Thanksgiving rocked!

We spent my four days off out at Grandma’s and I have the crazy pictures to prove it. I was going to write a big, long, slightly cheesy post tonight but instead I’m going wtih all of these pictures.

Here’s Benjamin refusing to put on a hat and giving me a familiar look of defiant independence I imagine only my own spawn could muster.

Look at that face! Doesn’t he look like he wants to punch me?

There’s the little hat in his hand. This was just seconds before he threw it onto the floor…

I gave up and instead went for gloves. Wearing his own would be against the Toddler ethics code but he happily put on grandma’s and we took off into the woods to watch Larry, Den and Mr. Man chopping wood. [For the record: Mr. Man can split a piece of wood in one swing.]

All was well because Benjamin was back – outside – with his dudes. Larry, my mom’s boyfriend and my uncle Den are Benjamin’s favorite two people on Earth (aside from Thomas the Train).

After marveling at the wood chopping Uncle Den tossed Benjamin around in a huge pile of leaves.

The next morning Larry harassed Benjamin during his breakfast, using Benjamin’s blankie. If you can’t tell – he’s a peasant lady begging Benjamin for a kiss.

That afternoon Benjamin found himself on the porch of a mini-house built for little men like himself. He refused to let me in and actually slammed the door on my face several times. Eventually he did invite me in, but only after I promised not to take him back to the car (sorry, it’s fuzzy – I was freezing).

Hope you all had as fantastic a Thanksgiving as we did! Do you have any stories? How did it go with the relatives? Were you the only single at the table?

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Benjamin is racing in a Trik-a-Thon tomorrow.

The day care just told me about it today, otherwise I would have taken the afternoon off to cheer him on. Maybe I should anyway. Benjamin is a world-class tricycle rider by the way. We ditched the stroller months ago. Now it’s a bike ride to the coffee shop and park every night.

He pumps his little legs furiously the entire way there, about a half of a mile. Inside, he zooms around on the wooden floors, brushing and swirving past the legs of the singles checking each other out. “Scuuz me,” he says, “SCUUZ ME!!” He likes to repeat himself, louder always the second time around.

Yes, it’s quite a sight. My little birth control on a tricycle breaking everyone’s flirtatious mojo.

So tomorrow Benjamin will make his debut on a real race track. And here I have on my desk – a little pledge card. I have to donate a dollar amount for every lap he makes. The brochure says kids make 25 laps on average.

But knowing Benjamin, they’ll have to drag him off of the track kicking and screaming. He won’t go down without a fight – ever. Not if you’re standing between him and something he wants. And at this point in his life those things include: Thomas the Train, his bike and his best friend Sydney. Oh, and me, I suppose.

He’s been kissing the hell out of me lately. He jumps on top of me – grabs my face and then starts kissing me, my cheeks, my nose. And he says, “I love you, Mommy. I LOVE YOU!!” Wonder where he learned that one from.

So who wants to guess Benjamin’s lap count?

And how much should I pledge a lap? What’s standard? It’s a lonely pledge card by the way. That’s slightly embarassing isn’t it? I’m sure the other parents have like 10 million friends on theirs. Oh well.

This parenthood thing – the school thing – is going to be hilarious, because I don’t know what in the hell I’m doing, how I’m supposed to act. Should be fun. Another life adventure. Hell yeah, baby.

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I think an intervention may be in order, either that or an exorcism.

Benjamin has been possessed by Thomas the Train. Or maybe he’s sold his soul to Sir Topham Hat. Regardless, I don’t see much of him anymore.

If he does come downstairs it’s to ask me if he can watch, “Mickey’s Crack House.”

But I can’t complain… for the first time in 2.7 years Benjamin is occupying himself for hours on end. Which means I get some long overdue time to just chill out.

So how long do you think his Thomas obsession last? What are your little boys and girls possessed with? And what are the activities you think feed their brain the most?

P.S.

I’m definitely encouraging the Mickey’s Crack House reference, but he thought of it first. Makes sense. Those guys are definitely tripping on something.

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1. Mission Not Accomplished: the Thomas Lo Rider
2. On sharing a child.
3. Thomas would kick Mickey Mouse’s ass. Elmo would watch.

In hopes of preventing my son from unnecessary and costly material obsessions – I have limited his exposure to all typical child fascinations. But all of the following have somehow slipped in. Benjamin, just shy of two, has now developed fascinations with Thomas, Mickey and Elmo. And I’m afraid, there’s no going back. Thought I would vent on our new roommates…and distraction is good when you have relationship issues.

Thomas “the freaky” Tank Engine.

He discovered Thomas at the used toy store when a kind old lady (who I wanted to hug and kick at the same time) handed him a Thomas toy after he yelped for it. He wouldn’t let the thing out of his sight for two weeks. Then Benjamin was on a mission. He remembered this blue, smiling face from somewhere. His book stack! Yes, buried in the book stack was a Thomas story book I had bought for my nephew years ago. Then, a few days later, he emerged from his basement playroom with a Thomas DVD, also my nephew’s. “Train! Train!” He cried. Okay. I give in. Now we watch Thomas episodes, read the book and of course, play with that freaky Thomas toy.

Mickey “Prozac” Mouse

My best friend dropped her daughter off for an impromptu play date. She left a Mickey Mouse Club House DVD behind. A few weeks later Benjamin and I both caught a nasty sickness. Unable to move much, we had a movie watching marathon. Baby Einstein was driving me nuts. So I popped in Mickey Mouse. That was it. Mickey or “Ickey” was here to stay. Faced with any challenge – Mickey always rises to the occasion. Even when Pete, the nasty big cat, shouts in his face – he’s still smiling and always forgiving. Sometimes I want to punch Mickey in the face but I’m glad he’s teaching my kid how to be nice. And he has a really, really cool Club House.

Elmo – the pacifist monster

Ahhh…little Elmo. He’s so damn cute. I was a huge fan of Sesame Street when I was a kid. I remember when they introduced Elmo. I hated him. He just didn’t make sense and didn’t have anything on Cookie Monster – but now, as a mom, his appeal is clear as day. He’s Sesame Street’s answer to whiny, little toddlers. But he’s smart and that kid’s got character. I like him. If you haven’t seen Elmo in Grouchland check it out. Elmo loses his blankie – quite dramatic.

Hopefully all three will die a slow death and my son will play with inventive toys that inspire creativity. But I have a feeling that Thomas, Mickey and Elmo might win this fight.

[Photo credit: ThomasTankDepot.com, SesameStreet.org and Disney.com]

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