Me and The Boys

Six Things About the Boys

- Carmine is determined to keep me guessing. When he doesn't want to do something, he'll shake his head vigorously, while yelling "yeh-yeh!"  And whether he wants his shoes/coat on or off, he consistently asks for them to be put 'on.'  We seem to be perpetually living out Opposite Day.

- Always eager to take after his big brothers, he loves brushing his teeth at night. The only problem is that he can't quite reach the sink, and uses toothpaste that doesn't need to be spit out, but of course he sees Gabe and Dante spit theirs out, so he wants to do the same - and he does, regardless of where he's standing - in the middle of the bathroom, or in the hallway. The boy loves to spit.

- Gabe is becoming - or at least believes he's becoming - wise beyond his years. Dante asked him to play Chutes and Ladders this morning, and Gabe said he didn't want to, because he doesn't like to play that game anymore, and Dante reminded him that he used to love to play it. To which Gabe replied "Well, I'm growing up, Dante. Times change."

- His new catchphrase, whenever we thank him for doing something is "Oh, it was nothing."  Because that's just how cool he is.

-Dante’s class has invited all the moms in for breakfast this coming Friday morning. He’s reminded me of this at least 20 times in the past two days. I think he’s a little excited : )

- Dante has started writing yet another story, and this time it seems to be a spinoff of Captain Underpants. His version is called "Captain Poopy Under Diaper."

I knew that with three little boys, I'd be subjected to quite a bit of potty humor, but I had no idea just how bad it would get. I try to ignore as much of it as possible, but it really gets under my skin sometimes, because I just don't get why it's so hilarious to randomly insert the word poop into songs and sentences and stories. Apparently it is completely hilarious, but the humor is lost on me.

One of the hazards of being the lone female in the house, I suppose.

Why I Do This

I woke up feeling super grumpy today - despite the fact that it's the first day of spring, and it felt more like summer - beautiful warm breezes and blue skies.

It was just one of those days, and everyone's whining and demands requests were amplified tenfold, and I felt like the Grinch, ready to scream about the "noise, noise, noise, noise!!!!"

Thankfully they made me laugh a few times, too - Dante, when I told him he could write on our weekly calendar what he wanted to have for dinner Sunday night, and he wrote "makincheese," leading me to believe that he thinks it's called "Mac IN cheese." I’m also still laughing about one of his journal entries from a few weeks ago: “Today is Monday. Yesterday was Sunday. Tomorrow will be Tuesday.” Thrilling narrative, isn’t it?

And Gabe was talking about someone he knows who wears braces, and commented very casually "yeah, I don't think I'm going to want to wear those when I'm older."  As if it's an accessory he can choose whether or not to sport.

Carmine cracks me up almost every time I turn around, but his latest adorable thing is that he refers to Gabe as "Gee Dah-Dah," and he also refers to Dante as "Gee Dah-Dah." He spends plenty of time with both of them separately, but I guess he finds it easier to have a combo name. He does the same thing with Scott and I, referring to us both as "Mommy Daddy."  At least I have top billing!

It was a day with a lot of ups and downs, though, despite the funnies and the gorgeous weather. 

I don't say this often - almost never, in fact - but this morning when I woke up and thought about the fact that I had to go for a run, I cringed. It was the last thing in the world I wanted to do. Shocking, right?

I wasn't even staring down a crazy workout, either. Since I put in a pretty intense effort in New Bedford, I planned on a nice easy recovery run today - something I'd normally welcome, particularly in the midst of marathon training, when 'easy runs' are few and far between.

And the weather couldn't have been more perfect. Warm, but slightly overcast, so it wouldn't get too hot.

You'd think I would have been at least mildly excited to get out there and get some miles in. But you'd be wrong. 

Once again, marathon training has sucked the joy out of my running. Or so I thought.

Then I forced myself outside, turned on my Garmin and my iPod, and got moving.

The first mile felt awfully creaky and awkward.

The second mile felt less creaky and awkward, but I was still just kind of getting through it,  and not enjoying it.

Then I turned the corner and headed along the ocean, and along the stretch of road that I'll be running as I finish up the .2 of 26.2 miles in just a few weeks, and as I looked over at where the finish line will be, I felt a rush of excitement, thinking about all the emotions that will be racing through my mind as I finally cross that finish line - the first among them being pure joy. 

Oh yeah. There IS a reason I'm doing this.

Suddenly my stride seemed quicker, my legs felt lighter, and so did my heart.

Suddenly I found myself wishing that it wasn't an easy recovery run. I wanted to run further and faster.

I didn't feel discouraged and depressed anymore - I felt anxious and excited. I'm so ready. I want to run this race!

I still have one more 20-miler to complete this weekend, and several more track workouts and tempo runs, but I feel pretty sure that they're just the icing on the cake.

The real work is done, and I'll put it all into practice very soon. Not soon enough, but very soon.

Some Random Things

A sign of how unusually warm our weather has been this winter - the boys' had an afterschool trip to the tubing park planned for tomorrow, but it had to be cancelled due to lack of snow. It's been so warm, they can't even make snow!  I'm sad for them, but at least it's warm enough that, instead of tubing, we can just play outside after school.

I am still occasionally astounded that I can see, and no longer have to deal with contacts or glasses to do so. It's so liberating, and so amazing. Best money I've ever spent.

I've been dairy-free for quite a while now, and have pretty much adjusted to it, and have a few observations:

- Non-dairy 'cheese' slices aren't too awful when they're part of a larger entree - i.e., a slice of veggie cheese on a sandwich.

- Non-dairy veggie shreds are totally nasty, no matter what you do with them.

- Soy milk can be substituted for regular milk in just about any recipe - a very good thing, since I love to bake, and I love to eat the things that I bake.

- I LOVE soy milk in my coffee.

- The two things I miss most are yogurt (greek yogurt with homemade granola was my favorite post-workout snack, and I'm still struggling to find a good alternative) and ooey gooey cheese pizza. I've gotten very creative at making pizzas with lots of veggies and no cheese, and they're delicious, but sometimes you just want the real deal.

Carmine, for months now, has referred to any kind of treat - cookies, cake, chocolate - as det-doh. This word was such a part of our everyday life that we were all saying det-doh, too. But the other night, for the first time, he said "treat."  And when I gave him his treat - a piece of chocolate - he said "cha-cha."  I know it's exciting for him to keep expanding his vocabulary, and it was awfully cute to see him grinning and shouting "tweet! tweet!" but I'm going to be sad when det-doh is no longer part of his vocabulary.

