When The Universe Throws A Curve Ball

Yesterday, May 13, was our 6-year wedding anniversary.  Sean and I got married at the Atlantis Resort in Paradise Island (the Bahamas).  Would have loved to have been there to celebrate, but just like birthdays, the older you get and the more time you spend with each other, anniversaries become just another day.

It started out with me waking up at 3am and working in my office, a kiss from Sean on the cheek as he made his way to work at 5am, Caleb up by 6 and getting him ready for the day (breakfast and a bath).  Had an 8:30am meeting that lasted until 9:30ish and when my meeting left, she cracked the front door just slightly that Diesel, our 3-yr old boxer, made a run for it.  Late for my meeting that started at 9:45 down the street at The Coffee Shop, I now had one more task to do…chase the dog.  Caleb and I jumped in the truck for a 10-minute drive around the community stopping at each street looking for D.  No sign of him.  I was finally ready to throw my hands in the air and let someone else find him for me when I headed home to grab my purse and Caleb’s diaper bag when who did I find?  Diesel at the top of the stairs smiling at me.  Well, least he knows where home is.

Headed to my meeting with Marcy at Grobal by 10am.  Already 15 minutes late and sweaty.  She also has kids so she understood, thank God. Bought Caleb a “party punch” (half lemonade and half koolaid) and a scone he didn’t eat, ran around the restaurant trying to chase him, then out to run errands to Kohls, the bank and the post office where Caleb finally fell asleep in his car seat.  Headed home to get caught up on email and projects.   

Sean got home and we decided to head out for an anniversary dinner to the Outback…with Caleb.  Nothing special planned, just two cards we exchanged that we I’m sure bought that day for each other and a nice family dinner.   So was it a nice family dinner?  Ask Caleb.   

 Had to give him a dum dum lollipop to calm him down for not eating his dinner and jumping out of his high chair and throwing sugar packets on the ground.  Definitely not my parenting choice to give him candy for misbehaving, but what choice do you have when the whole restaurant’s staring at you and you’ve just paid big money for a steak and crab dinner???  Put him in time-out when he got home for misbehaving in a very public place.

Yep, this was our special anniversary…with kid in tow.   

Our 6-year wedding anniversary ended at 7:30pm with me and Sean wishing each other a happy anniversary and passing out early from pure exhaustion.  Hmm, wonder what our 7-year will be like???  Well, one thing’s for sure.  Life’s never ever boring!  Always such an adventure.

In March, Sean and I made the decision to bring Caleb to an in-home childcare.  He needed a bit of social interaction, and I needed more hours in the day.   I was given a referral by my good friend Shelley to meet with her provider, Marina.  As soon as I met Marina, I knew she’d be good for Caleb.  She believed in the “no TV policy”, fed the kids at least six times a day, played with them to their heart’s content, and she gave us a report card every day, scribbled in marker and stickers, on Caleb’s activities, what food he ate, how many times she changed his diaper, etc.  She was perfect.  I honestly don’t know anyone that goes to that much trouble to document how many dirty diapers my son has, but it’s cute and I look forward to reading them.  I keep all of his report cards tucked away in my Caleb file.

Caleb started his first day of childcare on St. Patty’s Day (March 17, 2010), and has continued to go every Monday and Wednesday.  Every day, I battled with leaving him there.  As soon as I did the “hand-off” to Marina, I could hear Caleb scream his head off as I walked away, got in my car and drove off.  I prayed that he didn’t do that for too long once I left, and eventually the crying subsided to just a minute or two as he watched me leave.

And then, today hit.  I was already running a few minutes late to a meeting when I got to Marina’s, said hi, signed in and proceeded with the “hand-off.”  Usually when I do this, Marina takes Caleb outside right away to distract him, but today, there was no need for that!  My little boy is growing up!  He went to Marina willingly, never cried once and even blew me a kiss goodbye at the window!  What a huge step!

Moms, I know it gets emotional when your kiddo is finally gaining a little bit of independence, I know I did, but to see this in about a month’s time with an almost two-year old was like witnessing a miracle!!!  I could not be happier.  Okay, I say that now, but my next post will probably read “Why doesn’t my baby want me around anymore?”  Better watch what I say, but for now, I’m extremely proud of Caleb and the independence he’s gained.

Throughout the last year, I’ve written numerous posts about business, events, and life.  Rather than transfer each post one by one and copying the comments that go along with it, I figure most folks will just read the most up to date.  Plus, who has the time to copy and paste each post one by one?  Not me.

