Matty is One!

Our morning breakfast (entirely too early, ahem), and "Matty" playing with his new toy from Pops and Didi.







Happy birthday Matty! You are just an amazing dude. I will write more thoughtful and heartfelt things when I didn't wake up 4 times last night.... wink.

The Best Photos of the Party

Happy Birthday Matty! We love you so much.

More Photos of the Party

Matty's Birthday Party!

We had a big old party here yesterday for the 5 March birthday boys (Matty, Raiss, Cooper, Connor and Shane) and one girl (Ava). With a bounce house!!! One of the dads is a pro photographer, so many more pictures to come - but here are a few to tide you over!

Look at Matty's shirt - the cutest - Tara made little shirts for all of the kids that had their age on a little fireman's hat. Matty had his very own cake - and it matched.






Danny couldn't wait. The perks of being a big brother.




Matty found it all quite delicious. (The bruise over his eye was from falling down the concrete stairs last week. Ahem.)



And then the aftermath...exhaustion, more cake, and chicken legs with Daddy.

Some Choice Quotes

During the insane crazy jam after opening the package from Great Aunt Susan today, where it was just chaos and mess and eating Toy Story bandaids and total joy and amazing happiness -

Danny: "I'm Thing 1, and Matty's Thing 2!"

(NB: This was totally un-coached, and if you haven't read Dr. Seuss lately, you won't understand this at all.)

Then, in counting the markers from the beautiful rainbow of markers sent in said package:

Danny: "One, Two, Free, Two, One, Eleventeen..."

Eleventeen. I think that's how old I am, right?

Living Sisters - How Are You Doing

staring a 10-day old Matt Butler.



because the image is cut off, here's the (link to video)

Quite a Night(mare)

So if there ever was any doubt that little humans under 3 years old have incredibly rich and active subconsciouses, let me put that to rest: they do.

Danny's been having terrible nightmares lately once or twice a week. He wakes up sobbing, just bereft. It's pretty sad. He's been able to reference a little bit of what's going on - sometimes it's a "shark" or something outside.

Last night was one of those nights, but we've graduated to real nightmares here. He woke up sometime in the middle of the night, maybe 3am, bawling his eyes out. David went in, since Matty was already up nursing (yes, it's a non-stop party every night at our place). Matty wasn't tired, so I carried him out and we went into Danny's room to make sure he was OK.

When we went in, they both seemed very relieved to see me. David says, "Here she is."

And Danny seems genuinely upset with me, in a strangely mature way. And you'll quickly see why.

"You flushed Lamby (his most prized stuffed animal) down the toilet! You flushed my toys down the toilet! And you laughed! Why did you do that?" he nearly yells.

GULP!

The poor kid was understandably furious and horribly confused. I have a hard enough time separating dreams from reality at times - try explaining to a toddler that dreams aren't real, although they seem real, and his feelings are real, but I would never, ever do that in real life...?? And I can understand he might feel mad at me, but it didn't really happen, and it never would?? Jeez!

We cuddled for a very long time last night, needless to say. He kept reliving it and reliving it. I've tried to explain consideration for the environment and water conservation by telling him that the little fish named Nemo (from FINDING NEMO) eats what goes down the drain, or whatever water we use in the yard (to avoid tons of paint getting dumped in the yard). Well, after I flushed them, apparently Nemo started eating Lamby and Froggy too (Lamby's best friend) in the dream. Good Lord!!

So I'd repeat for the 100th time that I would never, ever flush his toys down the toilet, and Danny would settle down a bit, relieved.

And then he'd sit straight up in bed and look at me and say, "Why would you do that? Why did you flush them down the toilet?? I am... NOT HAPPY! I am SAD!"

Eventually he was able to go to bed, but woke up a bit later again. And he's been talking about it all day. Saying to me, "You can NEVER, EVER flush my toys down the toilet!"

Boy I'm not quite sure what to make of this, but it sure is fascinating and powerful to behold. I wonder if this is somehow surrounding potty training, as apparently nightmares come around major developmental leaps, and this is one that we've been circling for a while. And there is a thematic connection, obviously, with things getting flushed down the toilet.

Or maybe it's sibling rivalry stuff, which has been pretty present lately too.

Who knows for sure. but, as I've said, jeez, poor guy!! I guess we have a real thinking feeling human being on our hands here.