Gabe continues his night-owl ways, staying up until 10 or 11pm some nights. We're trying a two-pronged approach to getting him to go to sleep earlier - 1. We're waking him up at 7am every day, no matter how late he's been up the night before, in the hopes that being unable to sleep in will make him tired enough that he simply can't stay up so late anymore. 2. We've instituted the Wii Clock. Every night that he stays up past his lights out time (8:30), he loses 10 minutes of Wii time. Since they usually play about an hour of Wii on Saturday or Sunday, he starts the week with 60 minutes, and the clock will provide a very visual reminder to him of how much (or little) time he's going to have for video games, based on his nighttime behavior. Hopefully we see some progress with this.

There's a dead tree on the side of the road where we wait for the bus stop - it's a pretty small tree, and it blew over during a storm a long time ago, and has just been laying there on its side - not blocking the sidewalk or the street, so not really a bother to anyone. But it has made for a great jungle gym for the boys, and they're now making it their mission to try to dismantle it piece by piece. It'll be interesting to see just how successful they can be.

I really want an iPhone. Really badly. But I just cannot justify the $70 per month plans. I wish someone would offer a plan that costs a little less than that.

My spring and summer race schedule is shaping up nicely. I may even be running my first 10K ever. All the 5Ks, 10-milers, half-marathons, marathons, but I've never run a 10K. It'll be an instant PR : )

Dante brought his journal home from school today. One of his entries was about the football game that we watched while sitting on our "cowch," and how the "Pacthreeits won."  And today's entry talked about how tomorrow is "groundhawg daye." 

Got our welcome package for the 10-Day Family Re-Charge, and I'm really looking forward to it. We've already begun to make some subtle changes, even before the program has officially begun, and I've noticed a little more brightness, a little less stress. And when those stressful situations do come up, I'm feeling much more in control of how I react to them.

I'm completely addicted to avacadoes right now. Can't get enough of them. Also have gotten pretty hooked on an afternoon cup of tea with a little bit of honey. Even though our weather has been so warm, it's still a nice cozy ritual.

Despite the warmer-than-usual weather, I'm still longing for summer, and daydreaming of long days at the beach. I know it'll be here before we know it, but it can't come soon enough for me.

Carmine is going to be a digging machine at the beach this summer. Unfortunately, he's probably also going to be a throwing, screaming, and kicking machine. Love the terrible twos.

He's actually been slightly less screamy lately (is screamy a word? If it isn't, it should be, because that's what he is). He still lets out some big ones now and then, but it's not his default volume level.

Speaking of letting out some big ones, he also now giggles any time he farts or burps. His brothers have taught him well.

Out With The Old

Another Christmas is in the books, and it was another fabulous one. Tons of family time, tons of presents, tons of food, and tons of fun.

Carmine was totally into the present-opening this year, but not because he really 'got' the concept - he just liked the chaos of everyone tearing paper and exclaiming "oooh!" and "wow!" 

Scott took a really funny video of the unwrapping insanity at Grammy and Grampy's house on Christmas Eve, and it is absolutely hysterical to watch Carmine jumping up and down screaming and waving pieces of wrapping paper in the air. Every time I watch it, I almost fall off my chair laughing. He is nothing if not enthusiastic - even when he has no idea what all the enthusiasm is about.

He did finally catch on to the unwrapping thing on Christmas morning, though, and tore into his presents very eagerly. And then when we celebrated Dante's birthday 3 days later, he wanted to tear into Dante's presents, too. He'll get his own turn in just a few more weeks, when we celebrate his second birthday. He'll be a pro by then. And he'll be TWO! Yikes! How did that happen???!!!

And our 'little' Dante is six years old, which I still can't quite wrap my head around. He had a fun birthday. His cousins were here visiting the day before, and then on his actual birthday, he spent the whole afternoon with Scott and Gabe - going out to lunch, playing Blizzard Bingo at the library (each time you got Bingo, you won ice cream toppings, which you then, of course, enjoyed with some ice cream), then going to see a movie, then coming home to have his birthday dinner of cheeseburgers and french fries, with brownie cupcakes for dessert. A lucky birthday boy, I'd say.

One of their favorite activities of the past week (aside from playing games on the new Wii that Santa brought them) was the Kids Fit class they took at the local CrossFit gym. It was Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning, and they absolutely loved it!  They did obstacle courses, sprints, box jumps, burpees, pullups, squats, and pushups. They were seriously working out, and having so much fun doing it - it was so perfect. They're going to be offering it again, and I'll definitely be signing the boys up again. A great activity, especially for the winter months.

Despite that, and three mornings a week at Kids Gym at the Y, and a good amount of time playing outside (as we enjoyed more unseasonably warm weather), they were bouncing off the walls All. Week. Long. I honestly don't know if I've ever seen them quite this hyper. We've had a really fun week, but I know it's going to be really good for all of us to be back on our regular schedule again - and back to eating normal, healthy foods again, too! 

Marathon training is officially underway, and I'm up to 16 miles for my long run, have done a couple of hill workouts, completed an amazingly great tempo run, and did my first track workout this morning. It hurt - I had forgotten just how tough those workouts are - but as always, I felt so unbelievably accomplished when I was done.

My 16-miler on Saturday, on the other hand, left me feeling nothing but awful. It was cool and drizzly when I set out, but I didn't think it was that cold, so I just wore a tank top with a long-sleeve technical shirt over it, and capris. I had gloves on to keep my hands warm, but I wasn't really dressed too warmly, because I figured I'd warm up pretty quickly once I got going.

I did warm up, but the rain also picked up quite a bit, and although it wasn't pouring, it was a very steady rain. I don't think it would have been an issue if I had only been going out for an hour or so, but I was out in that mess for a full 2 hours and 20 minutes, and it took its toll.

The first few miles were rough. I was kind of dreading the run, and I had left the house later than I usually do, due to Gabe's basketball game in the morning, so it all just felt 'off,' and I had a hard time getting going.

I finally hit my stride around mile 4, though, and had a few miles where I felt great, despite the cold and wet conditions. I stopped for a Gu around mile 7, and was feeling pretty good.

