Deep Breath.

Now I will take this chance to breathe deeply. June has been a busy month for me. My Dad came to Buffalo for awhile, my Mom came for awhile and my best friend came (with 2 of her kids). I am a pretty mediocre host. I don't cook much, I never make breakfast and will occasionally wash the dishes. Although I enjoy hanging out with my friends and family I am constantly stressed because I am afraid Cheeseburger is going to pee all over everything. He has been pretty good this month. He did pee in his own bed on Friday when Elaina arrived, but otherwise was well behaved once he emerged from underneath my bed. I will also have to thank Elaina for having well-behaved children. Cheeseburger seemed almost relaxed even though there was a chatty 5 year old and a loud 7 month old running/crawling around the house. My friend was nice enough to leave her 2 year old back in Ohio.

After Tom Brady left for Florida, I had to listen to my friend's daughter talk. . . and talk. . . and talk. Now I find Tom to be highly annoying in her own way, but this was a new kind of annoying. It wasn't any worse than Tom, but just different. It was not even constant chatter, it was just unnecessary. I never actually said all of the things that were going through my mind.

I get up and walk to the kitchen and the child tells me that the dog just followed me into the kitchen. Yup, the dog just followed me. . . that is what she does. . . she is a dog.

We were standing in a hut-type structure at the zoo during a downpour. After about 30 minutes, she says "It's raining". Thanks kid, but I am aware that it is raining. I am soaked, you are soaked, your mom is soaked, the stroller is soaked. The antelope are even soaked. That is the reason we are standing in this hut next to the antelopes for a half hour. Do you really think I like antelope that much?

She says "It's cold in here" and I offer her one of Tom Brady's sweatshirts and she politely declines. I know it's cold. We are in Buffalo, New York in July. It is supposed to be cold. So, how cold are you? Did you bring your own sweatshirt? I am NOT turning the heat up.

She talks about the popcicles in our freezer. We offer her a popcicle and she says "No thanks". Now I know 99% of children that talk about popcicles in my freezer want one, but not you! You just want to tell me they are in there! Thank you, I'm glad you told me, because I almost forgot that there were popcicles in my freezer.

I had no idea how to deal with my new little friend Captain Obvious. Tom Brady was gone and I was left to actually listen to her say stuff that was common knowledge. Eventually after discussing this phenomenon with my Best Friend, we came to the conclusion that the child is trying to make small talk. After I realized that I really didn't need to say much to her observations, I became a lot less testy and stopped trying to take these comments so seriously. The child was just trying to be grown up and it is cute sometimes.

Everybody is gone. Now I am going to sit back and enjoy my 2 days of solitude until Nick and Tom come back from their vacation with Nick's family.