Monday, May 28, 2007
Special moments
My grandpa passed away this pass weekend. He had terminal lung cancer. He came to live with my parents in April. My girls got to meet their great grandpa, a kind, gentle, loving man for the first time. Baby girl was smitten with him the first time she met him when he was concerned that she fell down, and he offered to kiss her boo-boo. Sweet girl loved the fact that he was so proud of her for dancing on stage in front the whole school, and for singing songs from the musical Annie on stage with a group of girls from her musical theater class. I love that even when he wasn't feeling well, he was still an amazing, loving, and wonderful man. I love that when he was in his last days, both of my girls wanted to let him know how much they loved him. Baby girl would walk into his room and whisper "sweet dreams" in her very sweet toddler voice as he slept. My sweet girl was very indignant when I told her that she didn't have to come and visit him with me because he was just going to sleep and he wasn't able to talk to her anymore because he was very sick. She said," Well, I want to tell him I love him, and tell him that I am glad that he got to come to Virginia to see us." When he passed, I tried very hard to explain death to my very bright almost 6 year old. I told her that he had gone to sleep and that his soul had gone to heaven to be with the people who loved him who had already died. I told her how they were waiting for him, and showed him all of the best places in heaven. She told me that my uncle was probably showing him the best place to fish, and that fish in Heaven could get caught and eaten, and then they would just reappear because it was heaven, and God would just want all creatures to be happy. It's amazing the insight that my girls have, but they do, and I have been feeling very blessed that they are my special girls who offer me special moments on a daily basis.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Creating lifelong Memories
I haven't posted in quite awhile...
Last week I had an unexpected winter vacation. And what an exciting, fun, and relaxing time I had with my girls, myself, and my mom and dad!
My husband was summoned to the icy, snowy roads late Tuesday evening/Wednesday morning and we did not see him until 5pm Wednesday evening. We woke up early to see the no school for sweet girl and myself, called the Nanny and gave her the day off, then went back to bed until 9:30-even baby girl was coaxed back to bed with a sippy cup of warm milk after her initial wake up time of 7:30. We stayed in our jammies until about noon, then we started the long process of getting ready to go out into the freezing snow/ice. Baby girl hates her snow clothes....with a passion. In went one leg, then as I was getting the other in, the first one came out. This went on for about 15 minutes, then finally Mommy conquered that cute, little, fiesty baby girl! YES! I won! She had snow clothes on and boots and was ready! Sweet girl was so excited to run and jump in that mess, she squealed with delight. Baby girl, another story... screamed and screamed, until finally my sweet girl distracted her and showed her how much fun she could have. They were having such a good time, that I decided to be purposeful and looked for a shovel. Ooops! My dear husband had taken all of them with him on his snow clearing journey for all of the paying business owners and homeowners in McLean and Arlington. So I went nextdoor to pay a visit to my Scottish neighbor so that I could borrow his shovel. And he, being the gentleman that he is, didn't want to loan it to me, he wanted to shovel my walk himself. After physical combat (I begged and pleaded, and started to pry his fingers off of the shovel), I got him to agree to let me shovel my walk. I know, I should have let him do it, but after all that lounging around, I really wanted to do it myself, so I could feel good! I can proudly, or stupidly say that I shoveled my walk, my other neighbors walk, and part of my driveway. Then my sweet girls were gettin' a bit cold and tired, so tired that baby girl fell asleep in my arms in her snowsuit.
The next day sweet girl got to sleep in and go to school 2 hours late, while I got the day off. My baby girl and I had some lunch, played, and then we went to pick up our nanny so that mommy could go and have some "me " time. I chose to get my hair cut and my normal hair stylist was not available. So I chose a new one at PR and Partners. I got the best hair cut, the best shampoo and conditioner, very nice caramel colored highlights, and this really cool anti frizz, smoothing serum(which makes a bad hair day hard to have) all for the unexpected and almost knocked me off my feet price of $275.00. WOW! After spending $275, you'd think I'd feel like a hot little momma, but aparently the Winter blues have taken hold of me and I needed something more to make me feel good. So, off I went to Nordstrom in search of a make up person to make me feel pretty. And low and behold, there was just that person standing behind the Laura Mercier counter just waiting for a person like me! When she was done with me, I felt great! I didn't know that they could do cool tricks with an eye liner brush and your top lid that would make my tired, mommy eyes look so pretty and vivacious! So needless to say, Nordstrom got another bit of my money, but after that I could have taken on the world because I was empowered with new found self confidence. I made it home just in time to pick up sweet girl from the car riders line (not something I get to do often, so that just added to the things that made my day). She's such a good girl, and noticed mommy' s new do, and complimented it nicely! That girl really knows how to make a mommy's day! When we arrived home, it was announced that I would have yet another day off of school! Whooppeee! I think I may have been more elated than some of my very own students about the lack of time we spent in class last week.
That evening my mother and I came up with a very fun and exciting plan for the next day. She and my dad met me at my house, the baby sitter came to hang with baby girl, and we dropped sweet girl off at school 2 hours delayed, and then we were off to spend the day in the snow at Liberty mountain. We skied for 3 hours, ate some lunch and then headed back home before it was dark (a request made by sweet girl when she reluctantly agreed that it would be nice for mommy and grammy to go and have some fun!). Saturday, Sunday, and Monday were spent in our Jammies till late in the morning, visiting with our boy cousins in Fairfax, ice skating across our back lawn, ice skating at the outdoor rink with snowflakes falling on our heads, and dining with Grammy and Grampy, and many hours of watching my two sweet girls use their amazing imaginations to create the most wonderful games and dialogue.
After this week concluded, I started thinking how nice it would be if every month had an assigned weeklong holiday! How fulfulling and enjoyable that would be! But for now, I guess I'll just enjoy it when it comes along, and look forward to our Spring Break when I will be guaranteed a weekwith my sweet girls!
Last week I had an unexpected winter vacation. And what an exciting, fun, and relaxing time I had with my girls, myself, and my mom and dad!
My husband was summoned to the icy, snowy roads late Tuesday evening/Wednesday morning and we did not see him until 5pm Wednesday evening. We woke up early to see the no school for sweet girl and myself, called the Nanny and gave her the day off, then went back to bed until 9:30-even baby girl was coaxed back to bed with a sippy cup of warm milk after her initial wake up time of 7:30. We stayed in our jammies until about noon, then we started the long process of getting ready to go out into the freezing snow/ice. Baby girl hates her snow clothes....with a passion. In went one leg, then as I was getting the other in, the first one came out. This went on for about 15 minutes, then finally Mommy conquered that cute, little, fiesty baby girl! YES! I won! She had snow clothes on and boots and was ready! Sweet girl was so excited to run and jump in that mess, she squealed with delight. Baby girl, another story... screamed and screamed, until finally my sweet girl distracted her and showed her how much fun she could have. They were having such a good time, that I decided to be purposeful and looked for a shovel. Ooops! My dear husband had taken all of them with him on his snow clearing journey for all of the paying business owners and homeowners in McLean and Arlington. So I went nextdoor to pay a visit to my Scottish neighbor so that I could borrow his shovel. And he, being the gentleman that he is, didn't want to loan it to me, he wanted to shovel my walk himself. After physical combat (I begged and pleaded, and started to pry his fingers off of the shovel), I got him to agree to let me shovel my walk. I know, I should have let him do it, but after all that lounging around, I really wanted to do it myself, so I could feel good! I can proudly, or stupidly say that I shoveled my walk, my other neighbors walk, and part of my driveway. Then my sweet girls were gettin' a bit cold and tired, so tired that baby girl fell asleep in my arms in her snowsuit.
