Once an Iowan, Always an Iowan

I am usually not one to brag, but I think the cake I made for Thomas’ birthday party was pretty freaking awesome:

And easy! Will’s mom saw it in this book and directed me to it. I would totally recommend this book to others–all of the ideas are cute and doable by people like me who do not necessarily have the talent to do many of the Martha-Stewart-type designs that require the loads of equipment, seemingly acrobatic techniques, and decorative endurance that I am most definitely lacking.

My kind of cake is one that I can frost entirely with a spatula (which, with this one, I did).

Basically all I did was make a couple of cakes in 9×13 pans. (I used a delicious yellow cake recipe from Gourmet. You could use a mix.) I used the one that came out of the pan most intact as the base layer and frosted it with a simple butter-cream frosting recipe from the cake book. Then I cut apart the other cake and used it to make the other layers. The highest part, behind the number 2, has two layers on top of the base, and I cut it on a diagonal to make it seem like a ramp. The guy with the shovel is sitting on a single layer placed on top of the base. I had found the construction guys at Toys-R-Us, and they are really cute and just right for Thomas. (Unlike many of the toys I considered, these are actually rated safe for two-year-olds to use.) I crushed up some oreos to make the dirt.

Thomas said “Whooooooooooa” when he saw it, so I think it was a success. He also has barely stopped playing with the toys. I asked him what the little construction men’s names are. Apparently they are all named “Guy.” He especially likes Guy #1’s little blue shovel.

Whew, that was yet another long hiatus. Sorry about that. I assume that most people have given up checking in here, but in the interest of preserving my own memories of what’s been going on around here, I thought I’d try to start up again.

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Thomas didn’t sleep well last night. He wanted to sleep and tried, but something was bugging him and he was restless. My two options were 1) listening to the heartbreaking, despairing cries of “Mama! Mama! MAMA!!” from the other room, or 2) wrestling with and having my hair pulled by a half-asleep toddler. I chose the latter.

This morning I asked him what was bothering him in the middle of the night.

Me: Why were you so sad last night?

T: Nee. Mama.

Me: Nee Mama?

T: Nee. Mama.

Me: Are you saying “need mama”?

T: Yeah.

After this conversation, Will was going to take him and get started on breakfast while giving me ten minutes to regroup. But Thomas still needed mama and began wailing once again as Will picked him up to take him to the kitchen.

Will: Do you want to hang out with daddy or go to your crib?

T [with quivering upturned lips]: MAMA!!!

Will: Mama needs to sleep. Do you want to hang out with daddy or play in your crib?

T: MAMAMAMAMAMAMAMA!

Will: Okay, you can play in your crib.

[One minute of screamed "mamas" and inarticulate complaints ensues as Will plunks him down and walks out into the hall.]

Will [reentering the scream zone]: Do you want to hang out with daddy?

T [In a suddenly calm, sweet voice]: Yeah.

I have to admit that I love it that Thomas is so attached to me right now. Though let’s face it: at 3 a.m. it’s hard to draw the line between sweet attachment and maddening dependency. Sigh.