The Toczylowski's: Rants and Resolutions

Well, friends, it has once again been 2 months since I last posted.

Terrible.

I have made a resolution. No, not a New Year's Resolution (I have plenty of those, too). A Birthday Resolution.

In my 31st year I resolve to blog once per week.

Yes, you heard me.

WEEKLY updates. Starting today.

Too much is happening. Life is going by SO FAST. I blink and Luke is a little boy. No longer my baby.

And I am starting to forget what/how/when he discovers things.

And it scares me.

So, friends, weekly updates it is.

Good luck to me!!!

Before we start with the Weekly Updates I first need to catch up on the last 2 months!!

Hopefully this is the LAST lengthy catch-up, picture overload update for a very long time.

So here goes....

CHRISTMAS
Luke loved Christmas. Tom and I loved Christmas. It was a very great day.
Tom and I stayed up late on Christmas Eve to wrap, drink wine, put together toys, drink wine and watch Christmas Movies. It was wonderful.
Luke woke up on Christmas morning and didn't want to open gifts. He wanted his normal routine of going downstairs, getting his Milk, banana, and waffle, and heading into the living room to eat breakfast, play with his blocks and watch Fireman Sam (the obsession with Handy Manny has now been replaced with a British cartoon, Fireman Sam).
He totally ignored the mountain of presents under the tree to eat his breakfast.
He is a man of routine.
But he finally came around and had a great time opening gifts.
It took quite a while as he wanted to play with EVERY toy as soon as he unwrapped it.
Most of my Christmas pictures are trapped on my camera. But I have posted some great DROID photos of the day.
After we celebrated our small family Christmas we headed over to the Tocz's to open even more gifts. Then dinner over in NJ with the Breen's. The day after Christmas Aunt Theresa hosted a wonderful dinner.
Luke loved seeing so many family members, playing with all the other little kids that were running around, and entertaining everyone with his boom box (which Santa brought and now he travels everywhere with).

Christmas Eve fun putting together the new toys

Santa Came!

Aunt TT, Luke and Julianna Christmas Morning

Grandpop and Luke eating cookies at Aunt TTs dinner

CHEESE

Grandpop loves to give Luke sweets

And Luke LOVES IT!

Hanging with Dad at Aunt TTs.

The week after Christmas we had a wonderful visit with Nan and Gramps. Sadly I do not have any pictures of this awesome week (Dad - send me the pictures!!!). Unfortunately Tom and I had to work all week, however Luke was able to stay home with Nan and Gramps and they had a great time. There were lots of visits to the grocery store, Target and Kohls. We now have a full supply of winter outfits in size 2T (thank goodness since the 18mo size is WAY too small now). Luke learned 2 new words over the week - "spoon" and "apple." Why, you may ask? Because Nan re-introduced him to the world of applesauce. He is now OBSESSED.

(Luke is also obsessed with this chair - an awesome gift from Aunt GG and Uncle Jimmy!)

Luke loves his visits from Nan and Gramps....and so do we. Coming home to a perfectly clean house, a happy child, a hot dinner and a large supply of wine every night was AMAZING. I wish it could happen more often!!

Nan and Gramps left right before New Years Eve. NYE was quite tame this year....and by quite tame I mean I was asleep on the couch by 10:30!! However not before eating a lovely meal of shrimp, steak and lobster tails with my wonderful husband.

New Years Day brought Winter Classic Watching (hockey for those of you not up on the sporty vernacular). Luke had a great time with the boys at the Tocz's.

The rest of January was quite lovely....the Tocz annual New Years Party, a lovely long MLK Weekend (which included a Luke and Mommy breakfast and a visit to Daddy's work), Luke's first real "friend birthday party", a get together with friends (which is totally different now that we are all married and most of us have kids), and a night away with my husband downtown (a gift from the best in laws ever).

The Best little Bartender at the New Years Party:

And now I am on to the RANT part of the post:

Rant #1 - Traveling for work is getting old. VERY VERY OLD. I took a 6am train to catch a 7am train to DC last Monday. In DC for 4 nights. Then had to catch a 6am train to catch a 7am train to DC TODAY. In DC for 2 nights. This routine will be repeating itself (erase DC, insert various cities in Maryland) for the next 2 months. Then a quick break in April. Then repeat until November. I am not sure how I am going to survive. I am not sure how Tom is going to survive.

And sadly, now Luke is realizing I am gone. When he wakes up in the middle of the night he cries for me and sobs when he realizes I am not in my bed. It breaks my heart just hearing these updates from Tom, let alone seeing the look on Luke's face when I am grabbing my suitcase...he knows now. He totally gets that I am leaving when he sees my suitcase. And his little face gets all crumpled up. And he hugs me. Holds on to me. And I still have to go.

IT IS SO HARD.

But then once I get to the job I feel great. I know this stuff. I am actually pretty good at it. And I love the freedom of having a few nights to myself. Eating out without paying for it. Going to the GYM every night after work. SLEEPING the entire night.

But then when I think about Tom and Luke at home.....it hurts.

So, like I said, THIS IS GETTING OLD.

Rant #2 - (A short one since this is the longest post ever.) Age 20 months is also very hard. VERY HARD. Luke totally has a mind of his own. And is stubborn. And persistent. And, unfortunately, cannot communicate what he wants or needs (usually just wants...I know what he needs!). He get so frustrated because he can't tell us the words he wants to say. I can tell he is trying so hard but most words just come out as "Trruuffsssh Trufffsssh"....like he is throwing all the consonants he knows into 1 word. And the hitting. He still loves to hit. And he knows it's wrong. But he does it any way!! ARGH. But, this is just a phase, right? Maybe Age 21 months will be better.....

Ok, friends. Time to shut it down for tonight.

But before I do please find some photos of our 2012 so far.
And keep your fingers crossed that weekly updates will be coming your way....

Play-dough - a new favorite