Recent Quotes

Here are some things Marco has told me recently:

"Sometimes you are a great mom, but sometimes you aren't a great mom."  True, but this was in response to me not letting him watch TV.

We went to a friend's house for a quick stop one night.  Marco was in his PJs because he had already taken a bath.  I am getting him out of the car and he looks at me and says "Mom, why aren't you wearing your pajamas?"  I told him it was because I hadn't taken a bath.

He has started burping an incredible amount.  I find this extremely irritating.  I keep telling him to stop.  His recent response was.  "I'll try to stop, but I'll just keep doing it."

While driving he asked "Are we still in the world that we are?"  I just said yes.

Recently he has been insisting that his last name has a silent E in it.  I keep telling him it doesn't, that you pronounce the E in Torre.  Well, he showed me what a silent E is and what he means is a lower case E.  I told him as much and he kept insisting it was a silent E.  Finally he yells at me.  "No, it is a silent E.  My teachers are smarter than you!"  And this was followed up with "I am very angry with you."

Marco: "Do you remember when I broke the light in there?"  while pointing to the office.
Me: "Yes"
Marco: "That was when I was three years old.  Three year olds are very curious.  And they break things."

Monday Madness

This morning I woke up before both the kids.  I thought I would try to sneak in a shower.  Marco woke up before I could, so I told him to stay in bed, make sure Chiara didn't fall out, and DON'T WAKE HER UP!  Fast forward 10 minutes and she is crying.  I peek out to see why and Marco is sitting over her with a flashlight shining in her face.  I yell at him and quickly finish my shower.  He later admits he did wake her up.

Marco then runs off to the kitchen.  I am trying to brush my teeth and he starts yelling, "I peed on my shirt!"  I tell him to take it off and just wait in the bathroom.  I go in the bathroom and he explains he was making a waffle (kudos) and then he had to pee real bad and didn't make it in time.  We clean him up and head to the kitchen.

Chair is in front of the fridge for freezer access and freezer is closed.  Yay, success!  Eggos are still out, so I explain he has to put the rest back in the freezer.  He asks me to get him a plate, so I hand him his waffle.  He asks me if we have mustard.  I exclaim "Mustard!?" and he says he means syrup.  I decide since he was so self sufficient in making his breakfast, I will let him put the syrup on by himself.  I am getting Chiara's bottles ready for day care and I turn and shriek "STOP!" as I witness a waffle drowning in a sea of syrup.  A few minutes later he says he is done (1/4 of waffle eaten) and he needs some water.

We continue to prepare for the day.  He puts his socks on upside down, which may not be a problem, but the traction part is now on top.  I tell him to try again and he says he will wait until I help him.  A few minutes later, I help him.  "Why is your foot sticky?" (Hoping it isn't pee that I missed.) "Syrup."  Of course.

Get to school.  Marco pulls off his hat and jacket and I realize I forgot to brush his hair (oh well) and his teeth (oops).  As I am leaving, Chiara spits up all over me.

Oh and last night, Alessandro found his car keys in Marco's nightstand.  He still won't tell us why he took them and hid them.  His only explanation is that he is mad at dad for finding them.

10 Minutes Alone or More Aptly Titled "An Exercise in Futility"

Marco is home sick. Around 1:00, I tried to take a shower. Made sense since I was covered in spit up and had to completely change anyway.

1:02pm. Shower door opens. "Mom, Chiara is crying." Door slams shut.
1:03pm. Shower door opens, DVD in hand. "Mom, can I watch this movie?"
1:04pm. Bathroom door opens, giggling ensues. "What are you doing? Get out of my drawers."
1:05pm. Shower door opens. "Here mom." He hands me a pumice stone. "Thanks Marco, but I don't need that right now. Can you put that back?" More rummaging through my drawers occurs, followed by a much too long silence.
1:10pm. Giggling followed by shower door opening and a smiling face covered in makeup. This is when I gave up and got out of the shower.

Get everything back in order, get Chiara calmed down, get myself dressed.

1:23pm Go back in bathroom to brush my hair. Open drawer that contains brush. "Marco! Where is my hairbrush?" "I don't know."

Melt My Heart

Once a week at school, the kids have chapel and they are told they should wear their school t-shirts. So, Marco gets to school and there are four kids total in his class at that time and Marco and one girl are wearing their "chapel" shirts. They get all excited because they are wearing the same shirt. Another little girl asks me (by my official school name "Marco's mommy"), "Can you help me put my chapel shirt on?" She went and got it and I helped her put it on, so she gets to get in on the party of "Same-same shirts!" Before I leave, Marco comes up to me and whispers "Thank you for helping Breaunna put her chapel shirt on mommy." It just melted my heart :-)

A Different Kind of Snowman

"Look Mommy, I made different sizes of poop. A big one, a medium one, and a small one. That makes a snowman."

