Five to Survive

On Saturday, Steve and I accomplished a feat that many of my peers described as brave: we hosted a birthday party for Jack at our house.

Honestly, it didn't seem that big of a deal to me. We planned exactly the kind of party that I remember from when I was a kid. Birthday parties were not outings to Chuck E. Cheese or the Family Museum. They were games, presents, and birthday cake at someone's house.

Steve and I planned the party carefully. We created a schedule, in ten minute increments, of all of the games and activities. Jack helped us clear all of his toys out of the family room and into the basement. Experience has shown me that otherwise, the other kids will descend upon our house and start dumping bins of action figures onto the floor, making both Jack - and me - cranky. And creating automatic fun, Jack decided it would be a costume party.

And the party was only scheduled for two hours; in running terms, that's just a half marathon. Not so much to endure!

The kids arrived and proceeded to run around the house like maniacs, which was exactly what was on the schedule. Then, we played games. First up was hot potato, in which we passed around a stuffed Spider-Man, with an emphasis on silliness - act like bunnies while passing Spidey, for example. Then, we had the kids toss balls into a laundry basket. After that, I switched to a quiet activity and the kids decorated masks with stick-on jewels. The kids loved the masks and worked on them for quite a while.

When all of them were finished, Jack led everyone in a costume parade. I gave away prizes for all of the costumes - also known as treat bags. Jack decided way back in November that his party would be a costume one, so we were able to pack the treat bags accordingly, with two different kinds of masks that I bought for a song in a post-Halloween clearance sale at Michaels, along with the standard noise maker, candy, and dinosaur pencil. They went over huge.

Then, it was time for birthday cake and presents. Hooray, party successful... except that we still had an entire hour to kill.

Steve and I brainstormed quickly for more games to keep the kids occupied. Luckily, the two of us had plenty of silliness left. We played Simon Says, then Musical Pillows. Musical Pillows was a huge hit last year; pillows instead of chairs because they're easier to manipulate. And again, the focus wasn't so much on being out or not as it was on having the kids circle the pillows pretending to be cats, or ducks, or ballerinas. And finally, did you know that kids still love to play Duck, Duck, Goose? Well, thank goodness, they do.

Once the kids took off, all three of us crashed. Jack was thrilled with how everything went.

The Fab Four

Back when Jack was just two years old, we went to a birthday party for a little boy who was turning four. This other little boy was quiet and solemn, a huge contrast to the zany little bundle of energy that was my kid. I watched the other boy calmly unwrap his birthday gifts and eat a modest amount of cake and dreaded the prospect of Jack turning four. My cute, funny, entertaining little guy wouldn’t be so cute anymore.

This year has proven to me that I was wrong. That other kid was just weird. Jack’s fourth year has been fantastic.

Our family went through a lot of changes this year. I lost my job in January, which enabled us to spend a lot of time together, in the Mommy-Jack Academy. We went to dance classes and acted silly, we put on plays with his tigers, baked cookies, and had a great time. When I went back to work, he and I missed our time together, but it felt like things were a bit more back to normal… except that they weren’t, because all of a sudden, I had a job that required me to travel pretty frequently. And at around the same time, Steve also had to do more travel for his job. Jack has adapted really well. We keep a calendar in his room and mark when Mommy or Daddy is coming home. Sometimes he gets a present after one of us has been on a trip, but more often, we go out for a special breakfast to spend more time together.

Jack absolutely loves his preschool, especially the main teacher Miss Toya. Miss Toya has helped Jack improve his writing, so he will surprise me by pulling out a crayon and writing WASSER on a piece of paper. She teaches the kids to say “yes” instead of “yeah,” and it sounds so much nicer that Steve and I have adopted the same habit. The kids in Jack’s class put on a circus this spring at which Jack was an acrobat. She even showed up at one of his soccer games.

Jack has an incredible curiosity about words and language. When we go to the library, he loads up the bag with all kinds of reading material – picture books, non-fiction materials about animals, and now chapter books. His favorites are the Magic Treehouse series, about a boy named Jack who travels through time. Jack will sit and listen to me read for as long as I’m willing. He has also started noticing words everywhere and will ask, “What does ‘O-P-E-N’ spell?”

We have done some fun traveling together as a family this year. In June, we took a weekend trip to Chicago, Jack’s first big city. He was fascinated by the tall buildings, the pigeons, the noise of the El track, and the fact that he was allowed to go in a taxi without his car seat. Our big vacation was to the Wisconsin Dells and the Great Wolf Lodge. Jack had a blast playing in the many swimming pools and going down water slides.