The next day sweet girl got to sleep in and go to school 2 hours late, while I got the day off. My baby girl and I had some lunch, played, and then we went to pick up our nanny so that mommy could go and have some "me " time. I chose to get my hair cut and my normal hair stylist was not available. So I chose a new one at PR and Partners. I got the best hair cut, the best shampoo and conditioner, very nice caramel colored highlights, and this really cool anti frizz, smoothing serum(which makes a bad hair day hard to have) all for the unexpected and almost knocked me off my feet price of $275.00. WOW! After spending $275, you'd think I'd feel like a hot little momma, but aparently the Winter blues have taken hold of me and I needed something more to make me feel good. So, off I went to Nordstrom in search of a make up person to make me feel pretty. And low and behold, there was just that person standing behind the Laura Mercier counter just waiting for a person like me! When she was done with me, I felt great! I didn't know that they could do cool tricks with an eye liner brush and your top lid that would make my tired, mommy eyes look so pretty and vivacious! So needless to say, Nordstrom got another bit of my money, but after that I could have taken on the world because I was empowered with new found self confidence. I made it home just in time to pick up sweet girl from the car riders line (not something I get to do often, so that just added to the things that made my day). She's such a good girl, and noticed mommy' s new do, and complimented it nicely! That girl really knows how to make a mommy's day! When we arrived home, it was announced that I would have yet another day off of school! Whooppeee! I think I may have been more elated than some of my very own students about the lack of time we spent in class last week.
That evening my mother and I came up with a very fun and exciting plan for the next day. She and my dad met me at my house, the baby sitter came to hang with baby girl, and we dropped sweet girl off at school 2 hours delayed, and then we were off to spend the day in the snow at Liberty mountain. We skied for 3 hours, ate some lunch and then headed back home before it was dark (a request made by sweet girl when she reluctantly agreed that it would be nice for mommy and grammy to go and have some fun!). Saturday, Sunday, and Monday were spent in our Jammies till late in the morning, visiting with our boy cousins in Fairfax, ice skating across our back lawn, ice skating at the outdoor rink with snowflakes falling on our heads, and dining with Grammy and Grampy, and many hours of watching my two sweet girls use their amazing imaginations to create the most wonderful games and dialogue.
After this week concluded, I started thinking how nice it would be if every month had an assigned weeklong holiday! How fulfulling and enjoyable that would be! But for now, I guess I'll just enjoy it when it comes along, and look forward to our Spring Break when I will be guaranteed a weekwith my sweet girls!
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Breaking a sweat...
Taking your 18 month old to the doctor for a well visit is not supposed to be a workout, right? Well , it is when the 18 month old is my very independent, opinionated, active, wild, yet sweet and adoreable baby girl.
Let me paint the picture for you...
We enter the doctor's office, and the first thing that baby girl does is try to take a toy away from a little boy that was already playing with it. I stood anxiously waiting to see if she would get violent with the little boy, but luckily my sweet girl rushed in for the rescue encouraging her sister to come and play with her. Then her nose starts running, and I get the evil eye from a mommy sitting in the well side. So, we decide to go and sit on the sick side to prevent any germs from spreading (the sick side is separated from the well side by a big wall of air, you know?)
After 20 minutes of waiting, they call us back, only baby girl is not finished playing and puts up a big fight! I try to reason with her(what was I thinking), and then I resort to picking her up like a football and carrying her back to the office where a very pregnant doctor is waiting for us. She remembers my baby girl and how "how full of personality"she is (a.k.a. strong willed and out of control). Then much to my excitement, baby girl leaves a present in her diapers for me, and she refuses to have her diaper changed like most normal children do. After wrestling her down, keeping her still, grabbing her leg, and wiping her butt, while remaining a calm, good mommy in front of the doctor, I finally get a new diaper on the child. I am now sweating and out of breath. The doctor observe baby girl climbing on chairs, running, and trying to climb onto the table and comments on her wonderful gross motor skills. I ask her about the high level of activity compared to other children her age, and she says that the 18 month appt. is always a hard one. I think she was just being nice because my baby girl was all over the place and refusing to cooperate when it came time to listen to her breathing, checking her ears, tummy, ect.
Then my sweet girl stepped right in to save the day...
She whispers to the doctor,"Why don't you try those things on me first, then she'll want to do it too." Is she smart or what? She gets the art of manipulation, and boy was it successful! Baby girl was eagerly awaiting her turn, and cooperating like a champion! Until it came time to be weighed. There was no way that she was even going to think about sitting on that scale, no matter how hard we tried to make it look appetizing!
So the doctor came up with the great idea of letting me hold her while they weighed both of us, then just weighing me and subtracting to find her weight. Great! Now the doctor, 2 nurses, and anyone who reads baby girl's chart will know that her mommy still has a few pounds too many to loose!
We found out how much she weighed, and headed back to get dressed, only she was not in the mood to get dressed, so more screaming, squirming, and hitting proceeded to take place. Finally, we are dressed, and getting ready to head out the door, and sweet girl accidentally shuts baby girl's fingers in the door. So, we walked out of that doctor's office screaming and sweating. I thought I heard as we ran out of sight, thank god they are gone, may they be well for a very long time!
Let me paint the picture for you...
We enter the doctor's office, and the first thing that baby girl does is try to take a toy away from a little boy that was already playing with it. I stood anxiously waiting to see if she would get violent with the little boy, but luckily my sweet girl rushed in for the rescue encouraging her sister to come and play with her. Then her nose starts running, and I get the evil eye from a mommy sitting in the well side. So, we decide to go and sit on the sick side to prevent any germs from spreading (the sick side is separated from the well side by a big wall of air, you know?)
After 20 minutes of waiting, they call us back, only baby girl is not finished playing and puts up a big fight! I try to reason with her(what was I thinking), and then I resort to picking her up like a football and carrying her back to the office where a very pregnant doctor is waiting for us. She remembers my baby girl and how "how full of personality"she is (a.k.a. strong willed and out of control). Then much to my excitement, baby girl leaves a present in her diapers for me, and she refuses to have her diaper changed like most normal children do. After wrestling her down, keeping her still, grabbing her leg, and wiping her butt, while remaining a calm, good mommy in front of the doctor, I finally get a new diaper on the child. I am now sweating and out of breath. The doctor observe baby girl climbing on chairs, running, and trying to climb onto the table and comments on her wonderful gross motor skills. I ask her about the high level of activity compared to other children her age, and she says that the 18 month appt. is always a hard one. I think she was just being nice because my baby girl was all over the place and refusing to cooperate when it came time to listen to her breathing, checking her ears, tummy, ect.
Then my sweet girl stepped right in to save the day...
She whispers to the doctor,"Why don't you try those things on me first, then she'll want to do it too." Is she smart or what? She gets the art of manipulation, and boy was it successful! Baby girl was eagerly awaiting her turn, and cooperating like a champion! Until it came time to be weighed. There was no way that she was even going to think about sitting on that scale, no matter how hard we tried to make it look appetizing!
