Adjusting...

Well, I guess I've really been neglecting the blog these past few months. Of course, now that I am the mother of two, I seem to have a lot less time to spend on the computer. Basically, these days I just check my email (i.e., delete my junk mail) and look at Facebook once or twice a day long enough to "like" a few people's posts. Every few days, I check Google Reader and read new posts on my friends' blogs. And that's about it.

Most of the time, it seems like I'm feeding someone or changing someone's diapers or trying to get someone to sleep. And if I'm not doing that, I'm looking for some toy Kiddo has lost or blowing bubbles. Kiddo seems to think that any time is a good time for bubbles, even if I'm nursing the baby, burping the baby, changing a diaper, or trying to eat... my patience is wearing a little thin. Just getting a chance to shower or sneak in a cat-nap is so much more difficult than it was just a month ago! I know that I have so much to be grateful for, and I am feeling so blessed to have my two sweet boys. This just isn't the most fun or glamorous time right now, and it will pass. It would just be nice to have a housekeeper or something. However, I must give credit to my wonderful husband: the Daddy-O is fabulous to us, and helps me with just about EVERYTHING he possibly can when he gets home from work.

Kiddo still seems to like his little brother, and is anxious to give him kisses and loves. He is totally amused by the baby's little noises, and thinks it's hilarious when the Little Squirt pees everywhere when I change his diaper. Evidently, Mommy is very funny when she exasperatedly says, "Oh, man!!!" several times... I do think Kiddo gets frustrated by how much time I spend feeding the baby because that is time when I am basically "out of commission," but he is doing better than I'd expected with it.

The funniest thing about Kiddo's relationship with the baby is that, for the majority of my pregnancy, Kiddo was absolutely definite that there was only one acceptable name for this child. Luckily for Daddy-O and me, it was the dignified Old Testament name we'd already pretty much decided on as soon as we knew we were expecting. However, since the baby's birth, Kiddo almost never refers to him by his real name. Instead, he calls the baby...... "Tom-Tom Tomato," or just "Tom-Tom," for short!

There is a story behind this crazy nickname. On Valentine's Day, we took Kiddo with us out to eat at the Olive Garden. The highlight of this trip, for Kiddo, was the children's menu and crayons. They are decorated with cartoon food characters, sort of like the Veggie Tales. The two that he remembered best were "Ollie Olive" and "Tonya Tomato." At some point weeks later, Kiddo decided that he was Ollie and that Mommy is Tonya. Somedays he will only answer to Ollie, and often he refers to me as Tonya or Tonya Tomato both at home AND in public.

If you look closely, you can see Ollie on the cup...

Later he decided he wanted Daddy-O to be Tonya also, but we informed him that Tonya is only a girl's name. Thus, Daddy-O became "Mr. Tonya." When we asked him what the baby should be called, he came up with "Tom-Tom Tomato," never really thinking Kiddo would actually call him that...

And now you can see Tonya Tomato...

So when anyone asks Kiddo, "What's your baby brother's name?" he answers, "Tom-Tom" and Mommy or Daddy have to explain that no, his name isn't even Thomas either. No, Kiddo didn't want to name him Thomas or Tom-Tom. He just wants to call him Tom-Tom now.

So, I'm wondering:

• Should I still refer to the baby as Rerun, which Daddy doesn't care for?
• Should I call him Tom-Tom, which is just confusing?
• Should I call him Little Squirt, because it does seem quite appropriate?
• Or, should I go back to the drawing board and pick an entirely new nickname?

Any suggestions?


Oh, by the way, the Daddy-O graduated on the 16th.
Not that it's a big deal or anything... j/k.
I think it's a big deal, but don't tell him I said so.