The little guy has had a few dark moments. He got in the most trouble of his entire life when, mad at me, he used his scissors to cut a small hole in the back of one of our living room chairs. And when I tell him to apologize for things – “you don’t have to mean it, you just have to say it” – he steadfastly refuses.

At the same time, he’s sweet and affectionate. He was eager to help his three-year-old cousin play hide and seek with the big kids at Thanksgiving. Jack gives lots of love to Roary and his fleet of “stuffed guys,” telling them, “It’s okay, Sweetie,” if they are sad. And when I started to cry during the movie Up Jack reached over and held my hand.

He also loves to make people laugh. He will tell jokes over and over again, figuring that the knock-knock joke about the interrupting cow will only be funnier the 900th time you hear it. He is even a fan of physical comedy, pretending to walk into walls, then laughing like a loon.

Year Four has been wonderful. Jack does or says something every single day that makes me proud of him. When I look ahead to Jack’s fifth year, I have no fear. My little guy will still be my clever, funny, sunny little guy.

Happy birthday, Jack!

Babyproof No More

As soon as Jack was even thinking about being mobile, Steve and I babyproofed the utter hell out of our house. Every stairway had a gate on it. Every cabinet and drawer in the kitchen was locked. Plug-ins had covers on them, and I bought a cover to keep him from turning off the computer. We even had locks on the toilets to keep him from chucking stuff into them.

When we left our house in Virginia and moved into Stately Wasser Manor, he was two years old and a lot more steady on his feet. We got rid of the gates on the stairs, the locks on the drawers and cabinets, and the plug covers.

But we did keep all of our cleaning products way up high in the pantry. If I needed to run the dishwasher (which it seems like I do every day, rolling that rock up the hill), I have to walk to the pantry to get it, then put it back away again.

This morning, it occurred to me that was unnecessary. I moved all of the kitchen cleaning products to under the sink, where nature intended them to be. This time, my childproofing consisted of a single conversation.

Me: Hey, Jack! See this stuff here?
Jack: Yes.
Me: Leave it alone.
Jack: Of course.

I have felt this many times over the past four and a half years, but Jack really seems to be at an ideal age. He's little and cute and charming, but he can also be quite reasonable.

Happy Birthday, Roary!

Another year has passed since Roary went from being a random cat/tiger sitting on our coffee table to becoming Jack's steadfast companion. Things have changed a little bit for Roary since his last birthday. The biggest change is that he now has an entire family of tigers living with us - Emmy, Garfield, Nicey, and Cutie. Roary shares Jack's affections with all of them, and an extended family of "stuffed guys." Jack's divided attention hasn't meant less love for Roary, though. Jack loves all of his animals, but Roary remains the king, the one Jack always comes to when he most needs comfort. If anything, Jack's love has grown bigger.

When Jack is sad or hurt, he looks to Roary for a tail rub (and in fact inspects most other stuffed animals for tail rubbing possibilities before buying them). And if Jack sees that someone else needs comfort, Roary offers tail rubs to them, too.


I know that many people will think I'm a little nutty for celebrating a stuffed animal's birthday, but Roary is truly a valuable part of our team. I know that the two of them crack each other up. I know that I can count on Roary to entertain Jack during long car rides. I know that the two of them even argue sometimes, as evidenced by Jack putting Roary in "time out" outside his room because "Roary would not stop talking and I needed to go to sleep." I know that when Jack needs extra love, Roary is there for him. Every time I go away on a work trip, I give Roary extra kisses before I leave. I know that they'll get to Jack when he needs them.

Happy birthday, Roary, the best tiger a kid ever had.

The Future of the Academy

I never expected that this would happen so soon, but that ample free time I've had on my hands, due to circumstances not of my choosing? Is soon coming to an end.

I feel extremely grateful and fortunate. I am absolutely thrilled to move on to the next thing - and to get my normal life back.

I am also sad that I won't have as much time with Jack as I have had. Betsy-Jack Academy has been, as Jack would say, very special to me. We have one more week left, which will be spent focused on Valentine's Day and love, which seems appropriate.

My new goal is to keep the Academy alive, with weekend sessions. I will plan out different activities for the two of us to do together. We both love it, and it beats the heck out of spending my Sundays doing lightsaber battle-fights.

Red Pants

Jack is capable of dressing himself (mostly, so long as there aren't any buttons or whatever involved and if you are flexible about which shoe goes on which foot). It doesn't happen every day because it takes him so catlicking long to focus and get something done on his own that usually I just dress him. Cause, you know: I've got things to do.

But when he does dress himself, there is one element that is always present: Red pants.

