Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Death, Milestones, and Wrestling... Just Another Day, Here.

The past few days have been an utter whirlwind. Milestones have been met, had to bury a beloved family member, had relatives over…whew.

First, we had to bury my husband’s grandfather. I loved that man. He was from Cajun country and still carried his accent. The moment he found out that I loved to cook, it was an instant bond. He had a great sense of humor. But his pride and joy was his family and every holiday spent with him, he considered a blessing. The holidays just aren’t going to be the same without him.

As much as it sucks for the reason, I was able to see my husband's extended family that I don't get to see very often. I love his family. Their crazy meshes well with mine. It's like I've known them all my life. I was just "meant" to be a part of that family. I also got to meet family members I never have before. And much like the rest of his family, I felt an instant kinship. It made me wish we weren't so spread out. It would make the holidays that much more special, for me.

Family means a lot to me. It was something that was drummed into me as a child. My mother would tell me "Without family, you don't have much." We may be a bucket of crazy in a sandbox of weird, but we're all close and stick together.

So…milestones. Yeah, we had a few. Monkey was able to run through the grass without complaining. Usually, it’s me setting him down on the ground with him, minutes later, running up to me to pick him up. This time, he just played with the grass, his siblings, and was very relaxed outside. Aside from his aversion to the grass, he also is auditory defensive. Outside really kicks up the anxiety for him so when I see him enjoying himself, it’s a rare pleasure. May this be the first of many.

Pixie has been upping her vocabulary. She now sings “Elmo’s World”, among other things. Today, I had to keep her out of the kitchen while I was cutting up the watermelon. She’s such an inquisitive creature, but I was afraid she’d grab at the wrong time and it’d be a trip to the ER to mend whatever wound her curiosity brought on.

So, I took pipe cleaners and used them to keep the gate to the kitchen closed. She looked at me and asked “What’s that?”

I know I’m probably going to get a few head nods…but when your mostly non verbal child comes out with appropriate speech, sometimes it takes a few moments to register “Did that really just happen?” I blinked for a few moments, processing the new sentence she gave me.

I swear, she must think I’m a dolt. Every time she lays out a new phrase or sentence, it takes me a bit to respond.

“Uh… it’s pipe cleaners, Sugar Pop. It’s to keep the gate closed so that you don’t get in the kitchen while Mommy cuts up the watermelon.”

That answer seemed to suffice her, until the makeshift device was placed on the bars. Pixie LOVES puzzles and spends great lengths trying to figure out how things work. I knew this was going to be an uphill battle to keep her hands off of it. For one, it’s soft and fuzzy – one of the things she is drawn to – and another, it’s something for her to figure out.

It took a few stern “No touch!” statements from me and having to walk over the gate to sit her down when she became fixated again.

My grandmother walked into the kitchen and we talked for a few moments. I don’t know how she did it… Pixie managed to get in. It was her way of saying “You can’t keep me out.”

Most parents have to prepare their kids for the world. Not me. I have to prepare the world for my kids…and world, Princess Sugar Pop Prettyfeet, Pixie of the Wild Frontier…she will take the world by storm. You read it here first, folks.

Peanut starts Kindergarten this year. Finally, my NT will start putting his mark on the world. I felt so bad… he was confused as to why his brother and sister were younger and they started school first.

I told him, “I know it happened backwards, sweetheart, but your brother and sister need a little help to get them where you’re going to be.” Whether he understood or not, is another matter. I suspect he did…he’s a bright kid.

And lastly… Pixie got a surprise today. My brother (I will call him Uncle Kryimm on here) is a professional wrestler for an independent circuit, near where I live. I am a VERY proud sister and always thought it was awesome that my brother is a celebrity. Bias aside, they are amazing to watch and I am always entertained when I get to review a match.

Anyway… Uncle Kryimm is part of a tag team and has a manager. They were on the local news station and I had put their news clip on the big screen TV for Peanut to see. (He’s very proud of his uncle, too, and thinks “It’s super cool” that his uncle is a wrestler.)

So, this link (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gt_1x-PVvKg&feature=youtube_gdata_player) was put on the TV and Pixie comes running down the hall just in time to see Uncle Kryimm wrestling in the ring. She. Flipped. Out. (The good kind.) Flapping hands, jumping, giggling, and dancing galore.

If it’s “Pixie Approved”, you can bet it’s either worth a taste (if it’s got to do with food) or worth a look.
And now that it’s night time and my 3 ring circus has been put to sleep, I am off to put my feet up, eat some watermelon, and watch some mindless bad TV.

Your Southern Ringmaster,
MommaDe

No comments:

Post a Comment