Then I turned toward the ocean, and the temperature dropped noticably. The air was much more damp and bone-chilling, especially since I was already pretty well soaked. And I was almost to the halfway point, which is always tough mentally for me, as I struggle between celebrating that I'm halfway there and bemoaning that I still have 8 more miles to go.

I kept at it, though - and was keeping up a great pace, too - even a little faster than I had planned on running. My plan had been to stick to between 8:50 and 9:00, but I was holding an 8:45 pace pretty comfortably, so I stuck with it.

But even though my legs were holding up ok, my mind was not. I was getting increasingly cold and uncomfortable, and more than once, I thought to myself that if it wasn't Carmine's nap time, I would be finding a phone and calling Scott to come pick me up.

I was also cursing myself for not dressing better. I should have worn something that was at least somewhat water resistant. It wasn't really all that cold, but since I was soaking wet, the cold was really getting to me.

I knew the only way to get out of it, though, was to keep moving one foot in front of the other, so that's what I did.

As I got closer and closer to home, I was feeling more and more awful. In addition to being cold and wet, the long-run aches and pains were now settling into my muscles and joints - and, I think, were also amplified by the cold. I was quickly approaching full-on misery.

And did I mention that the final few miles approaching my house are mostly uphill?

I honestly don't know how I ran those last few miles. It was awful, and I was so, so glad when it was over.

But a few more things needed to happen before I started to feel better. First, I needed to warm up. As soon as I stopped moving, I started shivering, and didn't stop for a long time. I don't know if I was actually hypothermic, but it felt like I was dangerously close.

I got into a hot shower and then put on several layers of warm dry clothes, and Scott helped me get together a steaming hot cup of tea and some toast and scrambled eggs, which was all I could even think about eating - and even that didn't go over so well with my stomach, which was feeling rather unsettled.

Finally, about an hour later, I had stopped shivering and shaking and was able to eat my toast and eggs, drink a bunch of water, and also scarf down a huge bowl of cereal, after which I started to feel more human again.

Very, very valuable lesson learned - rain + slightly chilly temperatures requires some sort of waterproof or water resistant shell. I'm confident that if I had not gotten so wet, I would not have felt so cold, and could have avoided feeling like I had a 60-minute flu after I got home.

Since I have never done runs of this distance in the winter, there was bound to be some trial and error - hopefully that's the worst of the error part of the equation! 

I still stand by my belief that winter training is better than summer training (hate running in sticky, humid air), but this weekend provided very clear evidence that winter training is going to present its own set of challenges - and we haven't even had any snow yet!

Challenges are meant to be overcome, though, and I have to just keep focused on my goal. I'm aiming to finish Gansett under 3:40. I'd love to get as close to 3:35 as possible, but I'll be thrilled with anything under 3:40, especially since I'm going to be running it just 6 months after Hartford! (Note to self - never again will I run two marathons just six months apart).

That's my first goal for 2012. Second goal is to break 21 minutes in a 5K. My PR right now is 21:57. I hope to shave at least a few seconds off that when I run the Super 5K next month, and then post-Gansett, I'll really be focusing on improving my speed at shorter distances.

Then in the fall, I'm aiming to finish a half-marathon in 1:42. Lots of time to get ready for that goal - and it'll be nice to have a somewhat less grueling training schedule during the summer (i.e., training runs in the 13- to 15-mile range, rather than the 15- to 20-mile range).

So many fun things ahead, in running and in life - it's hard not to be excited about the start of a brand new year!

Jingle Bell Bling and Other Stuff

The holiday season is in full swing, which means I have even less time to blog than I did before - and that's saying something, since I barely had any time to begin with.

Things are moving along at warp speed, and we are seriously counting down the days 'til Christmas - the boys are counting down because they can't wait to visit with their cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents and eat yummy food - and then there's that whole present thing.....   

I'm counting down because I don't know how much more of the anticipation and craziness I can handle!

Scott told me the other day that he thinks I shouldn't put the decorations out so early (except for the tree, I put all our decorations up the week after Thanksgiving). I'd be happy to wait another week or so to decorate next year, but I really don't think it would make a bit of difference, because these kids start getting bombarded with Christmas stuff before they've even made their final decisions on what they're going to be for Halloween.

I don't want to sound like a Grinch, though. I love Christmas, and I love having the house decorated, and to some extent, I even love the kids' insanity. I took Gabe and Dante shopping Saturday morning so they could each buy Carmine a present, and we had a really fun time. We also went out to lunch, and then to a local shop where they were each able to paint a mug to give Scott as his Christmas present.They enjoyed that, and I think he'll really like getting those as gifts.

My shopping is just about done. I did a lot online, and a lot at local stores, which worked out great. And the boys and I will be making some homemade notepads for their teachers, and I think I'll also buy some pens that they can decorate, and we'll include that little handmade gift with the gift cards I'm giving them. I know they appreciate the gift cards more than anything, but I always like to include something a litlte personal, too, and I think the boys will have fun putting the notepads together.

Carmine's getting into the spirit, too. He recognizes Santa now, and does a pretty good "ho, ho, ho." He loves the Nutcrackers we have, too - he likes to move the lever and say "mouth!" as he watches their mouths open and close.

He's been relatively tolerant of the shopping excursions I've taken him on, too. He gets crabby and antsy sometimes, but I'm usually able to find some kind of noisy toy that keeps him busy while he sits in the carriage, and luckily he's still young enough that I'm able to distract him and take it away and put it back on the shelf before we leave the store, so we don't actually have to purchase it - we just borrow it long enough for me to get my shopping done, and for him to annoy all the other customers in the store with whatever beeping/singing/vehicle noise-making plastic thing I grabbed for him.

We all went to the tree lighting and fireworks at the beach this past weekend, and I was a little concerned about how Carmine would react to the fireworks. When Dante was 2, we ended up having to leave with him because he got so scared. Carmine was a little nervous at first and buried his head in my shoulder, but after a few minutes, he turned around and looked, and then started yelling "Boom!" and really getting into it. He even yelled "More!" anytime there was a lull.

He loves all the decorations, too - especially the lights. I put lights on the stair railing, and when I turn them on, he comes running over saying "I see, I see!"  and then walks up and gets his face right next to them and says "Whoooooaaaaaa."

He is a hilarious little character. He's been entertaining us with a lot of singing lately - and I use that term loosely. His songs usually involve him walking around the house for about 10 minutes yelling a single word over and over and over again, sometimes while carrying a toy guitar, sometimes while banging two toys together as loudly as he can. And sometimes the word is recognizable - as when he sang "Daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy..." the other day. Other times it's gibberish - like yesterday, when he sang "bee yah, bee yah, bee yah......" 