Jack will emerge from his room wearing whichever shirt strikes his fancy - often something with a hood so he can be a Jedi, or maybe with his favorite character of the moment, but it is always joined by a pair of red sweatpants.

Yesterday, he dressed himself in an ivory sweatshirt with an orange and blue camping motif... and red sweatpants. It really didn't work together at all, but whatever; I let it go.

In the course of the day, his outfit got dirty, so I asked him to change. Sure enough he managed to find, buried in his drawer, another pair of red sweatpants. I didn't even know he had another pair.

Why red sweatpants? I have no idea. His favorite color is blue, and I don't think I've ever said or done anything to encourage this particular satorical choice.

But I'm not going to say anything. I like seeing what he comes up with on his own.

Night Training

Jack (shown above with his two robot friends) has been succesfully potty-trained for quite a while now. He's also been dropping hints that he would like to ditch the pull-ups at night and wear his awesome Star Wars underwear to sleep, too.

So far, I have smiled cheerfully and said, "You're doing so great with the potty, buddy, and I just know that soon, your body will be ready to go all night. But until then, we'll wear the pull-ups just in case."

But let's be honest. What I really mean is, "Mommy really does not like having to wake up in the middle of the night to clean pee off of you and change the sheets, so suck it up and put on your pull-up."

It has been, literally, months since Jack last had a nighttime accident in his pull-ups. I have been throwing away $15-20 a month in unused disposable underwear.

So, I told Jack, "Guess what! Your body is now ready to go all night without a pull-up! And guess what else? I bought you a new mattress pad to make your bed even more comfy! You are such a big boy!"

This roughly translates to, "Guess what! Mommy figured out that a one-time investment of $20 in a waterproof mattress pad is a better deal than buying pull-ups that you don't need!"

The key, it seems, to effective parenting, is occasional laziness.

2009 Goals

It is clear to me at here on the interwebs, all of the cool kids are posting their 2009 goals, and I am nothing if not cool. Here's what I'm thinking:

1. Run at least two half marathons triskos. Set new trisko PR of 2 hours or less (down from 2:05).
2. Run at least one marathon, setting a PR of 4:30 or less (down from 4:38).
3. Get a Fuel Belt and a Road ID. That should be easy enough, but they are important things to do nevertheless.
4. Run at least three new races.
5. Here's the big one: get more involved in running locally. I love my online running friends, but I also want to make some real life running friends. To that end, I am working to participate more in my local running club. I am also planning on joining the group track workouts on Tuesday nights, and anything else I can think of. I want to go to races and see people I know.

Best of luck to everyone for a great 2009!

Looking Back

My goal for running in 2008 was a simple one: Take it to the next level.

When I announced that to my husband, he was preplexed. Hadn't I just run my first marathon in 2007? What more is there?

There is, as my fellow runners know, much more (without even getting into the concept of ultras). By training for that first marathon, I was born again as a runner. 2008 gave me the opportunity to take the next steps.

In the winter, I didn't stay inside and let my fitness level lapse. I bought cold weather gear, toughed it out, and discovered the joy of running in the snow.

I added speedwork to my training and altered my goals so that they weren't just to participate in and finish races, but to perform better. Instead of avoiding hills, I sought them out, even during tough long runs.

When I piled on the miles in marathon training, I didn't use that as license to eat giant chocolate chip cookies every day. Instead, I considered better sources of fuel and ate a heck of a lot of chocolate chip cookies.

I learned more about running, devouring books on the subject, seeking out the advice and opinions of fellow runners.

The results include a multitude of accomplishments that I'm proud of. I scored PR's in almost every distance, added a new distance - the trisko - to my resume, ran somewhere in the neighborhood of 780 miles, and came home with four age group awards. But those numbers don't tell the whole story, not to me.

The best example of having my running be at a higher level came on Mother's Day. I was registered to run my first trisko, and I'd had some rough going in the weeks leading up to it. I had an injury that forced me to take a week off of running and to eliminate speedwork in the time leading up to the race, forcing me to revise my goal from 2 hours to "whatever."

The morning of the race greeted me with horrific weather. It was cold and pouring rain. I knew that running a long run would be a tough, possibly miserable experience. "Why am I doing this," I wondered. I could very easily make the decision to just stay in bed. No one would really blame me for it, and I could just spend Mother's Day being pampered.

Instead, I got out of bed, laced up my shoes, and made my way to the starting line with the other gluttons for punishment. I realized that it was times like this that showed what I was made of, not just as a runner, but as a human being. I was making the choice to do something even though it wasn't easy, even though it would be downright unpleasant at times. I had worked hard for it, and I knew that I could - and would - do it, for myself.

