Yup, Still Metal

"I"m So Metal"

Happy Birthday to Me!

So, it's my birthday today. (email if you wanna know just how old I am!) I woke up this morning very shy on sleep, since Malcolm was up most the night. He's been battling a cold, so I get it, but it was still exhausting and frustrating. Managed to shake that off, and have a good day at work.

My husband and son picked me up from work and took me to Red Robin for dinner (my favorite burgers ever! Been craving them for weeks now.) Two bites into my salad, and Malcolm starts vomiting. Copiously. For a while.

On the upside, he was sitting next to Matthew -- who, by the way, deserves the cool-headed-most-discreet-daddy-award-of-the-year. I don't think the booth behind them even noticed, which is kind of a miracle. Once the worst of it slowed down, Matthew wrapped his jacket around Malcolm and carried him out. I went and found our server who was just about to bring our food out. I told her what happened, and that we had to leave. In less than two minutes, she provided me with an empty container and stack of napkins for the car ride home, brought the check, processed my credit card (earned a very generous tip), and rallied other staff to box up our dinners (even down to my salad and our lemonades!) They were amazing. And so discreet and professional.

We got Malcolm home, cleaned up, tucked into bed and (hopefully) asleep. Dinner's not too appetizing to me right now, but maybe I'll be hungry later. Sympathy pains for my poor sick kid are ruining my appetite currently.

So much for my birthday celebration.

On the upside, my Mom sent me an email from her and Dad, my brother Darin left me a voice mail I haven't had a chance to listen to yet, and my friend Lea sent me a video of her kids singing "Happy Birthday Mrs. Teresa." (See below) Plus, I'm pretty sure that Matthew feels so sorry for my ruined birthday celebration that I can easily talk him into a should rub and playing with my hair tonight while we watch whatever movie I want.

So, happy birthday to me anyway!

Locks of Love

This weekend, Matthew had over 10 inches of hair cut off, donated to Locks of Love (a charity that makes wigs for kids with cancer.) This is his second time participating in this charity. As a family, we've donated over 4 feet of hair in the last decade, starting with 18 inches of my hair the day after our wedding.

Below are some pictures from this weekend.

Malcolm loved watching Daddy get his haircut.

When Matthew sat down in the chair, Malcolm looked at him, and said

"Daddy, no screaming. And hold still."

When Matthew's cut was done, Malcolm insisted that he have a turn as well -- which surprised us to no end, considering how badly his first hair cut went. Since then, we've been doing it at home. But the stylist was fabulous with him all through Matt's cut, so we gave it a try. He did wonderfully! (Meaning, he held still. And no screaming.)

His Own Sense of Humor

So, Malcolm told his first joke today. All on his own . . . no prompting . . . no repeating something he heard else where . . . he did this one all on his own, from his own mind.

Mommy: Which crayon is red?

Malcolm: This one! (holding up red crayon)

Mommy: That's right! What about this one? (holding up the blue one)

Malcolm: That's blue, Mommy!

Mommy: Good, Baby. That's right! Do you know how to say "blue" in Spanish?

Malcolm: Blue in Spanish!

Then and Now

November 2007:

September 2009:

Aunt Tabby & Uncle Nader

These lovely people are Malcolm's honorary aunt and uncle. Tabby and Nader are our dear friends, and in many ways, like a big sister and brother to us.

Today at lunch, Malcolm and I shared a plate of empanadas. Malcolm had never enjoyed these delicious treats before, and he and I both were stunned to discover that he not only would eat them, but enthusiastically wanted more and more! (He's been going through a picky eating stage.) He asked me, "Mommy, what are these?"

"Empanadas," I told him. He tried out the word a few times, but found the empanadas fit in his mouth better than the word did.

"Mommy," he told me. "I like unclenaders. They are very yummy. I want to eat lots of unclenaders."