I Big Guy

Most are aware that my poor toddler son has gone through about a hundred nicknames from different people and he used to answer to each one. In fact, a few months ago on his 2^nd birthday I was proud of myself for putting forth an effort to refrain from calling him Baby G and start calling him Little G. In his short 30 months of living he has been G, Baby G, Gee Gee, BaBa, G-Mac, Little G and Gare Bear to name a few.

For the most part everyone had their own name for him and he was so polite that he just answered to each one in his own way, some times it was a look, some times he’d reply “yes” but last week I had the surprise of my life when I called him Baby G, by accident and he said as clear as day “ I not Baby G, I Big Guy.” When I asked him to repeat what he said he said “I not Baby G, I Big Guy.”

So let me explain where Big Guy came from. My husband has a generic name for all little boys, yup you guessed it “Big Guy”. So apparently, he overheard his dad refer to another toddler boy as Big Guy and made sure to say sternly “I’m Big Guy.” In other words you might need to come up with a new pet name for other folks, but this one…belongs to me.

Now in our house with a diva for a sister that hogs a lot of attention, my son really doesn’t get an opportunity to say too much, so when he asserts himself, we ALL listen. In fact, I’m a little ashamed to say that I didn’t even know he could form his sentences so well. I mean I knew he was on track and could say some words, but “I not Baby G, I Big Guy,” was a surprise to me.

The good thing about him is he has absolutely no problem in redirecting me when I slip. Each time my habitual Baby G comes out, he calmly repeats, “I not Baby G, I big guy.” Never with an attitude, never loud, just very direct and matter of fact. “I not Baby G, I big guy.” So let this serve as a warning to all those that refer to him in any other name, he just ain’t trying to hear it. You can try it and know that he will answer you, but he will politely let you know that he is in fact…yup you guessed it big guy.

2014 will mean a lot of new changes for the Taylor family. We will have additional study time, a new reading curriculum, eat at the kitchen table for dinner and most importantly, we will all refer to Baby G….I mean BaBa, I mean G-Mac, as BIG GUY.

 

 

Advertisement

Priceless

1. 

I can’t believe we are nearing the end of 2013 and as the old folks would say “seems like time is speeding up.” I believe in working hard and playing harder, but mommy duties, toddler schedules and life have made it more and more difficult to just get away. When my husband and I first married our negotiations included a mini getaway every three months and at least one annual trip. Considering all we juggle in our day to day I must applaud him for keeping his word in this regard. This year our anniversary snuck up on both of us.

It’s amazing how that works when it’s the same exact time every year. We knew we wanted to hop a plane somewhere, but it had to be warm, close and someplace different. A quick trip to Expedia.com revealed some pretty good deals to Puerto Rico. We were both surprised at the realization that neither of us had visited this popular U.S. territory.

With just a few weeks lead time and a ton of work to do leading up to it, I just didn’t get too excited until the day before. Finally, it was time to drop off babies and a late night trip to WalMart served useful for last minute travel necessities. In fact, we ended up staying up all night partially to pack, but mostly out of fear that we would oversleep. As we studied all the island had to offer, we both agreed we would visit a few tourist destinations like Bacardi Rum factory, but would mostly use this four day break to catch up on sleep and relaxation.

The more experience we get with parenting the more priceless a good night’s sleep becomes. So I am not ashamed to say that we went to bed early and slept in every day. We visited tourist locations during the day, but there was no clubbing at night. I was plum tired. But despite our initial exhaustion we pulled it together long enough to take in all the sights and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. Puerto Rico was absolutely beautiful, the food was good and the people were pleasant.

But more than the sky blue water, white sandy beaches and mid 80s temperatures in November I had the best company on the planet. I don’t publicly say it much, but I LOVE my husband. He is my friend, my partner and my confidant. He is my calm, my therapist and my cheerleader. For some people everything is better with cheese, but with me everything is better with Garrett. He makes me better and for that I am eternally grateful.

No matter what life throws at us, I look forward to our getaways. They are not just an opportunity to see a small slice of somewhere amazing that God created but a chance for us reconnect. As I age (gracefully) I am learning to give advice last; not first. So I leave you with the hope that each of you put forth an effort to create a space, a time, a moment to reconnect with your significant other. It truly is PRICELESS.

1.