I had to run portions of that race with my head ducked down to keep my hat from being blown off my head. The rain soaked my feet before I even started the race. There were no spectators for most of the race, only volunteers trying to stay as dry as possible. A hill at mile 12 had quite a few other runners walking. But I pressed on, doing my best to savor the experience and all of its challenges.

I finished the race proud, not just of my time of 2:05 - not too shabby considering what was working against me - but of the fact that I made the choice to go to the starting line, put one foot in front of the other, and keep running.

Jack's Birthday

It's been a great Christmas at Stately Wasser Manor.



As my devoted readers know, Jack's birthday is on Christmas Eve, and this year he hit the big oh-four. He and I spent the morning at my mom's house baking and decorating cookies for Santa... and also secretly getting Jack out of the house so that Steve and my stepdad Doug could put Jack's new Big Boy Bed (as opposed to the Medium Boy Bed, or toddler bed, that he had been sleeping in). We made both gingerbread and sugar cookies, giving Steve and Doug ample assembly time. The sheets are the Empire Strikes Back sheets that Steve had as a kid, plus a set of Spider-Man ones for when those are in the laundry. Jack was suprised and thrilled with it...



and with the Millenium Falcon that we hid under it. The Falcon has been on his wish list for a while, but we weren't about to get him the new one we saw at Target. The thing is $250, and for that, it should come with Harrison Ford. Instead, we got him a vintage one, just like Steve and I played with in our own childhoods.


The rest of the day was spent playing with Jack's new toys. We decided not to go out for lunch or dinner this time, instead spending the day eating various snacks - meatballs, cheese and crackers, veggies and dip - stuff like that. It was actually a good idea on our part, since if you call food a snack, Jack is much more likely to eat it than if he thinks he's eating a meal.

Instead of a birthday cake (which creates a whole lot of leftovers when the house is already full of cookies and I'm about to make some dessert the next day for Christmas dinner), I made birthday cupcakes. They are snowmen, and they turned out really cute.



After cupcakes, Doug got out his guitar, and we (badly) sang Christmas carols. Jack, of course, did some dancing.



Then, it was time for our annual reading of "Twas the Night Before Christmas." Steve and I barely had to read it, because Jack has the thing pretty well memorized. It was wild - we're not just talking "visions of sugarplums," but also "the moon on the breast of the newfallen snow."



It was an incredibly fun day - not just for Jack, but for all of us. Best of all, we had absolutely no problems getting him to settle down and go to sleep, even with the excitement of the new bed. Perhaps if I tell him every day that if he doesn't go to sleep, Santa won't come?

Not-So-Terrible Threes

I still remember a phone conversation I had with my sister, even though it was ten years ago. I asked her how Devin, my nephew was doing. Jenny sighed, paused, then said, "Eh, he's three. I'm waiting it out."

Today is the last day of Jack's third year, and he has definitely had moments that made me just want to wait it out, like Jenny did with Devin so long ago. The whining that he did when he was two years old has not disappeared so much as it has become more articulate. And there have been times in which he was so unreasonable that I literally had no idea how to respond to him. For example, when I cheerfully remarked that it would not be long before Santa came to our house, Jack fumed, "That was really mean, Mommy. Are you trying to say that I am not the real Santa?" Boggles the mind, doesn't it?

That aside, Year Three has really been pretty great. Jack has developed the most amazing imagination. He loves his costumes and will spend hours pretending to be Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, Captain Jack Sparrow, Buzz Lightyear, Cinderella, Diego, Santa Claus, Mr. Incredible, Spider-Man, Superman, Batman... or a crazy hybrid of all of them. He assigns characters to Steve and me, then tells us what the situation is, like, "We're Star Wars guys, and this is our spaceship, and we are going to go buy a birthday present for Yoda." It got to the point where his teachers would greet him in the morning not with "How are you today?" but rather, "Who are you today?"

I am proud of how friendly and outgoing he is. When it was time to transition from the Turtle classroom at school to the Pre-K world of the Ladybugs, he wasn't scared to leave behind his friends or beloved teachers - he was excited, saying, "Ladybugs, here I come! Maybe I will make a new friend today." He will introduce himself to other kids at the park, looking for common ground by pointing out that he, too is wearing a Spider-Man shirt, for example, or opening with surefire conversation starters like, "Do you shop at Target?"When it was time to plan his birthday party, he insisted on inviting every single kid in his class because he wanted all of his friends to come to his house and eat cake. He is also really developing empathy. Yesterday, his friend Caeden was crying because his mom was leaving. Jack went over and gave him a hug.