So the doctor came up with the great idea of letting me hold her while they weighed both of us, then just weighing me and subtracting to find her weight. Great! Now the doctor, 2 nurses, and anyone who reads baby girl's chart will know that her mommy still has a few pounds too many to loose!
We found out how much she weighed, and headed back to get dressed, only she was not in the mood to get dressed, so more screaming, squirming, and hitting proceeded to take place. Finally, we are dressed, and getting ready to head out the door, and sweet girl accidentally shuts baby girl's fingers in the door. So, we walked out of that doctor's office screaming and sweating. I thought I heard as we ran out of sight, thank god they are gone, may they be well for a very long time!
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Where are my earplugs?
It's 12:07 am on Saturday night/ Sunday morning, and I am sitting here listening to the piercing screams of my baby girl. Apparently she is not excited about going to sleep. This has been going on for about 45 minutes. I've tried motrin for her ailing eye teeth that are about to poke through, and I've gone in to console her a few times. But, she just keeps screaming. When I go in, she points to the door, which means that she would like to sleep with me. I'm really wanting a peaceful sleep (as peaceful as it gets with snoring dear husband beside me). Amazingly, my dear husband and my sweet girl are sleeping like babies, or at least how babies are supposed to sleep. How do they do that? We live in a very close quarters home, it's loud!
I think I have very sensitive ears to her crying, it drives me crazy! Slowly she's winding down, but then another load wail erupts from her little body....
I know this won't go on forever, and one day I will wish that my baby girl needs me and wants me, but for now, it just plain sucks! Well, I'm off to console her again! 12:14 am aaaagggghhhh!
I think I have very sensitive ears to her crying, it drives me crazy! Slowly she's winding down, but then another load wail erupts from her little body....
I know this won't go on forever, and one day I will wish that my baby girl needs me and wants me, but for now, it just plain sucks! Well, I'm off to console her again! 12:14 am aaaagggghhhh!
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Make new friends, but keep the old...
This week has been a great week as far as friends go. On Thursday, I went to the first meeting of what is hopefully to become a monthly affair of a women's wine tasting club. I really don't like wine, especially the wine that was featured...Pinot Noir. But I decided to go after some encouragement from a friend who would be there. I openly confessed my distaste for wine, and no one shunned me! I tasted the wine, was a good sport, and had a great time! I found out that I had more in common with a distant friend who has been out of the country for 2 years, and I found that someone I really don't care for is really a person who has some insecurites, and that is probably the reason for her distasteful behavior in the past. I also set up a lunch playdate with one of my husband's friends wives for today as a result of the wine evening. I had a really nice time at lunch today with her, and it was nice to have the company of another woman who works full time and has two girls.
And then tonight, one of my friends who I have known since I was 9 came to town to visit her parents, and I was so excited to have her and her children over for dinner and a playdate. Our kids get along so well, and I was wishing that we lived closer-she resides in N.C. I jokingly said that we would get together more often once we moved to N.C., but my dear hubby only nervously giggled at that idea...
It was so nice to be able to chat with someone who knows me, and my family and has the same mutual childhood friends as I do. It was also good to vent a bit about a certain mutual friend that I have written about before. My conversation with my N.C. friend confirmed for me that I wasn't being judgemental about that other friend, but that her behavior is truely rude and unacceptable. I have been on hiatus from that high maintenance friend, which has resulted in less disappointment for me and less frustration...I think a good thing for all parties involved!
I have also become friends with one of sweet girl's classmates mom. My sweet girl and her oldest really bring out the best in each other, and this woman just seems so normal and nice... no personal agendas, no materialistic competition, just a general, nice grounded person. It doesn't hurt that she complimented my home, saying that is was a house full of love and happiness. Love it when my family gets compliments like that!
To sum it up, this week has filled a void that I've been feeling since one of my best friends in the whole, wide world (the one that loves me even when I'm a month late in sending her birthday gift to her, the one who listens to me talk crazy, but doesn't really think I'm crazy, the one who always has something to talk about with me!) moved to Richmond. So... I'm glad to make new friends, but I will always keep the old, true friends!
And then tonight, one of my friends who I have known since I was 9 came to town to visit her parents, and I was so excited to have her and her children over for dinner and a playdate. Our kids get along so well, and I was wishing that we lived closer-she resides in N.C. I jokingly said that we would get together more often once we moved to N.C., but my dear hubby only nervously giggled at that idea...
It was so nice to be able to chat with someone who knows me, and my family and has the same mutual childhood friends as I do. It was also good to vent a bit about a certain mutual friend that I have written about before. My conversation with my N.C. friend confirmed for me that I wasn't being judgemental about that other friend, but that her behavior is truely rude and unacceptable. I have been on hiatus from that high maintenance friend, which has resulted in less disappointment for me and less frustration...I think a good thing for all parties involved!
I have also become friends with one of sweet girl's classmates mom. My sweet girl and her oldest really bring out the best in each other, and this woman just seems so normal and nice... no personal agendas, no materialistic competition, just a general, nice grounded person. It doesn't hurt that she complimented my home, saying that is was a house full of love and happiness. Love it when my family gets compliments like that!
To sum it up, this week has filled a void that I've been feeling since one of my best friends in the whole, wide world (the one that loves me even when I'm a month late in sending her birthday gift to her, the one who listens to me talk crazy, but doesn't really think I'm crazy, the one who always has something to talk about with me!) moved to Richmond. So... I'm glad to make new friends, but I will always keep the old, true friends!
Friday, October 27, 2006
Coming down from the overwhelmed high...
I haven't written in a month! What's going on? I'll tell you what's going on... life as a working mommy of a Kindergartener and a funny, energetic almost 17 month old, and wife to a man that doesn't always understand that the world does exist outside of his bubble.
This past month has been filled with getting new routines in place for my sweet girl the Kindergartener. She loves kindergarten, loves riding the bus. In fact, she had a break down last week when I told her that one of her friends had invited her home for a playdate afterschool and she wouldn't be riding the bus. We made it through that drama, and tried it, only to be completely disappointed by the playdate. I was greeted at the door by the mom who said,"Sweet girl will probably never want to come over again, my daughter has been horrible to her, and I'm so appalled by her behavior. But Sweet girl stood her ground very well and tried to not let my daughter get the best of her." As soon as we got to the car, it was deemed my fault. "Why did you make me go there? I did not have fun!"
Another event in our lives recently has been the exciting trip to the dentist to get our first cavity filled. Oh joy! They hook your sweet little ones up to nitrous oxide these days so they won't remember any of it. Poor sweet girl did not like it at all, and we were told that she has a developmental defect in her tooth, causing it to have a groove that the toothbrush won't reach and will definitely result in a cavity. Hmm... sounded a little like a bunch of crap to me, but I'm the mommy, and with no other responsible adult there, I had to make the decisions....
Afterwards, sweet girl managed to chew her tongue until little flaps of skin were hanging off because she couldn't feel it and just wanted to keep on testing it to see if the feeling came back. Ouch!!!! Now, we get to take antibiotics to protect our tongue from infection for the next 10 days, and we get to go back for round 2 in two weeks.
I really could have used some support from my "partner for life" on this one, but he was wound up in his own life that day as he is most. When brought to his attention, he stated that he would have been glad to help, but didn't know his help was needed. Strangely, I don't think that will be the last time I hear that, nor do I think it is the first!