Today's Funnies

This morning Marco told me he knew all the rules: (1) no fighting and (2) no drinking. When I asked him to elaborate he said no drinking from puddles. That's it, all the rules. I suppose they are good rules to live your life by?

Later when we were in the car heading to school there was an Arco commercial on the radio. Marco said "Mom, they're talking about me!" Yep, honey, that's right. :-)

Christmas Confusion

Yesterday we went to Disneyland and Christmas is in full swing. This has proven to be a little confusing for Marco. First, we watched the parade where the grand finale is Santa Clause. Marco said "Look at all the toys he has!" Then after the parade he complained "I wanted a toy." So, I had to explain to him Santa is just getting all the toys ready and we have to wait until Christmas morning.

Next, we go to see Santa and tell him what Marco wants! Well, Marco came prepared. He brought his "magazine" aka Target toy ad with him. When it was his turn he pointed at Optimus Prime (or should I say Octopus Prime) on the cover. Santa took a look and said "Oh, is that a Transformer." Then Marco started talking, explaining he was the big one, telling him the name, etc. He tried to go through the rest of the Target ad with Santa, but we made him sit down just to get his picture taken. He got his candy cane and was a happy boy. I should point out that prior to seeing Santa, Marco had hold of his "magazine" since we left the house. After Santa, he was done with it. He was a man on a mission.

The rest of the evening progressed nicely. He had an agenda, wanted to go on Peter Pan, the Carousel, Small World, Trains (small and big), Buzz Lightyear, and Winnie the Pooh. We didn't go on Winnie the Pooh. He cried, but we were there late enough we decided to stay and wait for fireworks. Marco was very excited about the snow after the fireworks, although he complained a little that it wasn't real snow. He quickly fell asleep once we were in the car.

Fastforward to this morning, he wakes up and wants to know if his toy is here. I told him it isn't Christmas yet and that was not an answer he was ready to handle. And we still have 10 days to go before we start the advent calendar! This is going to be a long month.

Just Have to Brag

Marco just told me I am the bestest mommy in the whole world.

And Another Thing

Last week or so Marco and I read a book that had the line in it "You made the mess, so you clean up the mess." I started using that on Marco. Then a few days later I asked Marco to help me put some things in the recycling container. He responded "Mommy, you made the mess, you have to do it."

Then today we were cleaning some things up and I said, pointing at the shoes, "Marco, where do your sandals go?" He says, pointing at the phone, "Mommy, where does your phone go?"

Doing Just Fine Without Me

Yesterday I was out all day for a letterboxing event. When I got home, Alessandro and Marco were in Marco's bed reading. I relieved Alessandro and as I was putting Marco to bed I asked him if dad had brushed his teeth. He didn't say anything, so I went to go ask Alessandro. And of course he had. I go back in and I ask Marco, really just out of curiosity, if he took a bath. Marco responded, "Yes, mommy. Daddy did all the right things."

Twelve Weeks

It appears that it's official. Marco is going to have a little brother or sister. This picture is from 10 weeks, but today I am 12 weeks. Due date is a week after Marco turns four.

A notable quotable...

Me: "Mommy's tummy is going to get really, really big."
Marco: "Like daddy's?"

Marco has also decided he would like it to be a girl and we can name her Breauncie. He told me that if the baby cries, he will crawl into my tummy and hold her. He has been very sweet to me. It has been a rough go, I feel nauseous all the time. One day when I was in bed feeling miserable, he was jumping on the bed, throwing pillows at me. I finally told him I was sick and he stopped and asked if I wanted him to cover me up. So he did. Then he told me to close my eyes, no peeking! As he was shutting the door to leave, he stopped and said "Mommy, are you thirsty? Daddy can get you some orange juice. Or he can make you a hot dog."

In other random Marco sayings, one day recently when we were walking to school he told me "Mommy, walking is so boring." The next day he told me "Cleaning is so boring." Where did this teenage attitude come from? Another time he was reading some numbers off backwards and said "Sixteen, Fourteen, Twoteen." Too cute.

Words

This weekend we were at Disney California Adventure with Zio Massimiliano, Zia Pina, and Marco's cousins Alessandro and Andrea. We were watching the Pixar Play Parade and the first part had passed us and we were waiting for the next float and I said to Marco "Do you like the parade so far?" And he said No. I paused thinking of how to respond and after a bit he adds, "I like it so close."

You're Driving Me Nuts!