Because he's so outgoing, he's not afraid to order his own food in restaurants. He will walk right up to the librarian and ask her if she can please help him find some books about Star Wars. He will get up and dance with Sully at a parade. And best of all, when he was selected for Jedi Training at Disney World, I had no doubt in my mind that even though he was the littlest kid on the stage, he would rise to the occasion. He did not disappoint. Jack immediately started posing, using The Force on the audience. And when Vader came out to battle-fight the kids, Jack was not afraid (Yoda: you will be. You will be). He unleashed 32 pounds of kid frenzy on Vader. The Sith Lord didn't know what hit him.

Jack is also growing up and becoming more independent. If he wants to, he can get dressed by himself, often coming up with sweet combinations of red shorts and red t-shirts. Diapers and binkies are now things of the past. He can get his own cup of water from the bathroom sink. And he even went on a trip without us, spending a week with his grandparents, and learning valuable things like that this is a good way to get someone to buy you that lightsaber that Mommy and Daddy keep saying no to. He is learning new things all the time - he is recognizing more and more letters, can help make a grilled cheese sandwich, correctly identifies (and rejects) Granny Smith apples, and knows the days of the week and months of the year. He asked me lots of very interesting questions about why we vote, and how I knew to vote for "Mr. Obama instead of Mr. McCain." He learns new songs all the time, too. Sometimes they're songs you'd expect to hear, like "Jingle Bells," but he surprised me recently by singing Europe's "The Final Countdown," which he learned from my cell phone ring.

I love the person that Jack is turning into, and I could not be more proud of him. I am looking forward to my fourth year of being his mom, starting tomorrow. Last night, as I tucked him into bed, we had this conversation.

Me: Jack, I love you so much. I feel really lucky to be your mommy.
Jack: I'm not Jack right now. I'm Anakin.

Happy birthday, Jack - or whoever you are right now.

I Survived Jack's Birthday Party

As the big Oh-Four approaches for Jack, he wanted to celebrate with a party. Steve and I agreeed, figuring we'd have something at our house. I started talking to Jack about the guest list, mentioning the friends at school who he talks about the most. Jack shook his head, then said he wanted to invite ALL of his friends, meaning his entire class. Then, he said that he wanted to invite everyone except for one little girl who is his nemesis. We explained that no, you do not invite everyone except for one kid, because that's mean, and because near as we can tell, she is just a little girl, and not, in fact, the root of all evil in the world.

I'm sure you'll all be glad to hear that Jack's Nemesis was unavailable for the party, as Jack was convinced she would break all of his toys and burn our house down. And I am equally sure you will be stunned to hear that Steve and I successfully hosted 14 little kids Jack's age in our house and lived to tell the tale.

The key, I think, is that we left absolutely nothing to chance. Every aspect of the party was planned and scheduled. The timeline was 2-4:00 on a Sunday, a short period to entertain everyone. We moved all of Jack's toys up to his room so that he wouldn't worry about anything being lost or broken, and we cleared out the front closet so there would be plenty of space for everyone's coats.

Food was minimal - we had out cheese and crackers, chips, veggies, two kinds of dip, chocolate covered pretzels (made by Jack and grandma) and a crock pot of meatballs. We made no attempts whatsover to get the kids to eat any of that food; it was for the parents, and if the kids wanted something to eat in a driveby, they could do so with relatively little fuss or mess. We had cake, of course. Jack selected a Pirates of the Carribean cake, which meant it had a lovely picture of Johnny Depp on it.

Steve and I wrote a careful schedule of events so we'd know exactly how things should flow. First, we had several minutes for the guests to arrive, during which time Jack entertained them by leading them running around the house screaming. Then, it was time for games. We planned Pin the Tail on the Donkey, which is simple and everyone likes. Then we played Musical Pillows, which swapped chairs for pillows, since that's easier. After that, I set up a bean bag toss, giving each kid a Santa or Snowman stuffed toy that I got at Target for a buck. They stood on a line that I made with painter's tape and got as many tosses as they needed to throw the toy into a bucket - and they got to take the toy home. After that, Steve led the kids in a round of Simon Says, emphasizing silliness rather than competition.

During Simon Says, I hid clues around the house for a treasure hunt. We divided the kids into two teams (since there were so many of them), and they followed a series of clues all around the house. I planned the clue locations so that they'd move around a lot and so that the two teams would overlap as little as possible. The treasure was, of course, their goody bags.

