My first Mother's Day

Lemme just say - I am spoiled! For obvious reasons, Mother's Day took on new meaning for me this year. Aside from the best present ever - being a Mom in the first place - I was showered with some lovely cards and gifts. On Friday, when I picked Matthew up at school, I was given a scrapbook page with two great pictures - check it out...

Then, on Saturday afternoon, I got a delivery of beautiful flowers. Since I hadn't showered yet, I asked Dennis to answer the door when the doorbell rang, expecting it to be one of the neighborhood kids selling something. Lo and behold, it was a delivery man with an arrangement from my two favorite guys. Look how pretty.....

Yesterday morning, I found these Cape Cod earrings on my pillow.....(they match the Cape Cod bracelet I got for Christmas two years ago)....

When we made our way downstairs after snuggling with Matthew for a while, I found two cards and yet another present on the coffee table - two new charms for my Pandora bracelet - our birthstones, to go with Matthew's which Dennis bought me when he was born.

We had a nice breakfast and then headed over to Nanna and Poppy's for lunch with the Egan family. Matthew gave his Nanna a keepsake book for her to fill out for him, detailing her favorite memories from her life, including some juicy tidbits about Daddy. I got even more presents there - a beautiful spring planter and a gift certificate to my favorite spa. I can't wait to go get a massage!

We then made a trip to the cemetery to visit my Mom. How I wished she could be here to meet our precious son. It made me realize more than ever how much I need to keep our family traditions alive - those things that shaped my life and still mean so much. Here's a shot of Matthew during our visit...

It's hard to believe how quickly we've gone from this....

to this....

Thanks, everyone, for an amazing Mother's Day. Love you.

It's our day!

Happy Mother's Day, Moms!!!

The bane of my existence

Here it is, folks. The thing that is driving me mad these days....

Those of you who live in the Northeast (or have lived here) will recognize this little puppy. It's a silver coin from Big Y, a chain of supermarkets in this area. Like most stores, Big Y has a card you can use to take advantage of special sale prices, all the while giving the store a complete record of the food and products your family uses. Small price to pay, I say, especially in these times of escalating prices for everything. Well, Big Y takes it a step further. There's a slot machine style game you can play on a touch screen at the register to try to win coins, which can be used for extra savings on specific items that change each week. For those of us not living in the Vegas area, where there are real slot machines in the supermarkets, this is the next best thing.

More often than not, you end up with a No Winner, but now and then you hit the jackpot. By jackpot, I mean you win a silver coin, the lowest possible prize. In God knows how many years of shopping at Big Y, I've won maybe five red or blue coins, and have never even seen a gold coin - I personally don't think they exist.

So, these coins get you pretty good savings - that is, when you remember to actually use them. I must have a dozen silver coins in my purse, and probably 20 more at home. As I shop, I'll pick things up, knowing that I can turn in some coins and save some coin. But do I do that? Well, no....because I'm too busy playing the stupid game trying to win more!! And to make matters worse, the Big Y in town has taken to giving out two surprise silver coins everytime you shop, whether you play the game or not. No wonder my purse weighs 10 pounds.

That's all for now.....I have to go drink some of the 128 oz jug of Tropicana Pure Premium No Pulp with Calcium orange juice that would have been $5.44 if I had used my coin...and I need to call Gamblers Anonymous.

Just venting.....

I've been trying to upload a video (of Matthew, of course) since Monday evening. Blogger is being incredibly temperamental, and keeps giving me an error message. It then displays a ridiculously long ID # and suggests you contact support at a link they provide. Clicking the link gets you nowhere but chasing your tail in a sea of FAQ's that tell you to follow the steps you've already followed.

Gee, thanks for the "support" - NOT!!!

The ole switcheroo...

Today we shook things up a bit. Dennis had to get an extra early start since he was teaching a Junior Achievement class to a group of 7th graders at a school in Springfield. Since the class began at 8:00 a.m., that meant he wouldn't be able to drop Matthew off at school. So, we switched roles today, me dropping off and Dennis picking up. Little did I know what I was in for....

Despite the disruption to our usual routine, we did quite well timing our morning preparations. Dennis left around 7:15, and Matthew and I headed out just before 8:00. Matthew was in a great mood, and stayed awake on the ride to school. Dennis has come to prefer the morning drop off when Matthew is awake, so I was happy he hadn't fallen asleep. He doesn't like envisioning him waking up wondering where he is, and I totally get this.

So, we arrive at school, and I sign him in for the day. We go into the infant room, and one of the teachers gleefully (no really, it was gleefully!) announces "Matthew's here!" I proceed to fill out his little book so his teachers know how his morning has been - what time he woke up, what time he ate, when his last diaper change was, etc. Then, I take him out of his car seat and into the main area, where his primary teacher is waiting. I snuggle with him for a while, smothering him with kisses and asking him if he'll miss me. I knew sooner or later, I'd have to leave. What I wasn't prepared for, though, was this.....


Someone else is reaching for my baby, and waiting for me to hand him over.

Seriously?

Now granted, she only had two hands, not three, but she might as well have had 50 - that's how it felt and how unprepared for it I was. God help me when Matthew starts reaching back.....

Why couldn't he have just been sleeping soundly in his car seat? No, you're right, I wouldn't have liked that either. I should instead be so thankful that they adore him like they do.

So I handed him over and went off to work.....

This afternoon, Dennis got out early and went to spring Matthew from school. He walked in to find him hanging out in his bouncy chair. I know the scene, and somehow, in a way I can't define, he looks so different when you see him in that setting. He collected all his stuff and took him home. Funny - he liked picking him up about as much as I liked dropping him off. I guess we're in the roles we're meant to be in.

On a positive note, Matthew's backup teacher bestowed on me yet another present Matthew created. It was Parent Appreciation Week, so the teachers and kids did something special each day for the parents. Since Matthew doesn't attend on Thursdays, we got yesterday's present today. Check it out...guess this explains why he had no socks on when I picked him up on Wednesday!