"Mom, you're driving me nuts." That is what Marco said to me this morning. I plead the fifth on how he learned that phrase. And this evening he called me a skunk. Then he said I was a skunk galore.

A Challenging Moment

First, I know my posting has been lacking. A ton has happened recently. Nonna Giorgina and Zia Luciana came for a visit, Marco turned 3 and Grandma and Grandpa were here, we went to Portland for Uncle Ben's graduation and Marco went fishing for the first time. We have lots of pictures and at some point I will get around to posting some. But that is not what this post is about, it is about an ever growing personality.

Marco is now 3. Prior to June, I think I can honestly say he has never had a temper tantrum. At least not a real one. I thought he had had temper tantrums, but apparently I was wrong. Prior to June, let's say Marco was having what I called a temper tantrum. Here is how it would go. He does something I don't like or starts demanding some thing or the other. I count to three, said behaviour either stops or he gets a time out. Even though he was upset, he would sit in the chair until the time out was over or stay in his room for the few minutes and when the time out was over, he would tell me why he got a time out, we would hug, and everything was fixed. This even worked in public places. He would just have to sit on a bench, chair, or in the car seat.

In the last month we have had 2 major blow outs and many more middle ranged tantrums. Here is a taste of one morning I had recently. I should point out that since we returned from Portland, Marco has been using the potty. This was not so much by choice as by force. First, he doesn't get to watch any TV if he is wearing a diaper. I will not play with him if he is wearing a diaper and he is not leaving the house with a diaper. He still will not poop in the toilet, but he is doing very well. Very few accidents since the day we started and he either waits until bedtime when we diaper him or asks for a diaper to poop. Anyway, one morning I wake him up at 7:30 to get ready for the day. He wants breakfast and decides on cereal. My first mistake (other than waking him up) was asking him what kind of cereal he wanted. He picked one and then after me pouring it into the bowl starts crying it is the wrong kind. I told him fine, we will put two kinds of cereal in the bowl. My second mistake, putting a bowl with some strawberries and blueberries on the table next to his cereal bowl. This caused a major commotion. He didn't want strawberries and blueberries, he asked for cereal. He cried so much and we had to put the fruit away. What was I thinking? Then he wanted to watch a movie (what he calls all TV). I told him he had to go pee-pee first. He said ok, but changed his mind, he was a mess. At some point I take off his diaper and throw it in the trash. He starts crying he didn't want his diaper off, and takes it from the trash. I take the dirty diaper from him and he is wailing about wanting it, hitting me, etc. I walk outside and throw it away in the outside trash. He is following me screaming, naked from the waist down and starts scaling the garbage can to get his diaper back. Screaming "I want my diaper." I just start to walk back in the house. Then he starts screaming following me into the house, stops and pees all over the sidewalk. That will show me! Fast forward to us trying to leave the house. He doesn't want to leave, so I just say I am leaving and he follows me screaming. I don't remember everything that happened, but I do remember the arching back, not being able to physically get him in the car seat. At one point I started driving anyway and got maybe one foot and he was attacking me. Hitting me with those little fists, grabbing at me, honking the horn. It was insane. At one point I just shut the car door and walked away. I literally had no idea what to do. I don't know how long the whole thing took, but I do know I didn't get him to school prior to 9am and normally it only takes us 30 minutes to get ready in the morning. Once I got him to school, I thought he would want nothing to do with me. Instead the exact opposite happened and he was incredibly clingy and it took me 10 to 20 minutes to get out of there.

His willfulness is incredible. He will spend 10 minutes in the bathroom complaining that he doesn't want to wash his hands after he goes to the bathroom because he needs to eat/play outside/watch TV/do a puzzle or whatever instead of spending the 15 seconds to actually just wash his hands!

The challenge I am facing is how do I effectively manage this budding personality. I think one thing that helps Marco is knowing what is coming. When we started bribing him for going pee-pee, we said he would get an m&m. He would get incredibly upset when we wanted him to put his underwear back on and wash his hands before he got the m&m. We then made a chart outlining the required tasks with the m&m in the final picture. Problem solved. I think I need to do the same thing for our morning routine now. And as firm as I am, I think I am going to have to start being firmer. I can no longer make him physically do what I want him to do. If he doesn't want to take his pajamas off, I can't make him. If he doesn't want to get in the car seat, he isn't going in. He doesn't really care that mommy is going to be late for work. I think we also need to start instilling the ideas of personal responsibility in him. This I am still working on. He needs to know he is responsible for helping getting himself ready in the morning and if he doesn't, then he will lose certain privileges. I don't know, I am still trying to work all this out in my head.

