Visit

My brother is visiting from California this weekend. He arrives Thursday on the red eye and he will be at my house a bit after 9am. This would all seem quite lovely and normal if it hadn't been 3 years since we last saw him (the week after my Big Monkey was born) and we hadn't gone almost that long not speaking.

The not speaking stuff is water under the bridge now thank God. And I guess I can believe that part of the reason he is visiting is because we have made amends and he is eager to connect with my kids. It's just hard because I am trying to forgive him for not visiting our mother (who lives about 40 mins from me) during that same 3 years. I try to reconcile it but have a very difficult time. My mom has changed so much and her memory is getting worse and worse. She just isn't the same as she used to be and he seems to have blinders on to that fact. I think my mother has aged significantly in the past 3 years. She's now 77 and she has pretty bad rheumatoid (sp?) arthritis. It really wears her down. But her mind isn't the same anymore and that is the part me and my sister and trying to come to terms with. She's so so SO forgetful. My dad has a hard time dealing with it in addition to his own aging and gets grumpy with her instead.

Anyway this post is supposed to be about my brother and not my mom. I'm nervous. I want to get the house in shape but GODDAMNIT I can NOT seem to rid myself of the dog hair. 2 pugs = MORE DOG HAIR THAN A PACK OF WOLVES, Seriously. And I didn't realize this at my old house because it was mostly carpeted on the main floor... but the dog hair blows across the hardwoods like friggin TUMBLEWEEDS and comes to rest on the area rug in the living room. I could vacuum the thing every day and still have a load of dog hair on it come nighttime.

ATTRACTIVE!

And suddenly Liam is starting to have little pee accidents. He has recently started peeing standing up and I think he doesn't point at the potty right away and it goes down in his undies first instead - not every time but at least once a day. He has had an accident of some sort every day for the past week. Frustrating since he hasn't had any sorts of accidents in MONTHS.

Anyway I'm sort of jigged up and jacked up on my brother coming and nervous and excited for my kids and all that. My brother and I were extremely close growing up... things didn't change til he moved and we had several disagreements and misunderstandings.

I gotta get moving. I'm hosting him for lunch Thursday as well as Friday with the rest of my family. I think for Thursday I'll do grilled chicken salads and Friday will be a big tray of baked ziti with garden salad and garlic bread. So this means a trip to the grocery store with both children. Not my idea of fun. GIVE ME STRENGTH!