If you’d like to read past blog posts, please visit www.simplyputmarketing.wordpress.com and/or www.mommymarketeer.wordpress.com and feel free to leave comments there.  From now on, I will add directly to my site Tisha Marie Pelletier any new marketing, event planning or mommyhoood posts.  Hope you’ll keep reading.

Thanks for understanding!  When you’re a mom and an entrepreneur, time is definitely of the essence.

A look-alike of my engagement ring from Sean.

Today was a definite whirlwind of emotions.  In fact, the whole weekend has been.  I felt sick just thinking about it and how it all played out in the blink of an eye.  It started last Friday at approximately 3:30am when I was up way before my time getting ready to start the day.  Had a full-day seminar to attend and needed to be out of the house by 6:30am to drop Caleb off at my dad’s.  At 3:30am, most of us aren’t even functioning when we jump in the shower to wake up.  I was in Caleb’s bathroom behind the pastel, froggy shower curtain shampooing my hair when suddenly Caleb, who should have been fast asleep, opened the curtain slightly and threw something in with me.  Clink, clink.  With shampoo in my hair now getting in my eyes, I looked to see what he had thrown.  My earring that I had left on the sink counter was now sitting in the bathtub.  But what else did he throw?  I washed the shampoo out of my hair, looked to the sink where I found one earring, my wedding ring and NO engagement ring.  Caleb threw my engagement ring, a ring that Sean bought me in the Bahamas seven years ago that was worth much more than my earrings and wedding ring combined, down the drain.   Just clink, clink and it was gone.  Washed away with the water falling from the shower.

I turned off the shower in an instant, but couldn’t see the ring.  I yelled for Sean who informed me it was a goner.  Caleb came up to me after I had gotten out smiling and trying to hold my hand.  He didn’t know.  He’s 18 months.  So who’s to blame here?  Well, ask anyone and they’ll say me.  Yeah, because at 3:30am when the house is fast asleep, I figure my child is going to come into the bathroom and throw things at me in the shower, especially my jewelry.  What’s a mom to do?  I told Caleb I couldn’t look at him that moment and went in my closet and cried as I’m sure any woman would do when they have something so valuable taken from them.

Throughout the weekend I felt sick.  I could only imagine the mice and rats having a field day with my ring in the sewer.  Yuck.

I was not about to give up hope though.  I made sure no one else turned on the tub for fear my ring may wash away.  I was told that there might be a P-trap so called the builder the next Monday.  Sure enough, there was a P-trap and in it was my ring holding on for dear life.  The builder wasn’t able to get it out just be removing the drain so the plumber had cut the drywall and the pipe and fish it out blindly.  He told me that it would take an act of God to get my ring.  Within 20 minutes, my ring emerged and I was one happy girl.

While writing my check to the plumber, he told me he has never had a ring fall down a shower drain.  Sink, maybe, but never a shower drain.  I would be his first.  He said he’d never forget me and I said “likewise.”  This was a memory going down in history.  In the copy of the check memo to the plumber, I wrote “the day Caleb threw my engagement ring down the drain” to show Caleb of what he did when he was 18 months old.

So has mommy learned a lesson?  You bet.  A $90 one.

I knew it would happen one day and today was the day. Well, actually last Thursday, but I didn’t want to believe it yet. My one-year old Caleb was with his grandpa (my dad) when he managed to get out of his crib. My dad put him in the pack-and-play, went downstairs to get him some milk, and next thing he knew, he heard footsteps prancing around upstairs. Sure enough, Caleb had escaped from his crib and was now running around like a man who had just been released from the big house! If that weren’t enough, my dad put Caleb back in the crib and watched him as Caleb demonstrated just how he did it lifting his leg over the side. Clever lil’ guy.

Seeing as how his crib in his room is a little bigger (and taller) than a pack-and-play, I figured he’d be secure there today. Boy, was I wrong. After putting him in there, then grabbing a load of laundry to throw in the washer, I was quite surprised to find Caleb had gotten out and was now watching me from the top of the stairs smiling. So smart.
Being a mom entrepreneur, it’s sometimes a nice to have that very much needed break when you know he is perfectly content playing in his crib – almost like I have just a tiny bit of freedom to do things around the house or jump on the laptop and respond to email for a bit. Nope, not anymore. Caleb is my little mischievous handful and will need constant supervision these days.

While I’ll miss the crib dearly already, I know he’s growing up and we’re entering yet another exciting chapter in our lives. He’s no longer a baby, but my little man.

Moms, if you have any suggestions, would love to hear it! Toddler bed, here we come.