Today was my day to unwind... I took of of work so that I could accompany my sweet girl to the pumpkin patch with her Kindergarten class. It was fun to be a stay at home mom today! I had a great time! And I met lots of other nice moms who work and took off for the day! The stay at home moms seem to have their own little clique! But that's okay... I've found my peace and that's what matters!
This past month has been filled with getting new routines in place for my sweet girl the Kindergartener. She loves kindergarten, loves riding the bus. In fact, she had a break down last week when I told her that one of her friends had invited her home for a playdate afterschool and she wouldn't be riding the bus. We made it through that drama, and tried it, only to be completely disappointed by the playdate. I was greeted at the door by the mom who said,"Sweet girl will probably never want to come over again, my daughter has been horrible to her, and I'm so appalled by her behavior. But Sweet girl stood her ground very well and tried to not let my daughter get the best of her." As soon as we got to the car, it was deemed my fault. "Why did you make me go there? I did not have fun!"
Another event in our lives recently has been the exciting trip to the dentist to get our first cavity filled. Oh joy! They hook your sweet little ones up to nitrous oxide these days so they won't remember any of it. Poor sweet girl did not like it at all, and we were told that she has a developmental defect in her tooth, causing it to have a groove that the toothbrush won't reach and will definitely result in a cavity. Hmm... sounded a little like a bunch of crap to me, but I'm the mommy, and with no other responsible adult there, I had to make the decisions....
Afterwards, sweet girl managed to chew her tongue until little flaps of skin were hanging off because she couldn't feel it and just wanted to keep on testing it to see if the feeling came back. Ouch!!!! Now, we get to take antibiotics to protect our tongue from infection for the next 10 days, and we get to go back for round 2 in two weeks.
I really could have used some support from my "partner for life" on this one, but he was wound up in his own life that day as he is most. When brought to his attention, he stated that he would have been glad to help, but didn't know his help was needed. Strangely, I don't think that will be the last time I hear that, nor do I think it is the first!
Today was my day to unwind... I took of of work so that I could accompany my sweet girl to the pumpkin patch with her Kindergarten class. It was fun to be a stay at home mom today! I had a great time! And I met lots of other nice moms who work and took off for the day! The stay at home moms seem to have their own little clique! But that's okay... I've found my peace and that's what matters!
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Words that Baby Girl can now speak...
1. Daddy
2. Mommomomomomom
3. shoes
4.Tank you
5. titty at
6. popo (poopoo)
7. vamos (spanish for let's go)
8. Sweet Girl (sweet girl's real name)
9. NOOOOOOOOO
10. yesh
11. hi
12. gammy (for grammy and grampy)
13. ungry (as she points to the refrigerator)
14. bye bye (when she's in the mood)
15. baby
16. me (short for her babysitters name, Michelle)
17. eh-eh-eh (to anything she wants that she cannot say the word for)
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Friday Night dinner out, Take 2...
Well, this week we tried something different for dinner. We decided to dine at a loud establishment (Rio Grande) at an early hour of 6 o'clock and after feeding baby girl some food so that she was pleasantly full and happy.
And everything was going well until... Baby girl was getting fiesty, and restless and went to visit her daddy for a few minutes while her mommy ate a bit more of her food. Somehow she managed to scrape her fingernail across the cornea on my dear husband's right eyeball.
He has a history of being a bit dramatic when he gets a scratch or a pinch, or a hit, so I really didn't take him very seriously and told him to settle down and stop the drama. OOOps! Around 3:30 am, he was pacing the house and complaining about how painful it was, and I took a look, and it looked BAD! It was swolen and watery, and he couldn't even open it. So we decided that he should probably go to the emergency room. I couldn't go with him because that would have meant waking precious sleeping babes or waking wonderful sleeping grandparents to come over at ungodly hours of the night. So my dear husband drove himself to the ER and witnessed a poor soul who nearly chopped his ear off while apparently dancing with a young lady near a strip dancer type of pole. Hmmm.... interesting! Then they took him back and diagnosed him with a corneal abrasion that went from the top corner to the other corner of his eyeball. I felt a little guilty for calling him dramatic, but he's been a bit of a pain in my butt for the last few weeks, so a piece of me felt a little justice. But, then my guilt came back and I felt badly for him.
We have said that baby girl is our wild one, but now we have official proof.
Never a dull moment at our Friday night dinners, anyone want a little excitement? Come and join us next week... who knows what will happen?
And everything was going well until... Baby girl was getting fiesty, and restless and went to visit her daddy for a few minutes while her mommy ate a bit more of her food. Somehow she managed to scrape her fingernail across the cornea on my dear husband's right eyeball.
He has a history of being a bit dramatic when he gets a scratch or a pinch, or a hit, so I really didn't take him very seriously and told him to settle down and stop the drama. OOOps! Around 3:30 am, he was pacing the house and complaining about how painful it was, and I took a look, and it looked BAD! It was swolen and watery, and he couldn't even open it. So we decided that he should probably go to the emergency room. I couldn't go with him because that would have meant waking precious sleeping babes or waking wonderful sleeping grandparents to come over at ungodly hours of the night. So my dear husband drove himself to the ER and witnessed a poor soul who nearly chopped his ear off while apparently dancing with a young lady near a strip dancer type of pole. Hmmm.... interesting! Then they took him back and diagnosed him with a corneal abrasion that went from the top corner to the other corner of his eyeball. I felt a little guilty for calling him dramatic, but he's been a bit of a pain in my butt for the last few weeks, so a piece of me felt a little justice. But, then my guilt came back and I felt badly for him.
We have said that baby girl is our wild one, but now we have official proof.
Never a dull moment at our Friday night dinners, anyone want a little excitement? Come and join us next week... who knows what will happen?
Thursday, September 14, 2006
It's a miracle!
My sweet girl is what is known as a picky eater. I don't think those words do her justice, something stronger, like only likes to eat about 5 things in the world. She's always been the one that eats a different meal, or eats nothing at a meal. I've exhausted myself reading different ideas on the picky eater topic, ranging from serve them what you eat, they'll cave in eventually to don't fight about it, that will only make her resent food. And I've had many a miserable dinner listening to her fuss and cry about "all that yucky food" on her plate. I've landed somewhere in the middle on the topic. She now has grilled cheese, french fries, chicken nuggets, apples, yogurt, banannas, grapes, cheese sandwich on a potato roll, peanut butter sandwich,with no jelly please, crossants, taco shells, and anything sweet on her menu of things she will eat.
I know some frown upon me for not making her eat what we eat, but they do not live with me, and they are not in charge of my home, so I cast their judgement to the wind.
Starting Kindergarten was a big thing for us food wise. We bought a lunch box, and I pondered what I could fill it with that would make my sweet girl happy. The first day I packed a chocolate pudding, cheese sandwich, some grapes, and some pringles potato chips, with a peanut butter bar for snack. The lunch box came home with only a few chips left, and a few grapes. I could not believe that my little "eat like a bird" child had finished off all of this food and left only a few morsels. The days continued like this for the rest of the week. Week 2 came, and a little more came home, but it was the junk, not the good healthy stuff. I feel like a normal mommy who has a child who eats. (I know it's not exotic food that she's eating, but she's eating typical school age lunch time food with other kids). The excitement came to a peak last night when we attended our very first back to school night. Another little girls mommy commented to me that my sweet girl had made quite an impression on her daughter's eating habits. I cringed at first, fearing what I might hear. It appears that my sweet girl's eating habits are being watched by others, and they are looking up to her. The little girl in my sweet girl's class demanded a cheese sandwich for her lunch because "Sweet girl gets one every day, and she says they are delicous." For those of you who know my sweet girl and our battle with the world of food, you know that this is a very proud moment for me.