Dante thinks it's hysterical. Gabe thinks it interferes with him trying to watch Scooby-Doo.

Dante had his first karate class this afternoon, and I think he's already hooked. He was so into it, and I swear, it looked like he had already taken several weeks worth of classes - he kept right up with the other kids, and was so serious, and so excited to be there. I only signed him up for a month to start, but I will be shocked if he doesn't want to continue, so I suspect we'll be signing him up for a 6-month stint pretty soon.

It's one of the more expensive activities (far more than soccer or t-ball or basketball), and they encourage attending two classes a week, rather than just one, so it can get pretty time-consuming, too. But if it's something he really loves, and is really excited about, and is learning from, I'm willing to shell out the money and take the time to bring him.

Gabe's first basketball game is this Saturday, and he's really excited. They didn't have any games for two weekends in a row, so he's really itching to get back to it. I have no idea if he'll stick with basketball after this season, but if he doesn't, that's ok. We'll find something else to keep him busy!

I made pecan pie this weekend, and I didn't think the boys would be crazy about it, but I encouraged them to try it. They took a few bites, and Dante seemed to like it ok, but Gabe was making some funny faces. I asked him what he thought, and he replied - "Well, I kind of like it, if it weren't for all the pecans."

One day last week, completely out of the blue, he asked me "Do girls even fart." When I told him that yes, of course they do, he replied "No way!  I don't believe you - you must be joking!"

These boys are such a constant source of entertainment. I only wish I had more time to write about them. But I guess I should be glad I have any time at all, because even though I've really slacked off in the past year or two, I've still managed to record a lot of really special, important, and funny moments in their lives.

Running is continuing to go well, too. I'm just a couple weeks away from starting up marathon training again, and I've really enjoyed running without a plan, and without any pressure. And the races I've done have been so great - I've raced, but at the same time, I've been sure to enjoy them, too, and not be so focused on a specific time goal.

Sunday's Jingle Bell 5K was no exception. This race is on the beach, on the sand, so it's a very different type of run. I always forget how much harder it is to run on the sand, but I was quickly reminded! It was a beautiful day for a run, though - more unseasonably warm temperatures - warm enough for a tank top!

I knew I didn't want to run all-out for this one. I wanted to have fun, and I wanted to enjoy that I was running on the beach on a December day that felt more like May : ) 

And as I've been doing lately, I ran without my iPod. I've been doing that quite a bit recently, and I'm finding myself really enjoying the quiet.

I even ran without my Garmin one time, and loved that, too. I won't go without the Garmin very often, but I have found myself looking at it far less often, and running more by feel. It's been really freeing, and really nice, to not be so tied to the little numbers on that screen. I'll be back to that soon enough....

But in the meantime, the only times I looked at my Garmin during the race were the times that I heard it beep for each mile split. I honestly didn't even want to know what pace I was running - I was running what I felt like running, and that would have to be good enough.

But, all that being said, I am, and will always be, a competitive runner, so I was keeping track of where I was in the pack. This is a very small race, with two turnarounds, and every other time I've run it, I've come very close to winning my age group, so I knew I at least had a shot at it this year. At the first turnaround, I was the 7th female overall. At the second turnaround, I was the 6th female overall. Another 1/4 mile down the beach, I was the 5th female overall, and that's where I stayed.

Finished in 24:18. I know I could have run faster, but I felt good about the effort I put in. I wasn't out for a leisurely jog, but I wasn't killing myself, either.

In the end, I did get my first-place age group award - a nice shiny medal to add to my collection : )

I don't remember what my splits are, and don't really much care. I was 13 out of 76 overall, and my pace was 7:50.

It was a fun race, and a fun win, and a great way to end my 'in-between marathons' down time.

Now I need to finalize my training plan and get myself ready to start executing it.

I'm going to miss running just for fun, but I'm also ready to get back to work! 

Randomness

Apparently the inside of a dryer looks very scary to a 22-month old. Since Mickey gets dragged around everywhere with us, I occasionally wash him down with some soap and water. This time when I did that, Carmine got very upset about Mickey being slightly damp, and kept asking me to 'fix' it. So I figured I'd toss Mickey in the dryer for a few minutes, which was fine, until Carmine went in there 5 minutes later and opened the dryer door and stood there screaming bloody murder, with a look of pure horror on his face. Mickey's going to have to air dry from now on, I guess.

The weather this month has been spectacular. Glorious. Unseasonably warm. I'm loving it, and so are the boys. We played outside after school yesterday, and we were all pretty bummed when it got so dark that we had to go in. We're squeezing in all the outside time we can, though, to take advantage of this, because soon enough we'll be bundled up inside, waiting for spring.

I'm attempting to stave off the winter blues this year, though, and am trying to get myself in the mindset of embracing winter. I may even buy a pair of snow pants for myself so that I can really get out and play in the snow with the boys without getting soaked and frozen. The delayed onset of cold weather is helping tremendously, and I'm hoping my positive attitude can last long enough to keep me from getting crabby and depressed when the truly bad weather finally arrives.

Carmine is a regular at the gym again. He settles in with his snack and watches me leave without so much as a whimper. But when I come to pick him up, he looks around to see what toy is closest to him, picks it up, and throws it on the ground. I wonder if this is his way of saying that even though he's enjoying himself playing, he's still a little pissed at me for leaving him there?  I remember Gabe doing the EXACT same thing when I picked him up from daycare when he was this age. Those two are cut from the same cloth.

Carmine definitely has Gabe's temper, too. The second something bothers him, the screaming begins, and it sometimes goes on for a long, long time. I've gotten very good at ignoring the screaming.

Gabe is in overdrive with the holidays approaching. Dante is, too, but Dante's kind of permanently in overdrive, so it's not as noticeable with him. I need to be mindful of the fact that Gabe has a particularly hard time with stuff like this, so that I'm not so easily frustrated by his craziness. I know all kids get riled up around the holidays, but Gabe takes it to a whole new level.

He and Dante made their christmas wish lists the other day, by going through toy catalogs and cutting and pasting the items they wanted onto sheets of paper. Gabe's was 4 pages long, and every page was completely covered with pictures. Dante's was 2 pages long, and only had about 6 items total.

