Friendship

Hard Hat Harry sucks. Sorry dude, if you're doing a google search for yourself and you come across this post. I'm sure you have some merit since my 2 1/2 year old is glued to the screen right now, but I can do without the whole genie thing. Just show me your helicoptors or trucks or trains or cars or whatever. I don't need the genie backstory.

The dogs have just now quieted down. SkyWalker is calm. Now. Half an hour ago I could feel the blood pressure rising. We're having another poop day, after days of no problems, as I'm making dinner he needs to poop (but doesn't), as I'm trying to eat dinner he needs to poop (but doesn't). It's not his fault. I have the same problems--the urge to go with no result until finally it works. It's just frustrating when it coincides with A) me being pregnant and ravenous and really needing to just eat dinner B) the muddy dogs barking over nothing and C) Vader not being home.

Oh, there they go again. I know they're always on high alert when it's just me and SkyWalker, but sometimes I really wish I had a mute button for them.

Yesterday at 11:30 SkyWalker and I went to the neighbor's house. When we first got there the boys immediately ran to the playset outside and started swinging and sliding. Without saying one word to each other of course. It was a bit muddy so we got them to stop and went inside. The first thing SkyWalker saw was the pug puppy in the crate and he flipped out. "Doggie!!!!". He was totally smitten. They played with some trucks and then we went downstairs to the ginormous play room. It was like toys 'r us. They continued playing separately and not even talking to each other. Then SkyWalker starts heading up the stairs (he made himself completely at home) because he wanted to see the doggie again. I'm trying to get him to go back downstairs when K, J & little baby come upstairs. I say "Well, it's getting late (12:30) maybe we should go home for lunch and a nap. That's all I had to say. J, the toddler, pouts and says he wants SkyWalker to play more. SkyWalker has no desire to go home. They both run up the stairs to the 3rd floor to see J's room and to run to the windows and scream. They had a blast. We got them back downstairs and wound up having lunch there and they played with the doggie (still in the crate). We had to bribe SkyWalker to leave by taking the puppy out of the crate and on a walk outside. Instead of going in to the open car door SkyWalker ran to the playset and went down the slide one more time. We didn't get home until 2 p.m.! K. and I talked the whole time, obviously about kids and being pregnant, but also about living in the country and taxes and being away from family and just everything. It was reassuring to hear that J. is NOT potty trained and that SkyWalker is a normal toddler and doing normal toddler things. J. was also premature--at 34 weeks--and is just a couple months older than SkyWalker. And when K. was pregnant with the second one she wound up on bedrest and in the hospital for 3 weeks. She started having the BH contractions at 23 weeks! She had to get shots to stop contractions. She kept the new baby inside until 37 weeks and then had a C section. Just amazing. Anyway, so she totally understands how much I am freaking out right now. It was a really nice visit. We both said we'd do it again soon and that over the summer when I can put the dogs outside they would come over to our house. As much as I love and trust my dogs I realize that not everyone does and I'm not going to invite them over if they feel uncomfortable but I told them that so they don't think we're just playing with their toys. :-)

It's so hard to make friends, but I think the older you get the harder it is. When you're young and in your 20s and going out to bars or going to college there are more people you have things in common with. And then you get to that point where people's lives start taking different paths--either you settle down and get married or you're still single and hanging out at bars. And there's still division between the married group too--either you have babies or you don't. And having babies throws a total wrench into the going out to make friends scenario. You need babysitters. And even if you get a babysitter you wind up talking about the kid the whole time and/or falling asleep at 10 p.m. So you look for other people with kids who will understand. Your potential friend market gets smaller and smaller and smaller.

Case in point--there are all of a sudden a bunch of young people working at the library. My age and younger. 5 years ago that would have been a perfect opportunity for me to make friends. Now? Um, yeah, wanna hang out with me and my toddler? And I have to be home early ... and there's certainly no couple hanging out if you don't have an outside babysitter. So all of these young people are about 5 years too late. 

If my dogs run to the door barking one more time I think I will scream.

I love them all. I love them all. I will not physically harm any of them. I love them all. Gasp! Is Daddy home??? YAY!