I know some frown upon me for not making her eat what we eat, but they do not live with me, and they are not in charge of my home, so I cast their judgement to the wind.
Starting Kindergarten was a big thing for us food wise. We bought a lunch box, and I pondered what I could fill it with that would make my sweet girl happy. The first day I packed a chocolate pudding, cheese sandwich, some grapes, and some pringles potato chips, with a peanut butter bar for snack. The lunch box came home with only a few chips left, and a few grapes. I could not believe that my little "eat like a bird" child had finished off all of this food and left only a few morsels. The days continued like this for the rest of the week. Week 2 came, and a little more came home, but it was the junk, not the good healthy stuff. I feel like a normal mommy who has a child who eats. (I know it's not exotic food that she's eating, but she's eating typical school age lunch time food with other kids). The excitement came to a peak last night when we attended our very first back to school night. Another little girls mommy commented to me that my sweet girl had made quite an impression on her daughter's eating habits. I cringed at first, fearing what I might hear. It appears that my sweet girl's eating habits are being watched by others, and they are looking up to her. The little girl in my sweet girl's class demanded a cheese sandwich for her lunch because "Sweet girl gets one every day, and she says they are delicous." For those of you who know my sweet girl and our battle with the world of food, you know that this is a very proud moment for me.
Friday, September 08, 2006
A crazy way to end the week...
I went back to work 2 weeks ago after a fun filled summer with my girls. I was ready to go back to school and get my classroom set up for a new year of learning, and man, I made that classroom look great. Everything was in place, it looked perfect, and then they came. 25 little darlings walked into my door on Tuesday morning. I wasn't there, but I bet they looked cute.
I wasn't there because my sweet girl was starting Kindergarten and she was getting on a school bus for the first time at exactly the same time my new students were walking in the door. I struck a deal with my principal and found a wonderful person to greet my students and read a book to them until I got there.
Well, sweet girl loved the bus ride, loved the first day of school, and had nothing, but great things to say about Kindergarten.
I wasn't there because my sweet girl was starting Kindergarten and she was getting on a school bus for the first time at exactly the same time my new students were walking in the door. I struck a deal with my principal and found a wonderful person to greet my students and read a book to them until I got there.
Well, sweet girl loved the bus ride, loved the first day of school, and had nothing, but great things to say about Kindergarten.
As you can see it was an exciting day. And I held back my tears until the bus had driven away, and a had a small crying moment, but then I had to hurry on my way to meet my own students.
Speaking of my own students, they are quite a bunch. Not the worst, or weirdest bunch I've ever had, but definitely the chattiest. They won't shut up! Even the one who speaks only Japanese. This morning he was feeling a bit homesick, and he cried for 1 1/2 hours yelling at me in japanese (his yelling was translated by another student who is fluent in japanese and english as "Call my mom, I want to go home, you tell her to come and get me!) .
I survived my first week of school, and my dear husband and I decided to go out to dinner to celebrate. No babysitter, so the girlies come along for what was the most eventful, and unpleasant dinner I have ever had. Baby girl fell asleep on the way to Coastal Flats, home of the best, tangy Calamari that you have ever tasted, and a pretty good lobster roll too. We walked around a bit while we waited for our table, and she woke up in a good mood. "It's going to be a great dinner," we were thinking. But, boy were we mistaken.
As soon as we sat down at the table, baby girl starts fussing, which escalated to a cry, then to screams and wails. So my dear husband walked her around. She was happy and they came back, then she got mad again because he would not let her poke herself in the eye with a fork. Then sweet girl started to irritate baby girl by pushing, tugging, taking things away(something she's gotten quite good at lately, irritating her baby sister). So more crying! The waiter brings the girls food early, but baby girl will not eat because she is too mad. She loves food, and usually it can cure the angry baby that she sometime is, but not tonight. It's my turn to walk her around. (are you getting a picture in your head of this yet? Not relaxing, not celabratory at all!)
We come back to the table and she is calmed, and she starts to eat her grilled cheese sandwich. She's so independent, and wants to do it by herself. I let her, and I eat my yummy lobster roll with my left hand (my right hand that I usually eat with is holding onto baby girl so that she doesn't climb into the next booth or fall under the table). All of a sudden, I hear a waitress say, "Oh no, "and I look behind me to where my baby girl has dropped her half eaten grilled cheese over the back of our booth onto the back of another paying customer at the restaurant. The waitress takes the sandwich and inspects the mans very dry-clean only shirt, which luckily doesn't have a grilled cheese mark on it. I apologize and promise that nothing else will bother them that evening. Then baby girl starts her wailing again, this time her sister has smooshed her into the corner and she is stuck. What does a stressed out mommy do when faced with this situation? why, I give my sweet girl a little pinch and tell her to settle down and treat her sister nicely. The pinch only makes her scream and wail, and now any joy that was left in this dinner is gone. My dear husband takes those girls out to the the front of the restauarant, and I am left in peace to pay the bill. He knew that I was just about to step over the edge into really bad mommyhood, so I was awarded this akward, sit in the booth alone time. The waiter was relieved that we were on our way out and told me to have a very good evening in just a little, too friendly way, and I went on my way to find my family. They were easy to spot, one was sitting on the ground crying about something and the other one was trying to wrestle free of her daddy's arms.
And that, my friends, is how I spent my Friday evening!
Hopefully tomorrow will bring much rest and relaxation...
Thursday, August 24, 2006
"What's that floating in the baby pool, Mommy?"
Yesterday we were at the pool. Baby girl loves to crawl and scoot in the baby pool and pretend that she is swimming. She's really comfortable in the water. Sweet girl has become quite the underwater swimmer this summer too! She loves to show off her tricks! At break time, she comes over to the baby pool to visit with her sister. Baby girl and I were playing in the baby pool, and sweet girl looked at us kind of strangely. Then she asked me to come over to her because she needed to tell me something. I asked her to come over in the pool and tell me. She said, "No, I can't." So I went over to her, and she whispers in my ear,"Mommy, I think there are some nuggets in the pool, maybe you shouldn't be in there." At first, I thought she ment chicken nuggets, and I looked around to see what she was talking about. Then I saw it. Little brown balls clustered together. There were quite a few of them in the pool. No one else seemed to notice or care, they couldn't be the type of "nuggets" that you would usually find floating in the toilet, could they? I carefully went to take a closer look. And then an even closer look. Ahhh, just some tiny acorns that were falling from the above tree. I reported my findings to sweet girl, and she sighed a breath of relief and joined us in the baby pool.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
A higher being is speaking to me...
So, I reread my previous rant, oops, I mean post, and perhaps I was a bit dramatic too. But, boy did it feel good to vent and get it off of my chest!
The evening after I wrote that post, my family went to swim at a friend's pool. My dear husband assured me that my friend would not be there. And, guess who was the first person to greet me when we got there? You guessed it! I could not make eye contact with her because in my mind I had had a big argument with her, and I was afraid if I looked at her, I might just let it all out, and then who would be the big, bad friend? Me! of course.
So I immersed myself in my children and swam and had a wonderful time, and spoke very little to her. I thought I might get a phone call asking me about my not so usual unfriendly behavior, but no phone call came...
