I'm still here....

and not too happy about it. I am so miserable and cr-aaaaa-bby!!! Poor Mason. My patience is running thin and it is taking all my energy to not snap or just lose it over very small and unimportant things. Everything hurts at this point. Everything. I was going to wrap Christmas presents, but I was too crabby. I didn't want to wrap someone's present with crabby thoughts.

Mason did have a good day today though. He is now in a booster seat..no longer a carseat. And he is THRILLED!!!! What a momentous day for him!! It is an adjustment for me though. He just doesn't look as safe. For 5 years we have been buckling him down and cinching straps, making sure buckles are in the right place and straps are tight enough and at the right height. But we made an appt with the carseat expert in Duluth and had her check it out as well as the baby's carseat.

Which leads me to the other fantastic part of Mason's day. The carseat expert works at the Fire Headquarters!!!! We got to park in the garage with all the fire trucks and engines, and Mason and I were given a grand, personal tour of the firestation after the car seat check with a bonafide fireman!!! He was in is GLORY!!!!!

We were given a tour of the garage and all the vehicles. The fireman opened all the compartments and showed Mason every little gadget. We learned that a "fire truck" is a ladder truck and a "fire engine" is a pumper truck. Mason did not say a word!!! His eyes were HUGE and he would just nod his head. Then Mason saw the POLE. This is when he began talking.
"That's a fire pole!! I can do a pole at the park by myself!! I can't do one that big, but I am practicing!!!!!"

Then we were given a tour of the station. Mason met the fire chief, deputy chief, assistant to the chief, and more firemen. He told many of them that he is 5 and he is in a booster seat now.

We saw melted items from fires, a map of the city with every fire hydrant marked, and the ones not working marked in red. Mason really loved that part and asked a ton of questions. We also saw the sleeping quarters and kitchen. Mason really loved seeing the sleeping quarters. Then he was able to look down the fire pole. To which Mason remarked: "I've never seen a real fireman go down a pole before!" So, the fireman said he would go down the pole for Mason....and he did. We waited at the bottom of the pole and down came the fireman. Man, Mason was thrilled!!! Once he was comfortable, he was all questions!! The fireman said "You ask good questions. Keep asking them".

As we left they gave Mason a plastic fireman's hat, a sticker that looks like a badge, and coloring book. You would have thought they had given him the holy grail. "Mom, can I get my crayons and bring my coloring book and crayons into my room to color in it? This badge looks like the fireman's badge!! I have a fire hat!!!" He also told me he wants to be a fireman when he grows up. Ahhh, it was such a wonderful experience for him, and we didn't expect it. I did however have the camera, because I knew we would be in the garage and see the trucks. We were there a total of an hour and a half.

And my little sweetie was waiting behind me in the bathroom to use the sink and said "I'm waiting in line behind the pink lady with the big fat belly".

His sense of humor is growning. We forgot to change the date on his interactive calendar. So for a week he would tell me, once a day "Mom, did you know it's Monday, Nov. 19th today?!"

Gotta love the little guy!!!

Well, I'm sure I'll be blogging again tomorrow because I will still be here. Hopefully the crabbiness will go away so I can wrap presents in the right mood.