I am not particularly fond of this stage we are going through, but there are plus sides too. For example, the other day Alessandro was taking a nap and Marco and I decided it was time to have dinner. We went in to wake Alessandro up chanting we want dinner. Then Alessandro and I started discussing what we should have. Marco took matters into his own hands. We go into the kitchen to the following scene. Marco standing on the counter with the cupboard open. We walk in astonished (he had gotten up with no assistance from a chair or anything) and he tells us we have pasta. He also likes to talk on the phone now. He will jabber my ear off for quite awhile and not want to give the phone up. He tells me a lot more about his day and I get to share in his excitement even when I am not a part of it. He has his group of best friends at school. He negotiates, which at times is trying, but fun too and can work to our advantage. He is using his imagination more, making up songs, stories, invisible creatures that need to be vanquished. He is more interested in learning Italian words. Before, if you told him a cat is gatto, he would say no, its a cat. He is a wonderful little boy full of love and I just have to keep telling myself that :-)

I Probably Shouldn't Have Said That...

Yesterday Marco and I were listening to the radio and he was grooving to the song that was on. He looked up at me and said, "Mommy, do you know what song this is?" I said, "Yes, I do." He then says, "What song is it?" I replied, "Um, Date Rape." He says, "Oh, Date Rape." and goes back to what he was doing.

Whisper Sweet Nothings to Me

It is amazing to me how having a child takes away so much of the gross factor out of life. You get pooped on, peed on, vomited on, snotted on, and eventually think nothing of it. In a similar vain, they invade an intimacy that you once only planned on sharing with your husband.

This weekend we went to Indian Wells and Friday night as I was laying in bed with Marco putting him to sleep, here is what he told me.

"Mom, I like your boobs. You have big boobies. I only have little boobies, but when I grow and grow, I will have big boobies too."

Like a Flower

Today Marco had a doctor appointment. When I told Marco we were going to the doctor, he asked me "Because I'm sick?" I explained, no he wasn't sick, but every year he has to go to the doctor because she needs to check his ears and his nose and his tummy, etc., because he is growing. His response, "I'm growing like a flower?"

And for stories in dreamland... this morning Marco woke up and says "Where's my hotdog?" He did have a hotdog for dinner last night, so I told him he ate it and it was in his tummy. Then he said "I need to go to the birthday party because my hotdog is gone." He was very upset, it took a while to actually wake him up. Must have been a very vivid dream!

Just Think About It

I have been meaning for a while to write down a few more of the funny things Marco says.

The other day when we were in the car Marco asked me what the names were of the people in the car in front of us. I told him I didn't know. His response... "Come on Mom. You know." This is funny to me for so many reasons. First, because it just sounds so adult and second because I am all powerful and must know everything.

He occasionally will say "What's the deal with that?"

A few weeks ago when I was putting him to bed he says to me "Just think about it." I asked him what I should think about. He didn't really know how to respond, so I told him I would think about it. That seemed to satisfy him.

One weekend we were getting ready to go to Disneyland to meet Grammy, Grandpa, Uncle Joey, Uncle Dan, and Uncle Ben. Marco was watching some tv and after his program was over he says to me. "Let's go to Disneyland Mommy. I'm ready now."

One morning I asked him what he wanted for breakfast. He said "A cookie!" I said no (surprise, surprise) and asked if he wanted cereal or a waffle. He said a waffle and after a cookie. Then he said "That's a good idea."

Inauguration Day

This morning I kept Marco home from school to watch the Inauguration of our 44th president. At first he thought it was neat and liked seeing all the people. You can imagine how quickly his interest faded though. I had the tv on for about 30 minutes before the actual oath and Marco was driving me nuts. I kept suggesting he go play with certain toys, he would for a few minutes and then end up right back over to me talking or climbing on me. At some point he brought me some books that make music and kept pressing buttons. This was during the benediction and I was having a hard time hearing and told him to go play somewhere else and threw the books across the room. Well, that really got a response!

"Mommy, we don't throw books! I'm going to lock you in your room and you get a time out!"

I said ok... I have a tv in my room and wouldn't mind the peace and quiet myself. So, Marco took me to my room, glared at me and said "I'm going to watch Obama!" and slammed the door. He really showed me!

Things I Learned Today

Marco thinks that the trash truck is, and I quote here, "marvelous." He does not find the half of a hamburger left over from lunch an acceptable snack, but popcorn is. He not only recognizes Barack Obama when he sees him on TV or in a magazine or something, but he also recognizes his voice on the radio (I am so proud). Telling Marco we are going to paint a picture when we get home is a good enough bribe that we can leave the park without tears.