mother’s day

I have to say, this has been a pretty fantastic Mother’s Day.  This morning I received my present.  Carlitos apparently had been prepped for days on what to say as he gave it to me and said absolutely none of it, but the gift was fabulous, so I sure as heck didn’t care.  For the first time ever, I circled, dog-eared , left out on the coffee table and then finally held up to my husband’s face,  a picture of a necklace a wanted in a magazine.  Turns out…this tactic does work!  I received a beautiful gold necklace that says ‘Te Amo.’  Also, turns out…forced gift choices are just as fun to receive as random ones! Well, maybe the surprise factor is a little more fun, but this way certainly ensures that you get something you will love.

So, then my husband took Carlitos to swim lessons while Xavi and I tried to get ourselves together and get over there to pick them up afterward.  Sidenote: apparently Carlitos had a phenomenal day at swim lessons – kicking, ‘scooping’ (with the arms) and blowing bubbles in the water all at the same time!. The kid is a rockstar.  We went to brunch at this delicious AND stylish (yes, it isn’t as easy as you would think to find a restaurant that provides both in NYC) place called Espresso and then walked to church.

As soon as Mass ended we jumped in the car and headed off for my activity choice for the day: house (and neighborhood) hunting in  Long Island.  Growing up I HATED driving around looking at houses for sale on Sundays with my parents, but it must have somehow seeped into my bones, because it now constitutes my idea of a wonderful day spent with my family.

We actually found a town that seems a little too good to be true, in terms of what we are looking for: diversity, the water, a short train commute to NYC, a little yard and lots of restaurants and shops.  We shall see if we end up having the guts to actually move out of the city, but if we do, this will certainly be an option.  Throughout most of the driving around my boys slept like little rocks, making it such a peaceful car trip – not something that occurs all that easily anymore…

When we arrived home my husband and Carlitos went to work  making me one of my favorite dinners:  moules frites. Wow.  They outdid themselves! This was one of the best meals I have ever had.  Perfect mussels (purchased in our new ‘dream town’) in a white wine/garlic sauce, super thin french fries, and a “Magic Bar” (graham cracker, chocolate, coconut bar).  Oh, and we had actually already fed Carlitos dinner, so as Carlos finished making the fries, I put Carlitos to sleep.  This means Carlos and I had a romantic meal, just the two of us.

Okay, to be honest Xavi was there too.  But that guy is the quietest dinner date I have ever had.  He just slept and slept and slept some more.

I have to say though, as beautiful as the gift was, as lovely as our excursion was and as delicious as our dinner was, the best part of my Mother’s Day was watching Carlitos be the MOST amazing Big Brother EVER.  Anytime John Xavier was crying today Carlos Eli would lean over and take his hand and say “It’s okay, baby brother. Don’t cry. Shhh, shhh, shhh…”

This isn’t really all that surprising, though because he is clearly so in love with his new baby brother. Every morning he comes to our room and immediately asks “Where’s baby brother?” He then wants to kiss and hug him and hold his hand. “Can I hold it, baby brother’s hand?” (His sentence structure is still a little unique, but you get the idea.)  He is also always helping us sooth Xavi by putting in the binky or caressing his arm.

The best part is that at least three times a day Carlitos looks at Xavi and says “That little guy is soooo cute! He’s just a little baby. So cute.”  I wish you could hear how he says this-I come close to crying and laughing out loud every time.  And my absolute favorite was about two weeks ago, when we were about to put Carlitos to sleep. He went around giving everyone a kiss and hug goodnight and then asked if he could say goodnight to Baby Brother.  Of course. So, he went over to Xavi’s little bouncy seat, crouched down and said goodnight and then he leaned down and hugged him and said quietly “I love you so much.”  My eyes are tearing up even writing this.

I have to say, the adjustment to having a little brother hasn’t been entirely smooth for Carlitos.  He is definitely a little defiant toward Carlos and I now sometimes, but I am so thankful that he has yet to take an ounce of his frustration out on Xavi.  He loves that little guy soooo much and that makes me the happiest mother I could possibly be this Mother’s Day.

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One Response to mother’s day

  1. mom says:

    That really does sound like a wonderful Mother’s Day!!

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