even after my sister left, the dog was striving to capture our attention and center it on her belly. After dinner on Friday nights, the girls and I (poor John has been travelling nonstop for work) cuddle together in the playroom and watch some kind of animated movie. Last night, as we were enjoying Toy Story, I noticed that the pug had somehow figured out a way to lie down and have contact with all three of us. After I put Angela to bed, the pug was able to really hone in on the two of us. I have to admit that my heart kind of melted when she rested her head on Alice and used her as a pillow. Alice looked at me and said, "Mommy, Puggie is tired." I agreed and Alice proceeded to get the dog a blanket and a stuffed animal companion. The pug's snores filled the room. Maybe the life of a slut is not too bad after all.

Quirks

As I watch my offspring go about their day, I often feel like Jane Goodall studying gorillas. Their behavior is heartwarming, frustrating, and baffling. For instance, I always know when Alice is tired because she starts stroking her hair. She has done this since infancy (only then it was my hair as she did not have enough of her own). Yes, my hair was her "transitional object" as the experts have dubbed it. Sometimes it was annoying; but, I have to admit, there were perks to her love of my hair. I always had it with me was the major one. How many times have I seen a distressed parent in search of a missing (fill in the blank)? Another Alice quirk is her tendency to walk on her toes when she is happy. It reminds me of a dog wagging her tail. If she is not on her toes, I know to be on mine and step warily.

 

Perhaps, because Alice is older, her foibles make much more sense to me. I have had longer to study them. Right now, Angela has me completely baffled with her love of onions, more particularly, her need to place them throughout the house. I find them everywhere- the playroom, the bathroom, on my favorite chair. Once I found one with teeth marks in it. Boy, would I have loved to have seen her face after that taste. I know I could move my root vegetable drawer, but that is not the issue. Yes, I have a drawer solely for root veggies. My husband chalks it up to my Irish heritage. I need to figure out her purpose here. If it were garlic, I would figure she was protecting us from vampires, but I am unsure if onions offer any protection against the undead. Any thoughts?

 

Why I Need Caffeine…

I am not one of those people who don't "do" mornings. Morning is fine, especially now that Alice has evolved out of her need to wake up at 5 a.m. I do, however, require a jump start with some caffeine. My physical and cognitive abilities are simply not at their peak without a little stimulus. Even when I was pregnant, I could not give up my cup of "real" tea in the morning. I could easily drink decaffeinated the rest of the day, but I needed that initial caffeine burst. I figured that any injury I sustained due to impaired functioning would be worse for my unborn child than the little buzz she would get in utero.


This need was especially apparent this morning. Angela is teething and was up around one needing some pain relief. By the time I got her settled down, I was wide awake with busy head. I finally settled down after two, so I was a little more sluggish than usual this morning. I got the kids their breakfast and had them settled at the table while I organized mine. My anally on time self was getting irritated by Alice who instead of diving into her breakfast was teasing her sister. Why couldn't she just eat her waffle and leave her sister alone? Needless to say, I reprimanded her; however, it did not come out right. I meant to say, "Alice, eat your breakfast and stop annoying your sister." Unfortunately, because I had not even sipped my tea, my admonishment came out as, "Alice, eat your sister!"


Alice stopped what she was doing and looked up at me quizzically. She replied, "But, Mommy, then I would not have baby Angela anymore, and that would make me cranky."


And now we see why I need caffeine. Apparently, I become so addled without it that I promote cannibalism in place of Eggo's.

A Harsh Winter???

Little pieces of folk wisdom hit me at odd moments. In particular the change of season seems to be loaded with these pearls of wisdom (?). I often hear people commenting on the large amount of acorns on the ground and how the squirrels' coats seem especially thick. These are apparently indicative of very cold weather ahead. All this came to mind yesterday at the park. My sister and her husband were playing with Alice leaving me to concentrate solely on Angela, who quickly became a little bit bored on the playground. She had a go on all the park equipment I would allow her on, so I broke out the soccer ball. I thought she might enjoy a game on the field adjoining the playground. She liked it, but all the curious things around her soon became much more appealing. Our soccer game turned into a little nature walk.

I followed my bow-legged wonder as she chased leaves and just enjoyed the large expanse of lawn. Soon she discovered a walking path that was littered with acorns. For some reason, she was totally fascinated with them. Of course, this is also the child who is obsessed with vacuum cleaners. It is nice not having to expend too much time, energy or money to keep her happy. Anyhow, she quickly started to amass quite a collection of them. She darted back and forth from her gathering site to the picnic tables nearby where she carefully placed them on the table. As I followed her back and forth, I began to wonder: Is a toddler hording acorns a sign of a bitter winter? If so get your woolies organized. We are in for some rough weather.