Boy Mom

Whenever friends have their first child, and as I awaited my bundle of joy, I hear on a consistent basis things like: "You'd be such a good Boy Mom!" or "I can see you being a Girl Mom!" I was told that I would be good with either.

I would smile, say thank you, glow in prenatal joy, then turn away completely confused. Yes, boys and girls are different, but are they really THAT different? It is only now, after my son has grown some (now 21 months) and is walking, talking, climbing, running, jumping, throwing, etc., and only after I've heard from all my girlfriends who had girls first, that I think I may understand the difference between a Boy Mom and a Girl Mom.

There are always extenuating circumstances regarding stages of development, so it's not only difficult to compare, especially when you don't have a child of the opposite gender, but it's also a touchy subject between parents. No one wants to be the Comparing Mom, but you can't help but wonder sometimes...

Regardless, even without having a girl, I can look at Sydney every once in a while and say "Whoa - that is SUCH a Boy thing to do!" And even more so, whether it's good or bad, I can take a step back at look at myself and think I've really grown as a parent - not because of what I'm good at or my skill in handling situations - that's all still a work in progress and will be for the next...30 years... But because of what I've grown to allow - I used to be very Monk-like - you know, the tv show about the extremely persnickety person who can't have one grain of dust out of order...

Not anymore. For example, yesterday, I was making dinner, balancing on one foot while Sydney swung around the other, trying to play catch with my right leg, that I kept raising up over his head. Once I got the chicken in the oven, we were bouncing balls all over the place in the kitchen while I attempted to get the green beans going. After dinner, while the chicken platter soaked and we waited for Daddy to finish chores downstairs, we discovered that dropping two bouncy balls, one sitting on the other, at the same time, the top ball would bounce twice as high, since the bottom ball was, essentially, the point of impact and was made of rubber. The ball bounced into the chicken dish several times, and each time, I simply washed it off and handed it right back to Syd. I never would have stood for that before becoming a mom - boy or girl.

I don't know if this has anything at all to do with Boy Mom or Girl Mom. I don't have a girl, so I cannot possibly know what I would do differently if I did. All I know is that we play. Hard. Constantly. And I am becoming a better person for not worrying about every crumb, dust bunny, pile of books and balls and trucks in my house. But I am curious about the difference. What do you think? Do you have boys, girls, or both? By all means - share the stories and help shed some light for me and any other confused Mom out there!! In the meantime, bring on the Boys!

Sidelined

Ugh. Summer colds. 'Nuff said.

Happy 35th!

My dearest husband,
Thank you for being my partner in this crazy world. Thank you for doing the laundry when I'm so swamped with grading and SoL prep that I can't even remember if I've eaten. Thank you for giving me such a beautiful baby boy who has brought so much joy to our lives. Thank you for giving me space when I need to relax and disengage from life, in general, and for always being there when I need to come back. Thank you for running errands for me when I haven't had a chance to get to the store and for taking over at 2 in the morning when I just can't rock any more. Thank you for helping me attempt to keep some sort of order to our house when the Tasmanian devil that is two and a half feet high breaks loose. Thank you for everything you do, and everything you say, and for always letting me put my cold feet on you at night.

Happy Birthday, Steve! I love you.

Dionne

Summer Plans Revisited

I've mentioned, some, that I have a laundry list (including keeping up with the laundry!) for the summer. One major item on my list is (drum roll, please) finding my *perfect* burger.

I had a few odd cravings when I was pregnant. The first trimester, when I was at the height of my coaching, outside, long hours, in wind and sun, was chunky orange juice - such chunky pulpy deliciousness that I had to chew it on the way down. Later in my pregnancy, I had a penchant for kalamata olives. Prior to pregnancy, I'd never been a huge olive person, but something about the brininess was just...perfect.

I never had real cravings. I had a ravenous stomach and a mind open to suggestion - so much so that even Homer Simpson eating spaghetti made me want some with meatballs. But I did have one craving that hasn't gone away, and that is for the *perfect* burger.

I'm driving everyone I know crazy with this yen for my *perfect* burger. I don't want anything cooked on a griddle. It has to be grilled. It cannot be a pre-packaged, perfectly round or square slab of meat. It needs to be hand-pressed so it is thick enough to retain juices. The mix of condiments and toppings has to be just right so the heat of the meat contrasts with the crisp, coolness of the tomato and lettuce; And I'd really like it with avocado, but I'll take just a plain burger with lettuce, tomato, ketchup, and mayo, if I can get it.

I've tried...7 places in our area. None of them have it. Of those 7, 5 were recommended to me as the *best* burgers in the area. I don't want the best in the area. I want MY PERFECT burger. There is one more place I've heard of, but when Steve drove all the way there (it is apparently quite a distance from us, but in the same area...) he didn't have cash on him, and they do not take credit cards. I'm holding out a sincere hope that we can get there within the next week.

The Irish pub we tried today at our department lunch was good. But mine was dry. I only asked for medium well, which should have put a nice char on the outside without drying out the meat. Don't get me wrong - it was good. But it wasn't that for which I am yearning. And I was really hopeful, since this particular pub's food is truly satisfying. They have a pecan crusted salmon that is absolutely delectable.

If any of you know of a place that has THE burger, please please PLEASE let me know so I can put this search to rest.

Oh, and graduation was today, so I now have 2 months to dedicate to this search!! :-) Yay!