MrZ’s brother is an all around “handy man” type of guy. The kind of guy that knows a little bit (or a lot) about everything. He is also REALLY nice. This means that he spends a lot of time at our house helping MrZ do things like cut crown moulding, or run wire through the attic, or remove a dashboard off of his car. He’s always more than willing to help MrZ out with just about anything. We always feel like we owe him because he does so much to help us. Meaning? When we win the lottery? He’ll be the first one we write a check to.

The funny thing is, that MrZ is the “big” brother in the situation. Considering MrZ spent a lot of time beating up his brother when they were kids, it fascinates me to see how much his brother helps him as an adult. But even MORE interesting? Is how much MrZ looks up to his “little” brother for being able to do all of those type of things. So, MrZ is always like a sponge around his brother, soaking up all the knowledge he can, and it’s a really cool thing to see.

But the BEST part of it all? Was the sound of pure glee in MrZ’s voice a minute ago when he called to tell me that his brother asked him to come help him skim coat a ceiling this afternoon. “He wants me to show him how I did it in NikkiZ’s room!” He’s so proud that his brother finally needs HIS help for something. It really does show that no matter how many wedgies are given, or how many eyes are blackened, kids can eventually grow out of their need to abuse their siblings.

Of course, I still could kick MY brother’s ass any day of the week. Make no mistake.

(And if I couldn’t? I still know where I can find pictures of him wearing purple hammer pants.)

This is why I am so glad we were able to give LilZ a sister. I wanted LilZ to be able to experience what MrZ and I have experienced in our lives with our siblings. There is awesome video footage of MrZ’s younger sister trying to kick HIS ass when she was 2 or 3 because HE was trying to kick his BROTHER’S ass. Those moments are the defining moments of life with siblings. There are definitely ups and downs (my brother’s “Welcome Home Fat Girl” sign would be considered a “down”) but neither one of us would have it any other way. And it will be nice know when LilZ says, “Well, my Mom had this issue about left turns…” and NikkiZ will be able to say, “Issue? ISSUE? You mean a psychosis…” and they can commiserate together about how they blame their addiction to donuts on me.

And maybe if they have each other, they’ll spend less money on therapy trying to undo the damage I might inflict on them during their dating years. Especially since neither one of them will be allowed out of the house before they’re old enough to run for president.

Jeepers. I’m paranoid. I write an entry about how irritated I was that the daycare was not opened on time this morning and yet, when the owner calls me out in the hall for “a word,” I’m all freaked out and convinced I’m getting in trouble.

Shit. Did my tuition check bounce?
I signed NIkkiZ in wrong AGAIN, didn’t I?
Did I forget to take off my shoes? I try to remember!
Oh no, she read my blog and is pissed I’m badmouthing her business.

Never ONCE did it occur to me that she’d be apologizing for the place not opening on time. That either shows that I have little faith in THEM, or that I am incredibly paranoid. Or probably both. But, to my suprise, they apologized to me. And the girl who opened the place late? Suspiciously absent. EEK.

And can I tell you how in love I am with all of NikkiZ’s classmates? One of them is 10 months old and will soon move to the older infant room but that makes me VERY sad because I love seeing her every day. She hangs out with me while I nurse NikkiZ and she just laughs and smiles and I just kinda want to take her home with me. I normally don’t like kids, so I don’t know if this daycare happens to just have an exceptional group of kids, or if my icy heart is thawing now that I have a small child of my own.

I’m thinking the kids are just exceptional, I can’t imagine my icy heart thawing that easily.

First and foremost - yesterday was my my Mom’s birthday. I was not able to draw attention to it since I couldnt get to my blog properly - so go over there and tell her happy belated birthday so I don’t look as much like an ass.

Okay - now to the issue at hand. Do you know what makes a company kinda annoyed about a new mom coming back to work? When that new mom leaves every two and a half hours to feed her child. She still puts in the hours she is supposed to, but it still seems a bit like she is needing special treatment. But do you know what makes it WORSE? When she is LATE two of the first five days back to work because the daycare is not OPENED yet when she gets there. It is supposed to open at 6:30am but today? 6:52 which makes feeding her daughter and getting to work by 7am IMPOSSIBLE.

I’m hesitant to complain yet because I’m the only one who gets there that early and I don’t want to rock the boat the first week. But I tell you - if it happens again in the next few weeks? I’m saying something. And it won’t be pretty.

(Who am I kidding? I’ve got the spine of an amoeba. I’ll just bitch about it to you guys again and probably not say anything until it causes me to get fired.)

We’re raising her the geeky way.

The excitement of the playmat is exhausting, you know.

*sigh*

Okay - so for reasons beyond my control, I can not get to the page on my site that allows me to publish blog entries. BUT - it occurred to me I can publish one through Flickr - so - here it is.

MrZ has been wanting to put NikkiZ is this damn Jumping Thingy since I was about 3 weeks pregnant. He tried a few weeks ago and of course couldn’t even keep her head upright. Now? She keeps her head upright but all she cares to do is chew on the damn seat. Heh.

She also started sucking her thumb this weekend, much to his displeasure. And NO ONE is allowed to say ANYTHING negative about thumb-sucking. Got it? It’s a sensitive issue for me. I was a thumb-sucker and I have no problems with it. That’s all that matters.

I have a million things I want to write about from the weekend. There was me waking up at 2am the night of LilZ’s birthday party and finding the boys covered in things like ketchup and syrup and shaving cream. Oh - and those of you who insisted they’d stay in their room all night and play video games? ARE LIARS.

Then there was the incident where LilZ deceived me by getting someone ELSE to buy the shaving cream because he figured I’d say “no” and how heartbroken I was because it was the first time he ever lied to me. And of course there was the aftermath of that where I told him I wanted him to be able to call me if he was ever too drunk to drive home and he looked at me like, “Damn, Mom, it’s just shaving cream…”

Then there was the new game we got “Apples to Apples” that we played with MrZ’s family and how awesome of a group game it is. And I learned that putting “golf-ball-sized hail” together with the word “sensual” makes me laugh, even 24 hours later.

And then? There was the dreaded Krispy Kreme excursion where the donut machines were broken and the donut supply was limited and I cried and cried and had to be consoled by a woman in a paper hat.

But, since my blog access is minimal, you’ll just have to deal with this entry for now.

LilZ -

Today you turn 11. ELEVEN. Holy crap, that’s old. This has been an amazing year and you have proven to us a million times over how wonderfully blessed we are to have such an amazing son. You spent my entire pregnancy getting excited with me about the birth of your sister. And you were so sincere about how excited you were! And you did everything you could to make my life easier as I got fatter and fatter. You were tolerant and patient with everything associated with our new house and the move. You helped in so many ways to make things happen with the move that I wasnt able to do. You helped with the responsibilities that I couldnt help with and I don’t know if we would have made it without you. You also spent a lot of nights giving me backrubs and rubbing my head to help me relax when I was so damn MISERABLE. You were fantastic.

And then? After NikkiZ was born? You rose to the challenge of being a big brother like I knew you would. You have never once been scared to hold her, even the day she was born. You entertain her when she’s sad, you cuddle her when she’s scared. You are already the best big brother in the world and your sister is only three months old. I am so thrilled to know that NikkiZ is going to have such a wonderful brother growing up and you are going to be such a good influence on her. I’m glad she’ll have someone she can turn to when she can’t turn to us.

LilZ - I love you more than you could ever know. I am proud of you in ways I could never express. It has been a long year for you - but it ended great. I hope year 11 is just as good to you.

I love you with all my heart.
Mom.