Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Yippee!!

So, I blogged a while ago that Justice FINALLY says Mama but I was a little premature with that post. Sure, he would say Mama but only when upset. I was a little uncertain as to whether or not that was just his whine, "mamamamamamamama" or if he was calling me to save him.

Last night, however, we had a breakthrough! I don't know what happened but for the past weekend and into this week we've been really pushing my name with him. At my parent's house in Charlotte we went around the table. "Who's that Justice?" "Nonnie." "Who's that?" "Boppa." "Who's that?" "Da da." and "Who's that?"

crickets

So, at that point Marty started drilling him. "Who's that Justice," Marty would ask while he pointed at me. "DA DA," Justice would cheer. Last night something clicked and Marty asked again and the response was different. "Ma ma!" Again this morning we asked about 4 times and each time the answer was correct. I can't tell you how my mommy heart swelled. He's such a good boy but for a while there I thought he might think I was just an extension of himself or his daddy. Now I am my own person in his eyes!! Yippee!!

We'll see if this success continues or if I get relegated once again to being called Da Da.

Friday, September 26, 2008

The End of an Era

Turns out that RENT on Broadway ran it's last show on September 7 of this year. After 12 years on Broadway, it's gone and the Nederlander theater is actually being renovated or has been renovated to become home to Guys and Dolls. Yesterday, Marty was cruising the internet and found a site called The Hot Ticket which evidently shows Broadway musicals in theaters. That's how I found out all of this information. So, last night, we went and saw RENT at the Regal 24.

When we arrived we found out tickets were $20 dollars each instead of the regular price of $10. We hemmed and hawed. Did we really want to spend $40 on a show we had already seen twice and of which we also own the movie edition? Turns out we did.

First, the stage production is just so much better than the movie edition. These are the original songs and you really get the feel for the thing from the stage. This is the RENT with which I fell in love.

Second, the Broadway cast was just spectacular. Obviously because whoever was filming one of their last shows was able to get up close and personal with the cast. They were extra sentimental as anyone who has ever been in a show that becomes a part of you would know. A cast becomes like a family and saying goodbye to a show is like saying goodbye to family. There were tears from some of the actresses which were visible on-screen. Thus, there were tears for me.

Rent saw me through some times in my life. There are memories of when I was in the show Godspell and my cast members introduced me to this wonderful thing. We would stand around the piano during our breaks and sing some of the songs. We would use the songs as our sound checks on stage.

When Marty and I first started this thing called us, back when I simply put up with him, I can remember driving in a car with him from camp back to Atlanta. I started at the beginning of the musical just to see how far I could get before I didn't know the next line. I made it pretty far.

I was devastated when I found out he didn't really like the musical after seeing it the first time. WHAT?!? How could anyone not love this beautiful thing? The movie version made him a fan. Whatever.

Anyway, when I found out yesterday that RENT had closed its doors I was saddened. The lyrics from the songs seem to get stuck in your heart and your head and really begin to take on a life of their own. When we went to NY before Justice was born, 2 Christmases ago, we got to see it on Broadway. That was the realization of a dream, a goal. I'm upset that the next time I go, there will be no RENT signs or tickets on sale, no show for which to stand in line for the lottery. (well, there are other shows that do the lottery now but it's not the same).

I feel like a part of me has to say goodbye to a dear friend.

There's only us
There's only this
Forget regrets
Or life is yours to miss
No other path
No other way
No day but today

Monday, September 22, 2008

What a waste of a weekend

So, this weekend was all about getting our little, lovely house ready for an open house. I didn't think it would take much but to be quite honest it took a little more than I thought. We cleaned toilets and countertops and floors. We mowed the grass (well, Marty did that) and Dad Mikles, bless his generous, loving heart, bought and spread mulch into the flowerbeds to make the outside more attractive. WE EVEN PULLED THE GRASS AND WEEDS OUT OF THE CRACKS IN THE DRIVEWAY!!! I mean, she was gorgeous before but after Saturday she was hot to trot.

Sunday was the open house from 2 to 5 p.m. We showed up right at 2. Marty put out the signs. I baked brownies. No, they weren't from scratch but they were the Tollhouse kind that have a layer of lovely peanut butter in the middle. All of this for all of the passersby who wanted to take a tour.

