The term stay-at-home mom is somewhat misleading. I’ve been anything but at home. Between swimming lessons and all of the usual errands and shopping, we’ve been running at a frenetic pace– but at least we’re not bored, right?

School starts week after next, and I’m not having as hard a time with that as I thought I would. Khai’s week-long stint at the preschool’s daycamp proved that he is very comfortable there; he is ready, and I know he’s going to enjoy it. I’m so looking forward to those 2.5 hours of quiet time each day– I’ve thought it all out already: I’ll start with a trip to the gym, then a long shower at home, and maybe some coffee to finish off my alone time. Except for those days when I’ll drop the kids off, go back home, and crawl back into bed. I’m sure there will be a few of those, as well– and I will not feel guilty about that. I deserve a nap or seven.

Max played Dance Dance Revolution for the first time today… it was HILARIOUS. He didn’t really bother looking at the screen to see what to do… he just made it all up as he went (and still managed a decent score). I wish I’d had a camera there with me! It actually makes me want to go out and buy the whole setup so he can entertain me some more. The best part is that we were in the middle of a store– so lots of people got to see him going crazy on the dance pad.

I keep having ideas for jewelry I want to make, but I don’t dare start on that until I finish up the handful of other projects on my plate. Remember that time when I said I was going to stop volunteering myself for things? That didn’t go so well. :) It’s a special illness. I have so many ideas and so little time…

*Lawrence Ferlinghetti

Prior to today, the only dental work I’ve had was cleanings and one filling. This morning I had a wisdom tooth yanked out and three fillings done– and I’m convinced that nitrous oxide is the best stuff EVAR. I most certainly would have freaked out when my dentist did the extraction, only I was too busy not caring. Also, the drilling for one of the fillings made my entire skull vibrate… it was kind of unnerving. But I managed to not care too much about that either.

I’d like to nap but am feeling too tense. My tongue feels like it’s huge. I’m drooling and my face is numb up to my cheekbones. I am not looking forward to the anesthesia wearing off. But, yay for no more wisdom tooth pain!

The filling I had done like 8 years ago has broken and is now lodged in between two teeth. OW. It has been determined that once the filling is pulled out, I need a root canal and a crown… unless the orthodontist I am seeing next week says he can just pull that tooth and use it to make space for braces. I would be thrilled to have a pretty smile! My teeth aren’t horrible, but they’re not straight. So… I’m hopeful.

I’m going to go drool on my pillow some more now. Maybe sleep will find me?

My baby boy turned 5 today. Five. Years. Old. He’s actually a thirteen-year-old stuck in a 5-year-old body– he’s thinking and doing things that are way beyond his age. He read a 61-page book by himself a couple of weeks ago. He navigates the web like nobody’s business. He’s working his way through all of the puzzles in The Incredible Machine (and convinces little brother to help him build contraptions and gadgets in the living room). We went to Target today, where he chose to spend all of his birthday money on a 3D Space Projector, complete with 3D glasses and a CD containing a lecture about our galaxy.

Despite the fact that I was possibly the most self-conscious kid ever to walk the planet (and still carry much of that with me today), Max doesn’t have a self-conscious bone in his body. He’ll happily talk out loud in front of the entire story time group at the library (while I cringe in the background because he’s supposed to be listening quietly). He sees people he doesn’t know and immediately wants to go introduce himself because they might be friends. He astounds me– and I need to be following his example.

Max can be a pretty bossy big brother but he also cares deeply about Khai. He always works to compromise with him on both big and small issues. He helps encourage Khai to use the potty by singing with him or reading him stories. He helps Khai with so many little things, day in and day out– they are best friends.

He has a great sense of humor, but also a profound understanding of the world. Just today, Khai saw a hexagon with the state of Texas stamped in the center (Look! A EXagon with Texas in it!)… Max noted that it must be a TEXagon. :) Just a few hours later he told my mom on the phone that when we are looking backwards in our heads, things seem fast. But when we look forward, it seems like things take a long time. He just… gets stuff like that.

I’m a lucky mom. He can be so demanding, so tenacious, so… difficult. But then he’ll turn around and tell me a joke he made up. Or tell me a poem. Or tell me that he just used all the toilet paper so he put on a new roll. OR– he’ll tell me he loves me bigger than the Oort Cloud. I’m so completely in love with this little boy. Happy birthday, sweet Max.