Dante keeps saying he wants a knitting machine, by which he actually means a loom. I think he'd love it, so I'll probably get him one. He's a crafty little kid, and is always taking out glue and scissors and beads and popsicle sticks and making some kind of creation. He's got such an amazing imagination.

Dante has also become our early riser. Gabe is showing hints of his future teenage self, sleeping later some mornings - although late for him is 7:30 - still pretty early by a lot of people's standards. Dante is often up at 5am. And since I'm often up at 5am, too, it's tough to tell him he has to go back to bed. I do make him at least try to go lay down for a while, but it doesn't usually last long.

And his company is nice, but there have been some mornings where I had to ask him to just stop talking for a few minutes. He maintains a constant stream of chatter, which, especially at 5am, can be a bit much.

Carmine's another chatty one. When he wakes up from his nap, or first thing in the morning, he'll play for a long, long time in his crib. He talks and sings, and throws his toys on the floor. It's really funny to listen to him. We hear the occasional "Wow!" or "no, no, no," and there's always a few "Mickeys!" thrown in there, too.

He and I have a little game we play. I tell him I need a hug, and he laughs and shakes his head and says "Hug. No, no, no," and backs away form me, giggling. Then after a few seconds, he gets into his football stance and comes running over and throws himself into my arms. It's a fun game : )

Dante continues to provide lots of comic relief. He told me that the Pilgrims and the "made of Americans" celebrated the first Thanksgiving.

And yesterday Carmine was playing with a car Dante got for his birthday last year - it plays the song "Funkytown." And he came over to me laughing and asking "Why do they keep saying 'Birthday Cow?'" Best misinterpreted song lyric ever : )

Gabe contributed to the hilarity, too - he brought home a page of his writing from school, and in it was the sentence "It started to get defecated, which is another way of saying loud."  I suspect that his teacher made sure to send that one home for us to see.

Last night after dinner the boys were having a treat, and we asked Carmine if he wanted one, and he said "no, no, no." I laughed and asked him if he wanted some chocolate, and he said "no, no, no."  I knew he was just saying no because he likes to say no, so I asked him a few more times, and finally something clicked and he realized what we were talking about, and in the middle of shaking his head 'no,' he threw his arms up in the air and yelled "Treat!  Me!!!!"

We've enjoyed our 2-month hiatus from activities, but it ends tomorrow with Dante's first karate lesson, and Saturday Gabe has his first basketball practice. The break has been nice, but I'm excited for them to get started with their new sports. I think they're both going to be really happy with what they chose. And not that there's anything wrong with soccer, but it'll be fun for us to watch them doing something other than soccer.

We also started back up with our special nights out with Mommy. Dante and I went out last week, and had a lovely dinner, and then went to the store to scope out some toys (getting ideas for his list for Santa), and then out for ice cream. Tonight Gabe and I are going out, and will likely do much the same thing.

And while I was out with Dante, Daddy and Gabe had movie night at home, and he and Dante will do the same tonight. The one-on-one time with them is so fun. We'll probably have to skip it next month because it'll be too crazy with the holidays, but it'll be great to return to it in January.

I'm trying not to get too far ahead of myself, but I am getting excited for Christmas. I have some fun gift ideas in mind for the boys, and the 'big' gift we're getting them is a Wii, which is going to blow their minds!!!!  We definitely have to make sure we have the videocamera rolling when they open that one.

It's going to be even more fun this year, because Carmine's going to be so much more aware of the whole thing, and I can't wait to see him open his presents. Not long to wait now.....

Boo! Jamestown Jack-O-Lantern Jog and Other Halloween Stuff

Since I started doing speedwork this summer - as part of my marathon training - I've been dying to run a 5K. I knew the speedwork was making me faster at longer distances, as evidenced by my training runs, and the longer-distance races I did this summer.

But I wanted to test those faster legs out at a 5K and see what they could do for that shorter distance. I thought I was going to have to wait until the Mews 5K on November 20th, but the weather this past Sunday looked like it was going to be nice, and I found a local 5K that I had never run before, and asked Scott if it would be ok with him if I were to squeeze in one more race in October. He was happy to watch the kids, so I headed over to Jamestown around lunchtime.

It was breezy and cool, but I knew once I started running I'd warm right up. I had no idea what the course was like, and I honestly was the least nervous I've ever been before a race. I had no plans other than to get out there and see how fast I could run. I had no clue what kind of time that would translate to.

My long-term goal is to break 21 minutes in a 5K, but I knew that was a bit of a stretch right now. I thought I might have a shot at sub-22, but I didn't have my heart set on anything. I just wanted to run FAST.

Lots of people were in costume, so there was plenty of people-watching to pass the time as we waited to start. I didn't see anyone I knew at the start, and was kind of surprised, since I almost always run into somebody familiar.

It was a small local race, so not a lot of fanfare, and soon enough we were off. The course started on one of the main streets in town, and then quickly headed off into back roads, where we wound around and up and down for a few miles before heading back into town for the finish.

In addition to not being very nervous about this race, I also didn't spend a lot of time looking at my Garmin. I glanced down a few times during the first mile, but after that, I really only looked down when I heard the mile markers beep.

That first beep came in at 6:55. I knew I wasn't going to be able to keep that up, but I didn't care. I wanted to see how long I could hold it for, and just how much I'd have to pay for it in the end.

The course wasn't super hilly, but it wasn't super flat, either. There were a few decent-sized hills that had me really working. I passed a few people on the hills, too, though. Ran mile 2 in 7:03. Not surprised that I was slowing down, and the second mile always feels the hardest, so I was kind of hurting here.

But of course, knowing there's only a mile left makes things a tad easier. I was definitely running out of steam, though. Finished mile 3 in 7:06. Still a good pace, but I was paying for that first sub-7 mile!

I had just enough left for one final kick to the finish, and my last .1 was run at a 6:30 pace.

But more importantly, as I crossed that finish, the clock read 21:57!!!!!!!!!!!!

A new PR by 23 seconds, a sub-22-minute 5K, and as I learned just a short while later, good enough for 1st place in my age group and 7th female overall. Woohoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As I waited around for the awards, I ran into the guy who heads up the local running club, who also happens to be the race director for the Gansett Marathon. I chatted with him for a while, and I couldn't help thinking that it's pretty cool that I personally know the race director!

My award was a shiny trophy, which Gabe and Dante thought was just about the coolest thing ever.