2:30 - no visitors yet
3:00 - no visitors still
3:30 - more of the same (at this point I had to take a walk to talk myself down from the ledge)
4:00 - nope, not yet
4:30 - just 30 minutes left, please someone just come look!
5:00 - not one single soul

The worst part of all of it was that I gave up quality time with Justice to do all of this and it was for nothing. I have irrational fears now that my house will never sell and that I will have to be one of those people who lives with her in-laws (which isn't a bad thing, really it's not, in fact, I've gotten to do a lot of fun stuff because we live with them that I couldn't have done if we didn't - like learn tennis, but it's still not MY house if you get what I mean) for the rest of her life.

So, dear internet, I'd like to sell my house. I'm not picky who buys it. I don't even care what they to do her once I'm gone. I just want to start planning my future and I can't because here I sit waiting on a home to sell in a horrible ecomony!

Yay!

P.S. If you'd like to take a look at it, just click on the title of the post. It's linked to the mls page.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

A Public Apology

There are times in your life when you're embarrassed to admit something. This is one of those times.

I have caved. I have fallen victim to one of those mailings. Oh, you know what I'm talking about. It's one of those mail a copy of this letter to 100 people and then mail a dishtowel, book, recipe, apron, glove, rocketship to the person whose name is listed on the back of this letter so that everyone who used to think you were cool and with it will now despise you for the rest of eternity mailings. Usually I say to my family, "I WILL NOT participate" and they huff and say okay. I thought that by now they would stop including me in such mailings but as it turns out, I received one from an aunt last week. This time around I feel pressure. I have said no and been rude so many times that I can't do it again. So, I am now facing public ridicule and criticism because I am forcing my plight onto others.

I wanted to say now, before you receive your letter, that I am sorry and you don't have to do it. Honest, no pressure. I don't even think that the people to whom I'm mailing the letter read my blog but I just thought, in the off chance that they might, that I should get it out there and off my chest. This way, I don't have to tell my family one more time that I refuse.

Thanks, dear internet, for understanding.

Thursday, September 04, 2008

16 Months



We took Justice to the doctor last week for his 15 month check up a month late. That's right, he had his 15 month check up AFTER he turned 16 months old. We're not bad parents, the doctor cancelled his 15 month appointment we had scheduled on the day Justice turned 15 months old because HE (the doctor) was sick. So, in we go, dreading the visit but excited at the same time.

You see, we, like so many parents, believe our child is advanced. I think he knows more words than other children his age. I believe his motor skills, gross and fine, are much more highly developed than other children's. He is our prodigy child even if he is normal. We were excited to show him off to the people who could really be impressed. When the nurse asked if Justice knew his body parts, Marty asked Justice if he could show us his eyes. At that point Justice pointed to his nose. When the nurse asked if Justice was walking, Marty corrected her by saying Justice was running. When the nurse asked if Justice was eating table food, Marty made sure she knew he ate a packet of oatmeal every morning for breakfast. (Some of that might be an exaggeration but not much). I too, am proud of my son and his physical and verbal accomplishments. While I didn't try and get Justice to perform I realized it would have been futile. Justice has a certain finesse with which he accomplishes his tasks that other children lack and I know that a doctor or nurse definitely couldn't pick that up in the 30 seconds they spent in the room.

We were also excited to find out his stats. He is now 26 lbs 14 oz and 34 1/2 inches tall. He's as tall as a 2 year old. He is his daddy's child.

On the other hand, we knew there were shots coming and what that does to Justice. I hate watching my kid scream his head off because someone is poking his with a needle. What I wasn't anticipating was that Justice remembered this place. He knew that we were in the place where they poked him last time and he did not like it. He remembered and thought he'd let us know by screaming the entire time a doctor or nurse was in the room. Yep. That was fun. He did, however, find those fun red, white and green buttons to push which kept him occupied for the better part of an hour.

He's getting too big too fast. I say that all the time but it grieves my heart.

He spent the past two days in Thomasville with my mom, dad, brother, sister-in-law and niece. He had a blast riding Ella's tricycle and sliding down the slide into their kiddie pool. He ate at Ella's Dora the Explorer table in a big kid's chair last night. He had his first trip to Chuck E Cheese while there and I am not at all disappointed in the fact that he went without me.

I hope that trip will make up for the dr.'s visit.