I didn't hear from her on Sunday either. Then on Monday evening, she stopped by my house to pick up some bottles that I had told her she could have because we were done with them. She also wanted to tell me about her first day at her new job. I was not rude, but I definitely wasn't my usual friendly, supportive self. She explained that her husband was working on an investment property that they have purchased in hopes of fixing up and making lots of money. And that she was hoping that he'd be home soon so that she could tell him all about it. Later that evening, 10:00 to be exact, my husband was text messaged pictures of that husband and another friend eating, drinking, and having a lot of fun at the local Mexican restaurant
Then, last night my dear husband was working a little late, and my girls and I decided to go to the pool right after dinner. And guess who shows up right when we get there???? Yep, my friend again.
She started to tell me about her job some more, and how her husband had gotten home after she had gone to bed the night before so she hadn't been able to share her first day job stuff with him. I just listened, I don't want to be involved in that one. Then her son started telling other pool guests that they could not sit in certain chairs because he and my sweet girl were going to make forts. After the 5th time of harassing a nice woman and her son, and my sweet girl coming to me and telling me what was happening... I stepped in and told my friend's little boy that the seats were for everyone, and that there were plenty to go around. Then I apologized to the mom and her little boy. My friend then came over and kind of laughed it off, perhaps out of embarrassment. I remained quite reserved, and did not have lots to say, just listened. She claimed that she was worried that her son might have ADD and need medicine because of his inability to pay attention to a swim lesson in a crowded pool. I only replied that I've worked with many children who have attention issues, and that medicine isn't always the answer, there are lots of ways to help.
Within minutes, my friend's son started to throw water at a child that was 3 years younger than he was because the little girl was trying to sprinkle water on him and my sweet girl. This episode ended with him having a fit, hitting her, and screaming and then her saying that they were leaving. Sound familiar? Except for this time, I just distanced myself, felt bad for her, felt bad for him, and said good bye.
So, what have I learned about myself is that I just need to separate myself from this said friend every once in awhile so that she doesn't drive me crazy. I also need to realize that I am a different person and we have different standards for what is considered rude and and not friend-like, based on her behavior and mine. And lastly, there is a higher source who puts me in the places that I need to be so that I can get a better perspective on things....
The evening after I wrote that post, my family went to swim at a friend's pool. My dear husband assured me that my friend would not be there. And, guess who was the first person to greet me when we got there? You guessed it! I could not make eye contact with her because in my mind I had had a big argument with her, and I was afraid if I looked at her, I might just let it all out, and then who would be the big, bad friend? Me! of course.
So I immersed myself in my children and swam and had a wonderful time, and spoke very little to her. I thought I might get a phone call asking me about my not so usual unfriendly behavior, but no phone call came...
I didn't hear from her on Sunday either. Then on Monday evening, she stopped by my house to pick up some bottles that I had told her she could have because we were done with them. She also wanted to tell me about her first day at her new job. I was not rude, but I definitely wasn't my usual friendly, supportive self. She explained that her husband was working on an investment property that they have purchased in hopes of fixing up and making lots of money. And that she was hoping that he'd be home soon so that she could tell him all about it. Later that evening, 10:00 to be exact, my husband was text messaged pictures of that husband and another friend eating, drinking, and having a lot of fun at the local Mexican restaurant
Then, last night my dear husband was working a little late, and my girls and I decided to go to the pool right after dinner. And guess who shows up right when we get there???? Yep, my friend again.
She started to tell me about her job some more, and how her husband had gotten home after she had gone to bed the night before so she hadn't been able to share her first day job stuff with him. I just listened, I don't want to be involved in that one. Then her son started telling other pool guests that they could not sit in certain chairs because he and my sweet girl were going to make forts. After the 5th time of harassing a nice woman and her son, and my sweet girl coming to me and telling me what was happening... I stepped in and told my friend's little boy that the seats were for everyone, and that there were plenty to go around. Then I apologized to the mom and her little boy. My friend then came over and kind of laughed it off, perhaps out of embarrassment. I remained quite reserved, and did not have lots to say, just listened. She claimed that she was worried that her son might have ADD and need medicine because of his inability to pay attention to a swim lesson in a crowded pool. I only replied that I've worked with many children who have attention issues, and that medicine isn't always the answer, there are lots of ways to help.
Within minutes, my friend's son started to throw water at a child that was 3 years younger than he was because the little girl was trying to sprinkle water on him and my sweet girl. This episode ended with him having a fit, hitting her, and screaming and then her saying that they were leaving. Sound familiar? Except for this time, I just distanced myself, felt bad for her, felt bad for him, and said good bye.
So, what have I learned about myself is that I just need to separate myself from this said friend every once in awhile so that she doesn't drive me crazy. I also need to realize that I am a different person and we have different standards for what is considered rude and and not friend-like, based on her behavior and mine. And lastly, there is a higher source who puts me in the places that I need to be so that I can get a better perspective on things....
Saturday, August 19, 2006
How can I divorce a melodramatic friend with out all of the drama?
Sorry in advance for the very long post...
I have this friend. She's been my "friend" since I was seven years old. She has not always been a great friend. When we were in 6th grade, she couldn't figure out how to be friends with me and the new girl who lived in a big house and had all of the cool things. In 8th grade, she was really pissed at me because the boy that she liked, like me instead of her. In 10th grade, she dated some really weird, drug abusing boys and became a very insecure girl who needed to be reassured alot, and was not sure about who she was. As a result, she was a high maintenance friend. Then in college, she was a boy crazy friend. Once when I was visiting her for a cheer me up after a bad break up with a bad boy who I thought I might marry visit, she ditched me in her dorm room and then at a couples party where I was the only one who didn't have a date. She never even considered my feelings, and never apologized.
Then came the after college days. I started dating my husband, and she was in awe that I was dating one of the "cool" guys from her high school. She was very judgemental, and never saw him for the guy that he was, just saw him for the guy from the wild, crazy, cool group in high school. She even dated one of his friends for awhile, but in the end, that didn't work because she was too busy criticizing him for what he was in high school and how he was going to college later than everyone else had. (god forbid someone decide to do something good and change for the better). Well, the jokes on her with that one because he is a very successful writer for a very funny T.V. show that is up for some awards this year.
Sorry to digress... I got engaged, and she was my maid of honor. On the day of my wedding, her hair did not turn out as she liked, she complained, didn't show up in time to help me with my makeup (probably a good thing...she's sometimes been the topic of too much make up gone bad), and my other bridesmaid's had to remind her that I was the bride.
A few months later, she got engaged to a boy that she had verbally expressed to me might not be good enough for her. After her marriage, she made comments about past boyfriends (the one mentioned above included) and how maybe she'd made the wrong choice because those others had more money, bigger houses, jobs that made them famous or popular. Are you sensing the theme here? She likes to be apart of the cool, popular, wealthy group, no matter what the costs.
I think it was around this time that we had our first real "I'm done with you and your selfish ways" conversation. She was being melodramatic over some cheesy fries that were placed in front of her during the season of lent (did I mention she'sNOT of the Catholic religion). I sarcasticly told her to get over it, and within a few minutes she was sitting beside me telling me that I was just kidding when I'd said that. Call it the stick that broke the camels back, but I snapped and told her that I wasn't kidding and that her melodramatic and selfish antics were getting on my nerves and she was a highly irritating person in my life. She had a fit and stormed out of that dining establishment in a fine melodramatic manner complete with throwing napkins. Well, my guilty conscience got the best of me and we ended up being friends again.
