Me: it’s time for sleep now baby
Texas: okay but can I get a mommy stamp in the morning?
Me: mommy stamp?
Texas: yea the red shiny one
Me: ????
Texas: the ones you put on my cheek for school
Me: ohhhh kisses!!
Texas: yea mommy stamps – I’m always sad when they wear off

I was recently talking with another mother who mentioned her son who is Texas’ age has begun doing elaborate drawings of little men – some with one eye and some with two eyes all poised for a fight. I found myself having to explain to this mother that my charge is currently ‘into’ drawing tiny hearts. He has also taken to calling me his ‘angel fish’ ….

“You Don’t Have to Be Pretty. You don’t owe prettiness to anyone. Not to your boyfriend/spouse/partner, not to your coworkers, especially not to random men on the street. You don’t owe it to your mother, you don’t owe it to your children, you don’t owe it to civilization in general. Prettiness is not a rent you pay for occupying a space marked ‘female.'” – Erin McKean

So, we added a new family member this last weekend…my tiny charge  during a stunning moment of creative genius decided that our new male gecko should be named Clive 2. If you are just tuning in…. our first (female) leopard gecko is named Clive (the female part is a recent discovery). Sadly, right off the bat my offspring began referring to original Clive – as new Clive’s girlfriend.  Poor Clive One has put in over six months with us – entertaining us, wowing us with her blinking and cricket hunting and just like that a man comes into her world and all the sudden she is just some smucks girlfriend. Ugh…..

So, Texas is officially three and he has officially had his party – what is a party-planning obsessed mother to do with her time? Plan for four! The date is officially set and the site has officially been reserved for next year – now to think of a theme….

In all seriousness, the party was great and most importantly, he had an amazing time. He got to touch a snake, eat a caterpillar (marzipan one) and bottle feed a piglet all in one day – PLUS he did it all wearing Spiderman shoes – life does not get much better than that for a male toddler 🙂

It turns out that I am NOT the only female in my house….Clive – our leopard gecko is also a female! So, along with a male spouse, child, dog, and two cats I now have another lady to dish with….another lady to commiserate with on… my hormones, hot flashes, annoyance with the trend of wedge heels and my new favorite Sugar lip balm by Fresh…it is so nice to have someone like me to share with.

In the ongoing party planning process that is Texas’ third birthday – it has become irritating that I am surrounded by the looming black cloud of nut allerigies. My son’s school is a ‘Nut-Free Zone’ and I am constantly inundated with frightening emails about children’s throats closing up because of trace amounts of left over peanut butter from last year on a table leg or at some child’s birthday.

I realized recently that I am becoming somewhat fanatical about this – grilling the bakery preparing his cupcakes and the cake shop handling the top tier of his cake (yes, three tiers like a wedding cake – look you only turn three once). I am sure these people think I am becoming unhinged or have borderline personality disorder….nope….it’s just 18 days prior to the blessed event.