It was a fun race, and it was fun to place in my age group - my first age-group award as a 40-year-old! What was most fun was going into it with not many expectations. After all the stress and pressure of marathon training, it was so nice to go to a race without all that baggage. And it was nice to run a 21:57!  Getting under 21 is going to take some hard work, but I know I can do it!

The final stats -

21:57 - 7:04 pace

New PR by 23 seconds

7th female overall

23 out of 165 overall

The next day was Halloween, and the boys were about ready to burst by the time dinner rolled around.

We had gone to a Halloween event at their school Friday night, and a Halloween party at the Y Saturday, so this would be the third go-round for their costumes - luckily none of the costumes were very complex - Gabe and Dante were both Harry Potter, and Carmine was a devil - so we were ready to go in no time.

Carmine wasn't terribly cooperative with wearing his ears and tail on Saturday, so he just ran around looking like a baby in a red bodysuit. But he did actually keep them on for a while Monday night - long enough for us to get a couple pictures, anyway.

Gabe and Dante are old pros at the trick-or-treating gig, but they did need a few reminders to say thank you after receiving their loot. Carmine didn't quite understand what was going on at first, and at the second house we went to, he tried to give them the piece of candy he had received at the first house.

But by the time we got to the third house, he was on board and knew exactly what to do. And by the time we got to the fourth house, he was running at full speed behind Gabe and Dante, and doing his best to push them out of the way so he could get to the door to get his candy.

It was hysterical watching all three of them sprinting from house to house.

We didn't stay out too long. Dante was complaining about being tired, and I knew Carmine's little legs were probably getting worn out - and we definitely didn't need to keep collecting candy - they already had enough to last weeks.

They enjoyed handing out candy to a few trick-or-treaters at our house after we got back, and they were each allowed to have two pieces of candy. I'm pretty sure they snuck a third or fourth when I wasn't looking, but it was Halloween, so I pretended not to notice the extra candy wrappers on the table.

And now the holiday season is officially underway. Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner, then it's on to birthdays. The time is going to fly.

I've written so little about the big boys lately - mostly because I feel like, as they get a little older, I want to give them a little more privacy. Given the choice, they may not want their lives broadcast on the internet. I know not that many people read this blog, but it's out there, and 10 years from now, they may not appreciate that I was detailing their lives for anyone to stumble upon.

That being said, I don't want to exclude them entirely, because then they'd probably get mad at me for not writing about them : )  

They're both doing great in school. Gabe's teachers and his principal have all told me that they've seen a lot of changes in him this year, and that he seems to have matured quite a bit.

He still has issues - his biggest one right now is forgetting to raise his hand before he says something. He's constantly being reminded not to speak out. Sometimes he'll raise his hand and yell out the answer at the same time : )   But if that's the worst problem we're dealing with right now, I'm a-ok with that. I'm really happy with the education he's getting, and the teachers he's had. They work so well with him, and he's excelling academically, and gets along great with his classmates. What's not to like about that?

Dante is all settled into Kindergarten, too. He loves to talk about what he does at school, which I adore, since Gabe hardly tells us anything. He has a lot of friends, and even kissed one little girl on the bus a few weeks ago. The cutest part is that he kissed her on the hand : )   His math and reading skills are coming along really nicely, and he's so close to being able to read by himself. I think by early next year he'll be able to read independently. 

They spend a lot of time playing up in their room now. It's so nice that they have a big space where they can spread out their trains and cars and not worry about Carmine coming over and tearing things apart. I also finally got their study area set up in the small room that used to be the nursery, and that's now the space leading into their new bedroom.

They each have a big desk, and lots of organizers for their papers and markers and pencils and tape..... they love to sit up there and color. Gabe also does a lot of writing, and has written his own installments of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."

I usually leave them alone when they're up there, but I occasionally peek in to see what they're up to, and one time I heard them having a very serious discussion about how zombies eat your brain and vampires suck your blood, but mummies don't do anything to you. I feel bad eavesdropping, but it's so fun to hear what they talk about.

Carmine is still obsessed with Mickey Mouse, and has also latched onto an old Curious George stuffed animal that Dante used to sleep with, so now we're dragging both of those everywhere we go. I don't even want to think about how filthy they're getting, especially when I see them laying on the floor at the gym daycare. 

But if bringing his pals with him helps him feel better about going to the gym, I'm all for it!  As of last week, he's no longer crying when I drop him off, and we're back into our regular routine. I know it could all change again at any moment, but I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts!

Three more quick things about the big Ragu - he's talking up a storm, and it's so cute to really have conversations with him now!  He's also incredibly fussy about his clothes. If his sleeves are hanging down too low over his hands, or especially if his pants are a little long and are dragging on the ground, he totally freaks out until you roll them up for him. He'll just stand there yelling 'fix pants!  pants! fix pants!"

For some reason it really, really bothers him, so I'm now trying to remember to "fix pants" before they cause any problems. He also accidentally ripped a page in a book we were reading about a dump truck, and I was able to tape it, so it wasn't a big deal, but now every single time we read that book, he wants to turn immediately to that page and point to it and say "fix. Mommy fix. fix. Mommy fix." over and over and over again. Curious.

And finally, he's taken his possesiveness to a new level. When he has something and he wants to make sure everyone knows it's his, he grabs it and hides it behind his back while yelling "Mine!" 

If he was our first child, this behavior might surprise me. But given that he has two older brothers with whom he's constantly competing for everything, it makes perfect sense.

Scott and I have said all along - he's going to be one tough little kid. And after seeing him elbow his way to the door on our trick-or-treating excursion this week, I think our prediction is coming true already.

Mickey!!!!!!

I've been trying for a while now to find a tv show that Carmine would sit down and watch - I know he shouldn't be watching a lot of tv, but until you've stayed home all day every day with a very rambunctious almost-2-year-old, don't judge me for allowing him a little bit of tube time - and we finally found one.

He's now completely obsessed with "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse." He'll come running into the living room, climb up on the couch, and yell "Mihmey! Mihmey! Mihmey!" until you put it on. I've recorded a bunch of episodes, but since he's not even 2, he's perfectly happy to sit and watch the same episode over and over and over again. And he really sits and watches it, very intently.

Seeing as how he's dead set against going to the gym (I went there the other day to pick something up, and he started whimpering when we pulled into the parking lot, so I think we're in this for the long haul), I'm glad that I at least have a way to get half an hour of quiet time every day. Or an hour, if need be.