The next big argument happened when I didn't tell her I was pregnant early enough. I told her right after 12 weeks, when I told my extended family. But for the next 2 years all I heard about was that I hadn't told her and how I was so bad for not telling her. When I was about 8 months pregnant, she announced that she was pregnant on the day she found out, and again brought it to my attention that she was a better friend for confiding in me so early on.
So our 1st born children are 6 months apart. They play together, and sometimes enjoy each other. Her little boy is a bit of a behavior problem at times, and he lacks the self control that most children have at his age. But, that's a whole other story, the parenting of that household and all of it's disfuction is something I will save for another post one day when I need to vent again.
There have been some ups and downs, and jealousy about new friendships made in the past 5 years. And I have just ignored it, or been very annoyed by it and complained to my true friend, LT, and gotten over it. I've also distanced myself so that I don't have to deal with her on a daily basis. In the few months, she has added another child to her family after a long stay of bedrest. And when that second dear child arrived, her first born became chopped meat.
On one occasion, we were dining at their home, and their little guy was out of control. My sweet girl was playing with him, having fun, but not out of control. That's when the father of this boy snapped. He yelled at his son, and then turned to my sweet girl and said, "And that goes for you too!" My sweet girl was so upset, I summoned her to me and told her out loud for everyone to hear that she hadn't done anything to deserve being yelled at, and that her buddy's daddy had lost his patience. In his defense, he felt badly, not sure if he thought he was wrong, or was feeling guilty because he thought I was really pissed off at him. He said he was sorry to me, and I redirected him to apologize to her, and stated, that she gets yelled at when she's in trouble and has done something really wrong, but her daddy never yells, and she never gets yelled at in that irrate of a tone. Everything ended up fine that night, sweet girl recovered, and I forgave, but didn't forget. I never heard anything from my "friend" on the subject. And that bothered me because if the tables would have been turned, I definitely would have expressed some sorrow for my husband's behavior to her.
Their family endured a big flood in their home where they had to live outside of their home with friends. But, the weird part was only the new baby, mommy, and daddy stayed with the friends. Their little boy was summoned to his grandma's house for the evenings, and to any camp that they could find for him for the morning hours every week during the summer when his mommy was at home on maternity leave. Not to my surprise, he started behaving in a less than stellar way, the way any pissed off, left out, needing attention little boy would. I tried to include him in some of our fun outings, and he was well behaved, until his mother walked in the door. I have tried to remain supportive and helpful during their time of need, even when I don't agree with what they are doing, I just try to tell myself that everyone's different, and they are not wrong just because they don't do something the way I would.
Well, yesterday, something happened that may have changed my mind about everyone being different. We were at the pool, and having a nice time making forts with the pool chairs, then the pool manager told the kids that they couldn't put the chairs on their sides because it scratched the furniture. Sweet girl was disappointed, but fine with the idea that they could just use their towels and keep the chairs upright and make a different type of fort. Well, my friend's little boy freaked out, started howling, hitting his mommy and throwing an all out fit, complete with growling and devil sounding speech. She reacted by telling him to stop, then pulling his hair and telling him in an evil voice that they were leaving. I tried to help diffuse the situation (the teacher in me came out) by explaining to him that they could still build forts, but they had to take special care of the furniture. Then I said, "It's not your mommy's fault buddy-"To which he interrupted and told me," Don't talk to me, don't speak to me, I don't want to hear what you are saying to me." He had a very evil voice and look on his face, the kind that some say could kill. I replied," No problem, I don't want to talk to you anymore, I don't want to talk to someone who is talking to me in a mean, rude way. We'll see you later." And we finished packing up our things and started our walk home. I said bye to my friend and we left. Is it unrealistic of me to think that she might have called and apologized for her son's behavior?
I have been reading a book that talks about getting rid of the things that cause you the type of unhappiness and frustration that is not necessary. I think this friendship is one of those things. So in the next few weeks, I will not be available for that friend, and I am planning to do a lot of avoiding. I know that's the chicken way out, but if you had been there for round one, you would understand that it would not be pretty if I tried to discuss this with her and told her that I think our friendship would be better as a distant one. So, I'll try to create and stick to the distant friendship that I am comfortable with...
I have this friend. She's been my "friend" since I was seven years old. She has not always been a great friend. When we were in 6th grade, she couldn't figure out how to be friends with me and the new girl who lived in a big house and had all of the cool things. In 8th grade, she was really pissed at me because the boy that she liked, like me instead of her. In 10th grade, she dated some really weird, drug abusing boys and became a very insecure girl who needed to be reassured alot, and was not sure about who she was. As a result, she was a high maintenance friend. Then in college, she was a boy crazy friend. Once when I was visiting her for a cheer me up after a bad break up with a bad boy who I thought I might marry visit, she ditched me in her dorm room and then at a couples party where I was the only one who didn't have a date. She never even considered my feelings, and never apologized.
Then came the after college days. I started dating my husband, and she was in awe that I was dating one of the "cool" guys from her high school. She was very judgemental, and never saw him for the guy that he was, just saw him for the guy from the wild, crazy, cool group in high school. She even dated one of his friends for awhile, but in the end, that didn't work because she was too busy criticizing him for what he was in high school and how he was going to college later than everyone else had. (god forbid someone decide to do something good and change for the better). Well, the jokes on her with that one because he is a very successful writer for a very funny T.V. show that is up for some awards this year.
Sorry to digress... I got engaged, and she was my maid of honor. On the day of my wedding, her hair did not turn out as she liked, she complained, didn't show up in time to help me with my makeup (probably a good thing...she's sometimes been the topic of too much make up gone bad), and my other bridesmaid's had to remind her that I was the bride.
A few months later, she got engaged to a boy that she had verbally expressed to me might not be good enough for her. After her marriage, she made comments about past boyfriends (the one mentioned above included) and how maybe she'd made the wrong choice because those others had more money, bigger houses, jobs that made them famous or popular. Are you sensing the theme here? She likes to be apart of the cool, popular, wealthy group, no matter what the costs.
I think it was around this time that we had our first real "I'm done with you and your selfish ways" conversation. She was being melodramatic over some cheesy fries that were placed in front of her during the season of lent (did I mention she'sNOT of the Catholic religion). I sarcasticly told her to get over it, and within a few minutes she was sitting beside me telling me that I was just kidding when I'd said that. Call it the stick that broke the camels back, but I snapped and told her that I wasn't kidding and that her melodramatic and selfish antics were getting on my nerves and she was a highly irritating person in my life. She had a fit and stormed out of that dining establishment in a fine melodramatic manner complete with throwing napkins. Well, my guilty conscience got the best of me and we ended up being friends again.
The next big argument happened when I didn't tell her I was pregnant early enough. I told her right after 12 weeks, when I told my extended family. But for the next 2 years all I heard about was that I hadn't told her and how I was so bad for not telling her. When I was about 8 months pregnant, she announced that she was pregnant on the day she found out, and again brought it to my attention that she was a better friend for confiding in me so early on.
So our 1st born children are 6 months apart. They play together, and sometimes enjoy each other. Her little boy is a bit of a behavior problem at times, and he lacks the self control that most children have at his age. But, that's a whole other story, the parenting of that household and all of it's disfuction is something I will save for another post one day when I need to vent again.