Next, Jack opened his presents. Because the other kids had all just gotten a big bag of party junk AND a stuffed animal, no one was jealous of Jack's new loot. We had been practicing for weeks how to react politely to presents - even if a gift is something you already have or is lame (example: Hannah Montana doll), you smile and say thank you. All the practice was for nothing, because Jack's presents were all awesome. He was very happy indeed. I was especially pleased to see how much thought Jack's friends had put into the gifts. Emma, for example, was very excited to give Jack a Star Wars Leggo set because she knew he'd love it. McKenna told her mom that they needed to get Jack a Diego toy because he has a Diego backpack. These are some really nice, considerate kids.

After presents, it was time for cake. Steve was kind enough not only to give Jack the first piece, right out of the middle, of Captain Jack Sparrow's face, but also to let me take him into the next room so we could eat cake together. I had been so busy with the other kids and parents that I had not had much time to hang with my Cub.

Once everyone had their cake, we had a bit more time for playing. Steve and I both had a list of additional games and activities we could go to if we were at loose ends, but we ended up not needing it. Steve and half of the kids played with Jack's new toys. The other half joined me for more Musical Pillows, which was a big hit. I enhanced the game by telling the kids to not just walk in a circle around the pillows, but to pretend to be cats, goldfish, penguins, pirates, princesses, ballerinas, and so on.

After the last kid had gone home, the boys and I were worn out. We changed into jammies, played with Jack's toys, and watched a movie before an early bedtime.

I have to admit, the party was a lot of fun for all three of us... but I am also looking forward to a quieter party on his actual birthday.

Kicking the Habit

Internet, my son is an addict.

To make things worse, Jack is not addicted to something awesome like, for example, running or coffee. Instead, he is hooked on the dangerous entity known as binkies.


Observe the addict double-fisting binks.

Jack is almost four, and therefore getting way too old for binkies, even by my own fairly liberal standards. A few months ago, we were at Target and Jack asked to go browse the binky aisle. When I asked him why, he said, "Oh, just to look and see if they have anything new and cool." Clearly, if you are keeping track of Nuk's Fall 2008 Color Story, it's time to give them up.

We've been kind of weaning him away from binkies, limiting them to bedtime and rest time only and encouraging him to get rid of his binky as early as possible after waking. We have also reminded him several times that when he turns four, no more binkies. He accepted that since his birthday feels a million years away.

But yesterday, Jack and I were browsing at Build-A-Bear. Naturally, he was interested in doing more than just window shopping, so I saw an opportunity. I told him that he could get a new stuffed animal right then and there... if he exchanged it for all of his binkies. He agreed so quickly that I reminded him of exactly what the deal was - no binkies at all, ever again. Not at rest time, not to sleep, not in the morning. He was still game, even suggesting that we could take all of his binkies and mail them to Aunt Jenny, who is having a baby in a few months who would surely need them.

Jack selected a stuffed elephant, that being his favorite animal, and after trying on several outfits, decided up on a Santa suit. Jack and I told every associate in the store about how Jack was trading his binkies for Elephanty, and what a big boy he is. As you might imagine, the Build-A-Bear staff is well-versed in the fine art of Making A Big Deal Out Of Things and told Jack what a good choice he had made and how he is clearly sophisticated and ready to give up binkies.

At home, we packed all of the binkies into an envelope for the new baby. Here he is saying goodbye to one and hello to Elephanty.


Jack had a hard time settling in to sleep last night. I figured he would, given that he has literally never fallen asleep without a binky in his entire life. At one point, he came and said, "I need something to suck on," and so great was my empathy that I managed not to respond, "That's what she said." This morning, he told me that he missed his binky and wished he could have it back. He wasn't really angling for me to return it, but rather just telling me how he felt. I told him that I know it's not easy, but that he went all night without it, and that it would be easier every single day. Together, we will get through this period of detox.

Change We Can Believe In

The topic of this week's Take It and Run Thursday is "running through transitions." Transitions and changes are on everyone's mind this week, runners and non-runners alike. The United States just elected a new president who promised us sweeping changes to the status quo. I heard a story on NPR about how incredibly challenging this transition will be for President-Elect Obama (man, do I love typing that). He has the burden of taking office while the country is fighting two wars and is in an economic crisis. President-Elect Obama (look, I said it again!) has the added pressure of a tremendous amount of hope and faith placed on him by voters.

I also think about the huge transition this will mean for the Obama family on a personal level. Dad now has an incredibly challenging new job. Many of his detractors questioned whether or not he was ready to be president, and honestly, I don't think anyone could possibly be fully prepared to take on such an awesome responsibility, though I have faith that he can handle it as well as anyone else could. And then there is the fabulous Michelle, who must leave her Chicago home behind and be thurst even more firmly into the spotlight. And let's not forget Sasha and Malia, who are going to have to switch schools, leave behind their friends, and move to a new house. At least they're getting a puppy out of the deal.