And I found a Toys R Us gift card in my wallet the other day, and found myself up in Warwick this morning, so we stopped in and got him a big plush Mickey, and he's of course completely thrilled. He's carrying Mickey around with him everywhere. Mickey played at the playground with us after we picked the boys up from school - he even went down the slide a few times.

And tonight, when I was reading Carmine books at bedtime, he took his favorite duckie book and held it out in front of Mickey, and started pointing to the pictures and 'reading' the book. Is it just me, or is that not completely adorable?

For all his completely adorable moments - including when he said "love you" to me yesterday at naptime, completely unprompted, and when he kissed my hand earlier in the day - he's definitely well on his way to the terrible twos. Lots of screaming, lots of tantrums, and lots of throwing and banging and stomping of feet.

I had forgotten how hard this stage can be.

But I suppose when you think about it, it makes sense that they act a little crazy at this age. He's still a baby in my eyes, and still a baby in a lot of ways, but he wants so badly to be a big kid. It must be so frustrating.

And although he is saying a ton of words - actually said his first sentence today - "Hi Daddy!" - there's still a lot of things he can't effectively communicate to us. Thus, all the screaming.

He does have a lot of words now, though, and tries to repeat everything we say. He usually does pretty well, but there are a few words that he just can't even come close to getting right. One of them is 'truck,' for which he says 'ah-dee.'  I have no idea why, but 'ah-dee' is as close as he can come to truck. And his cup is still his 'buppy.' That's what we all call it now, though, so I think that one's going to stick for a while.

He tries so hard to keep up with his brothers. It's so funny to see him take off running after them. Last night Dante was doing somersaults, and Carmine was right down there with him, trying to do his own somersault.

And one night when they were going to bed, Carmine wanted to climb up into Gabe's bed, so I helped him up there, thinking he'd just sit on the bed. But he crawled right up to the top of the bed, pulled the covers down, laid his head on the pillow, and covered himself up. He was fully prepared to go to sleep there, I think.

Gabe thought it was really cute, but thought it would be even more fun if he climbed in with Carmine.

Carmine, however, did not like that idea one bit. As soon as Gabe tried to get into the bed, Carmine started pushing him away and yelling "Mine, mine, mine!!!!"

I have no idea how he learned the word "mine," but he's become very adept at using it.

The whole no-gym thing has definitely shaken up our routine the past few weeks, and it was really getting to me, but I've finally accepted the fact that this is how it's going to be for the foreseeable future, and I'm not letting it stress me out anymore.

I'm also not going to even try to bring him for a while, because it's just torture for all involved - for him, for me, and for the poor women who work at the daycare.

So for the time being, I'm getting in as many early, early morning workouts as I can - sneaking out to the gym before anyone's even awake, which means waking up before 5am. It sucks getting up that early, but I'd rather do that than go at night. I'm a morning person, and I always feel better if my workout is done early in the day.

And once the marathon is over, I'm going to start working out with the Fit Families group that I'm a part of. There's a ton of opportunities for getting in a great workout, while still being able to bring Carmine with me. So it won't quite be 'alone' time - which was one of the reasons I loved going to the gym so much - but I'll get the stress relief of getting in a good workout, and I'll be in good company, too.

I don't know how long I'll keep him away from the gym. I'll just play it by ear, and be thankful that I do have some other options.

And when I need some Mommy time, there's always M.I.C.K.E.Y.

The Boys

As it always does, the weather around here has gone back and forth this month between cool, dry, fall-like air and warm, humid summer air. On on of those warm days a few weeks ago, we snuck in one last beach outing after school.

I hesitated for a moment on whether or not to do it - it would mean a car full of sand, and sandy children who'd need a lot of washing up when we got home - but it would also mean a few more hours at one of our favorite places - so we went for it. And it was lovely. Scott stopped and got some sandwiches and joined us for dinner, and we had a wonderful night. Well worth the cleanup afterward.

And one of the reasons we were able to just pack up and head to the beach on a weekday afternoon is because the boys are not signed up for ANY activities for the next two months! I debated this for a while, and came so close to signing them up for something, but I'm so, so glad I didn't.

They'll both start up with sports again in November - Gabe in basketball, and Dante in karate - but for the time being, I'm really enjoying not having to rush them out the door when they get home from school. And I'm definitely enjoying not having our Saturday mornings occupied by sports practice.

I know it's good for them to be busy with stuff, and I'm happy to spend my time taking them to all of their activities, because I know they enjoy them. But I think they're enjoying the break, too. They come home from school, have a snack, do their homework, and either play outside or run up to their room and construct elaborate Lego universes.

So I think it was a good decision, especially at this time of year, when they're still getting used to being back in school - and especially for Dante, who's getting used to being in school all day, and is completely exhausted every night. Extreme exhaustion seems to be the main trigger for his night terrors, and he's been having more of them lately, so I know having a little less on his plate right now is a very good thing.

Gabe, on the other hand, is becoming more and more of a night owl, and we have a lot of trouble getting him to go to sleep at night. I don't mind if he stays up and reads quietly, but he had been getting out of bed a lot, and coming downstairs a lot, so we instituted a new system whereby if he goes to sleep after reading quietly for a little while (i.e., he stays in bed and doesn't get up and play with toys, or come downstairs), he gets 15 minutes of computer time the next day.

Two days in, and this seems to be one of the best motivators we've ever found! So we'll be sticking with this system for the foreseeable future. He was getting just as frustrated with the situation as we were, though - he complained to me one day last week that he "just wants to stay up late at night, but.... but.... but..... you just keep catching me!"

He and Dante are both getting so big, it seems unbelievable to me. They went on their first real bike ride with Scott a few weeks ago, and it was amazing to watch the three of them ride off down the sidewalk.

We're so lucky to live so close to a fabulous bike path - they were able to ride out of our neighborhood, down a hill, and straight onto the path, where they proceeded to ride 7 and a half miles! He said they had a blast, and he can't wait to do it again. Next order of business is for us to get a seat or trailer for Carmine, so we can all go for a ride together - maybe even down to the ice cream shop next spring!

Gabe in particular seems to have grown up a lot over the past year. Don't get me wrong - he's still an immature little boy who does plenty of things that are decidedly NOT grown-up - but he's changed an awful lot. And it's not just me who thinks so - when I was picking them up at school last week, the principal came over to tell me that he noticed that Gabe seems to have matured a lot, and to let me know how impressed he was with how well Gabe's doing so far this year. Music to my ears : )

Carmine is also growing up, and is getting a jump-start on the terrible twos. He's a rough-and-tumble little kid, and is constantly yelling and throwing things, and I'm doing everything I can to put an end to it, but it's very difficult when his big brothers sit there laughing hysterically at his antics.

I've even started giving him occasional time-outs if he throws something, and I warned him the other day that if he threw a toy, he'd have to sit in the chair for a time-out. So what did he do? He threw the toy, climbed up and sat in the chair for a minute, climbed down, threw the toy again, then climbed up in the chair again.

We really have our work cut out for us.

In addition to the attitude, Carmine is also going through a horrible bout of separation anxiety, and he's also going through a "all Daddy all the time" phase, which is especially tough since Scott works from home, and every time he pops in and out of his office for something, we have a whole drama with trying to get Carmine detached from him. It's exhausting.

He's also decided that he doesn't like going to the gym daycare, and screams bloody murder when I drop him off. Sometimes they're able to calm him down and I can stay and workout, but other times he doesn't last more than 10 minutes before they have to come get me.

It's incredibly frustrating, since that gym time is the way I structure my days and weeks, and it was also my guaranteed 'alone time' every weekday, and I'm really missing it. I had planned to just keep at it, and keep bringing him most days, figuring that consistency was key, and the more he goes, the sooner he'll get over it. But that doesn't seem to be working, so now I'm wondering if I should take a break and not bring him for a week or two, and hope that when we go back, he's past this phase.

I know he'll get over it eventually, but I hope it's sooner rather than later, because working out every day is really key to maintaining my sanity. Thankfully I've been able to go for my runs early in the morning, so that I'm able to get that training in (especially important now that I'm only a few weeks out from the marathon!), and I have been able to get in a few other workouts each week, but it'll be nice when we can get back to a more regular schedule with it - that's one of the things I was looking forward to most with the start of school. I love summer, but I do much better with a plan and a routine.

The boys are pretty well settled into their school routine now, though, and we're having much less chaos leaving the house in the morning, which is nice. And we have a fun time out at the bus stop. Carmine LOVES waiting for the bus. When he spots it, he points and screams "BUS!  BUS!  BUS!!" 

There have been a few mornings, though, when he got very sad after the boys left. I think he finally realized that when they get on the bus, it means they're going to be gone all day. It broke my heart watching him run down the sidewalk after them.

Luckily he's easily distracted, and a few minutes later I had him laughing and giggling. It seems impossible to imagine, but before I know it, he'll be climbing up those steps himself.....

Woof

On the eve of the second week of school, and we're all starting to get back into our school-year routine. The boys were a little tired last week, but they seem to be adjusting very well to Kindergarten and second grade. 

I'm still adjusting to the fact that I have a second-grader and a Kindergartener!!!!!

Dante has complained a few times about not having any homework to do. We'll see how long that lasts.....

Still dealing with the mad dash out the door to get to the bus stop on time, but hopefully we'll get that process smoothed out a bit during the next week or two. There's always a bit of chaos as we leave the house, but I'd like to see if we can alleviate at least some of that chaos.

The rainy weather we had last week didn't help, either. It's hard enough getting used to having to remember backpacks and lunchbags, without having to also remember raincoats and umbrellas! Thankfully we're back to the beautiful, dry, warm September weather that I love, so at least for next week, we should be coat-free in the mornings - one less thing to have to remember!

All of the beach stuff has been washed off and put away. We may sneak in a few hours at the beach one of these September weekends, but we won't be loading up the beach cart for an entire day on the sand.

I was putting some pictures in a photo album the other day, and already missing the beach. Missing watching Gabe and Dante screeching with delight as they caught a wave on their boogie boards. Missing Carmine doing his happy sunblock dance (he LOVES having sunblock put on). Missing the ride home at the end of the day, when we'd roll down all the windows and drive along Ocean Road, sandy and windburned and exhausted.

It took a few trips to get our beach routine down, but once we did, Carmine proved to be just as much of a beach bum as the rest of us, and I'm looking forward to even more fun next year, when I expect he'll finally be ready to get out in the water. That will definitely make it even more work for me, too, as I'll have to stay right on top of him to make sure he stays safe - but I can't wait to see him splashing around with his big brothers.

I'm still surprised that he didn't get in the water this year, since he does EVERYTHING else that his big brothers do - good and bad. We keep trying to explain this to them, and impress upon them how important it is that they set a good example, and don't laugh when Carmine does things like throw food across the room.

But they're 5- and 7-year-old boys, so of course they laugh. And thanks to them, Carmine is now a pro at making fart noises, screaming at the top of his lungs, and generally making as much noise and causing as much destruction as he possibly can.

He's also adopted Dante's obsession with accessories, and is constantly asking for necklaces, which he calls "neh-nees." And I'm sure once he can tie knots, he'll be finding various pieces of string and ribbon that he can tie around his waist as a belt, just like Dante has been known to do.

Gabe loves nothing more than to make Carmine laugh, and will go to just about any length to accomplish that goal. I try not to let him get too out of control, but I have to admit, it's pretty awesome to see Carmine giggling hysterically at the sight of his big brother making an absolute fool of himself.

Gabe is growing up so much. He's changed so drastically in the past year or so, I sometimes feel like I hardly recognize him. Sometimes that manifests itself in wonderful ways - when he does something particularly sensitive, or thoughtful, or helpful. Other times it manifests itself as him acting like a teenager, talking back, being fresh, and arguing with every single thing we say to him.

He loves his catchphrases, too. A few weeks ago it was "You gotta be kidding me!" That was followed by everything and everyone being called "unpredictable."  And now that school has started, I'm sure he's going to pick up a new one. Hopefully it's as innocuous and harmless (and amusing) as the above two. 

He was arguing with me the other day about having to clean up his room, and he started to say something along the lines of "why do I have to do everything around here," and I didn't even let him get the words out, I was so angry that he'd even think to say something like that. So of course I let him know how angry I was, and how he better think twice about who's the one who does "everything" around this house. 

He listened for a minute, then burst out yelling "You treat me........ like a DOG!" 

I replied that yes, I do treat him like a dog - he's well-fed, has his every need attended to, and is showered with affection every day.

I don't think he really got it, but it threw him off enough to make him stop arguing and clean up his room.