My advice to the Obama family is simple: go running.

When life throws a series of curveballs at you, when everything is in transition, running can be a constant. It can be a time to either sort out your thoughts or to not think at all, focusing only on your breathing and the pounding of your legs. Running allows you to put aside all of the other trappings in your life and just be you. Can we feel better after simply lacing up our shoes?

Yes, we can.

You Bet I Voted

I am completely geeked out on democracy right now. I fully anticipate spending tonight glued to the TV, waiting for election results. It is strange to remember the last presidential election. I was hugely pregnant and sick. I remember waking up in the middle of the night and flipping on the news to see if the election had been determined yet. When the results came in, I could not believe it. George Bush had been re-elected, and I knew only one person who was voting for him. I felt completely disconnected from so many other people in the country.

This year will be different. First and foremost, no matter what happens, I truly believe our president will be a good, smart person who will work hard to do what's best for America. I definitely don't agree with everything John McCain stands for, but I will not be upset if he wins. And I am filled with hope that Barack Obama will be our next president. I truly believe that he will do something special for our country.

I've spent the past few days talking to Jack about voting. I have tried to explain in the simplest possible terms what the president does and what an amazing thing it is to be part of choosing who has that job. We also talked about why it is an important thing to do. I had a mock vote about whether we should have chocolate or strawberry ice cream. Jack and I both voted for chocolate, and Steve wasn't paying attention. "See how Daddy didn't vote?" I asked. "If he wanted strawberry, he's out of luck now, isn't he?"

I took Jack with me to vote this morning. We waited in line for about half an hour, which pleases me. Not that we had to wait, but that voting was so important to so many people this election. In my county, 20% of eligible voters had already voted early, which is amazing. I held Jack up so he could watch as I marked my ballot. After we were finished, we both got "I Voted" stickers.

On the way to Grandma and Grandpa's house (and they will be taking Jack to vote with them later), Jack asked, "Mommy, how did you know that you wanted to vote for Mr. Obama instead of Mr. McCain?" I did my best to explain it in a way that a three-year-old would understand, but more than anything, I was proud of the fact that he asked the question.

Ladybug Day

Today was a big day for Mr. Jackson W. Crazypants. The little man has been promoted from the 2-3 year old class at school (the Turtles) to the pre-K class (the mighty Ladybugs). Jack has been looking forward to being a Ladybug for months. There are no school-aged kids at Jack's school, so the Ladybugs are the big time. They have their own playground, they get to go on cool field trips, and most importantly, Jack is convinced that they learn a lot. Jack is eager to learn how to read, write, and speak more Spanish, and he knows that being a Ladybug will make it happen.

All the way to school, Jack and I talked about what his new class would be like. There's a racetrack around the playground for bikes. And lots of different books and toys, but still his own cubby for Roary and Emmy. He'd be reunited with his friends Cara and Emma, and his buddies Mason, Nico, and Cameron would be moving over with him.

As we rounded the corner to get to school, Jack declared, "Ladybugs, here I come!" He also informed me that today, he would try to make some new friends. That if he went up to somebody on the playground and said, "Hi, would you like to play with me? Would you like a new friend?" they would probably say yes. (They probably will, and I wish that it was that easy for grown-ups.)

Jack led the way to his new classroom, and I was immediately struck by how the teachers really do make the kids feel a bit more grown-up. His first responsibility when he arrives is to check himself in. He has to put his picture on the "Who's Here Today" board, but his name in the red basket, and then sign himself in. He picked up the pen, made a decent attempt at a J, then spelled out "A-C-K" as he wrote various scribbles on random parts of the page. Hey, he's getting there, and J's are hard to make.

After quick hugs and kisses, he was happily sitting at the table drinking juice.

Jack had been in the Turtle class for over year, which is a long time if you're only three and a half. If he had been clingy or sad or missing Miss Missy (say that three times fast), it would have been perfectly understandable. But instead, he was excited about this new chapter in his life. He looked at it as an adventure. And that makes me incredibly proud.

The Agony of De Feet

Next weekend, I will be attending my 15 year high school reunion. Yeah, I know, Internet - I look so fabulous that you can't believe it's not my five year. Anyway, as we are all aware, the point of attending one of these soirees is not to reconnect with old friends, to recall fond memories, or to hit the bar, so much as it is an opportunity to look absolutely freaking fabulous.

Running, of course, goes a long way in making that happen. Thanks to our favorite sport, I weigh just five pounds more than I did when I was sixteen. I bought a dress for the event that looks great on me. It's a halter style, showing off the strong shoulders that cross-training sessions in the pool have given me. Running has elmininated both my gut and my butt, so the fact that it's a jersey knit is not a big no-no. And it's short, showing off my runner legs (though not RSS short, thank Yoda).

But, as you pan down past the hem of my dress, you reach a problem. While the rest of my body is a runner's body, so, too, are my feet. And though I may wish it were so, the dress does not look good with running shoes or moon boots which might cover up my unsightly hooves. Alas, it calls for something that does, in fact, expose my feet.

I pretty much beat the hell out of my feet with running. They are callused, with hideous patches of dry skin that flake off in sheets. I keep my toenails cut ridiculously short, so as to keep them from turning black and falling off. My current shoes created a battle with blisters that I think I have, for the moment, won. Several of my toes are now old man toes, thick and yellow. There is a clear sock line, despite my careful application of sunscreen. The only good thing I can say is that, at least for the moment, I do not have athlete's foot. For the moment.

When reunion time comes, I am basically going to put a bow on the pig - that is, get a pedicure, paint my toenail stubs a shiny red, and hope that no one looks too closely at the wreck beneath the red paint.

But red paint or not, I am still me. The very first thing I'll tell the pedicurist will be, "Keep my calluses, please. I'm a runner."

Baby's First Swear

It's moments like this that make a mother's heart swell with pride. Jack has learned his very first swear word. That word is damn, and already I can see how it will serve him well in the years to come. Jack has learned some of the many uses of this new tool.

Exclamation. When out for a nature walk with his Poppa, Jack tripped over a tree root and said, "Damn!" My dad managed to not laugh.

Adverb. "Mommy, this pillow is too damn noisy." To be fair, that pillow as really damn noisy.

Adjective. "Where's my damn binky?"

It should be noted that if you are asking, "Where's my damn binky," chances are that you are, in fact, too old for a pacifier.

I know, I know; all of you are wondering where Jack might have learned this new word, but is that really relevant? I don't think we need to dwell on that do we?

Yeah; you guys figured out he learned it from me, didn't you?

Damn.

Jack Wasser's Big Adventure, Part 2

Since Jack took off for the wilds of Southern Illinois on Tuesday, I've been keeping in touch with him with daily phone calls.

The kid is having a freaking blast.

Every day, he talks my ear off, all about how he went swimming three times, went on a hike with Poppa, has a new Lightning McQueen sleeping bag there, played with his glamorous older cousin Devin's old toys, and on and on.

There has not been a single hint of tears or "I miss you, Mommy."

This is a good thing. Because meanwhile, Steve and I have been having a great time, too. Things are awfully relaxed here, and I have time to do things like put cages around my tomatoes before work, sit around and read a magazine, fold laundry without a "helper," and go for long walks with Steve.

I think that Jack's Big Adventure will have lasted the ideal amount of time. He's having lots of special grandparent time, Steve and I got a break, and although none of us are pining for the other, we will all be happy to see each other later today.

There is just one hazard to having Jack spend all this time with his grandparents. Mr. Jackson W. Crazypants is now the proud owner of a lightsaber. A lightsaber of his very own was an inevitable purchase that Steve and I were attempting to delay. We'd point to the "Ages 4 and Up" on the package and lament that he couldn't have one yet. Not because we thought he'd hurt himself, but because we dreaded spending every waking moment of our days having "battle-fights" with Jack.

But now, battle-fight we will. Steve went to Target last night, and now all three of us have lightsabers.

Jack Wasser's Big Adventure

For ages now, my dad and stepmom have been talking about how great it would be for Jack to come stay with them for an extended visit. My nephew has been doing that for years, and I know how special that time is both for my dad and Vickie and for Devin. The question to me, really, was when Jack would be ready for a solo trip.

Then, a few months ago, Jack announced, "I have good idea, Mommy." That is, that he would go visit Mawmaw and Poppa, stay there by himself, and then Mommy and Daddy would come get him after "a couple whiles."

Well, okay, then.

My dad drove up last night, and this morning, he and Jack took off for Jack's big vacation. Steve and I will drive down on Friday, spend the weekend there, then take Jack home.

The little man was VERY excited this morning. He and I were eating breakfast, and as soon as he saw that Poppa was putting his stuff in the car, Jack told me that he was "all full," clearly sated from three bites of Kung Fu Panda waffles. Next thing you know, he'd gotten dressed in lightning speed and was in the car, blowing me kisses and hugs.

I know he'll have a great time with his grandparents, and I know that we will miss each other. The only thing I don't know?

What on earth am I going to do with all of this free time?