There have been some ups and downs, and jealousy about new friendships made in the past 5 years. And I have just ignored it, or been very annoyed by it and complained to my true friend, LT, and gotten over it. I've also distanced myself so that I don't have to deal with her on a daily basis. In the few months, she has added another child to her family after a long stay of bedrest. And when that second dear child arrived, her first born became chopped meat.
On one occasion, we were dining at their home, and their little guy was out of control. My sweet girl was playing with him, having fun, but not out of control. That's when the father of this boy snapped. He yelled at his son, and then turned to my sweet girl and said, "And that goes for you too!" My sweet girl was so upset, I summoned her to me and told her out loud for everyone to hear that she hadn't done anything to deserve being yelled at, and that her buddy's daddy had lost his patience. In his defense, he felt badly, not sure if he thought he was wrong, or was feeling guilty because he thought I was really pissed off at him. He said he was sorry to me, and I redirected him to apologize to her, and stated, that she gets yelled at when she's in trouble and has done something really wrong, but her daddy never yells, and she never gets yelled at in that irrate of a tone. Everything ended up fine that night, sweet girl recovered, and I forgave, but didn't forget. I never heard anything from my "friend" on the subject. And that bothered me because if the tables would have been turned, I definitely would have expressed some sorrow for my husband's behavior to her.
Their family endured a big flood in their home where they had to live outside of their home with friends. But, the weird part was only the new baby, mommy, and daddy stayed with the friends. Their little boy was summoned to his grandma's house for the evenings, and to any camp that they could find for him for the morning hours every week during the summer when his mommy was at home on maternity leave. Not to my surprise, he started behaving in a less than stellar way, the way any pissed off, left out, needing attention little boy would. I tried to include him in some of our fun outings, and he was well behaved, until his mother walked in the door. I have tried to remain supportive and helpful during their time of need, even when I don't agree with what they are doing, I just try to tell myself that everyone's different, and they are not wrong just because they don't do something the way I would.
Well, yesterday, something happened that may have changed my mind about everyone being different. We were at the pool, and having a nice time making forts with the pool chairs, then the pool manager told the kids that they couldn't put the chairs on their sides because it scratched the furniture. Sweet girl was disappointed, but fine with the idea that they could just use their towels and keep the chairs upright and make a different type of fort. Well, my friend's little boy freaked out, started howling, hitting his mommy and throwing an all out fit, complete with growling and devil sounding speech. She reacted by telling him to stop, then pulling his hair and telling him in an evil voice that they were leaving. I tried to help diffuse the situation (the teacher in me came out) by explaining to him that they could still build forts, but they had to take special care of the furniture. Then I said, "It's not your mommy's fault buddy-"To which he interrupted and told me," Don't talk to me, don't speak to me, I don't want to hear what you are saying to me." He had a very evil voice and look on his face, the kind that some say could kill. I replied," No problem, I don't want to talk to you anymore, I don't want to talk to someone who is talking to me in a mean, rude way. We'll see you later." And we finished packing up our things and started our walk home. I said bye to my friend and we left. Is it unrealistic of me to think that she might have called and apologized for her son's behavior?
I have been reading a book that talks about getting rid of the things that cause you the type of unhappiness and frustration that is not necessary. I think this friendship is one of those things. So in the next few weeks, I will not be available for that friend, and I am planning to do a lot of avoiding. I know that's the chicken way out, but if you had been there for round one, you would understand that it would not be pretty if I tried to discuss this with her and told her that I think our friendship would be better as a distant one. So, I'll try to create and stick to the distant friendship that I am comfortable with...
Monday, August 14, 2006
Not protected by the EPS Sump Pump Guardian
My husband is a very crafty sort of guy. He's a carpenter by trade and can build beautiful things. He has also learned about electricity, and wired our basement when remodeling. He single handedly remodeled our kitchen, plumbing, flooring, cabinets, ect. He built an amazing Victorian playhouse in our backyard for our girls. Because he works for himself, and does this type of work every day, some of our projects take longer than you would expect, which drives a goal oriented person like me crazy. Sometimes, he needs extra hands to hold something, and I pitch in. But, this is also when some of our best or worst domestic disagreements have happened.
So last December we decided to hire a contractor to add a bathroom to our basement. We were told this project would take a few weeks... Our first bump in the road was the water that just wouldn't go away when they jackhammered the floor, apparently we have a spring that runs under our house. So we added a French drain and a sump pump. But... that sump pump runs every 5 minutes when it is damp out, and about every 15 to 20 minutes on a bright, sunny day. Which ends up being a lot of water. So my dear husband dug a 120 foot trench to the back of the yard, put in some pipe to route the water, made a really nice to look at drain, which drains into another trench that he dug to put pipe with holes in it so the water would slowly drain into the ground. So sump pump problem solved.
Next problem, our pipes are to high, and our toilet and shower would back up constantly if we hook the new pipes into them, so we get to purchase and have installed a sewage injector. The pipes run under baby girls room, and during the average shower, the sewage injector pushes the water into the main pipe about 3 times, so no showers down there when baby girl is asleep, or she sleeps no longer.
The trouble never ends, next terrible, unskilled drywall men come to our house and frame the shower with a 20 inch door opening for the shower. I could fit in sideways, but hope I don't gain any weight or become pregnant again... So we get rid of those guys and wait for 3 month for a very skilled (the reason he is booked for 3 months) contractor to finish our project. It looks amazing, we love it!
Now, we have the problem of that sump pump. What if the electricity goes out, and that sump pump fills up and starts to flood our very nicely finished basement? So we research some products that can power our sump pump, our new best friend. And we find what we think is an amazing product, the EPS Sump Pump Guardian. It is a unit that contains a battery source and you can plug your sump pump into it, and it will pump for upto 48 hours without electricity. We were very anxious to get it, our money was taken out of our account the day we ordered it, so we thought it would arrive soon. After 2 weeks, no EPS Sump Pump Guardian. So we call, leave message, and get no reply. We call every day for a 5 days, leave messages, and get no replies. Then one day dear husband actually talks to someone there and was told there was a flood and their boxes were damaged, but it would be coming soon. 1 more week goes by, more calls, more messages, even a very irate email. No responses. Then 6 weeks after we order it and our money was taken, it arrives at our doorstep.
We follow the directions, plug it in to charge it, and it keeps beeping. We reread the directions, still beeping returns and the amber light never turns off (the amber light is supposed to go off when it is charged, and a green light should replace it). I put it a call, and am greeted by the voice that I've been hearing on the answering machine for weeks, only this time it's a real person. He's very friendly, and says that it just needs to charge over night, but if there are problems, then to call in the morning. All night long we hear the beeping, it never charges. We decide to return it and look for an ulterior method to save us during a power outage. I call, and he answers again (amazing) and is apologetic, will gladly give me a return authorization number, and we will have our money refunded when the product is received. We shipped it on July 22. It arrive there on July 29. Today is August 14, and I have made my 3rd call to them asking where my refund is. It's 3 weeks after they have received it and I have been told that it's being taken care of. I was promised a phone call, and never got one. I left a message asking for a phone call, never got one. Today I am told that it was refunded, but it sometimes takes 2 days to post to my bank account, so it should be there today or tomorrow. This whole process has taken almost 3 months. Ridiculous. And my basement is still not protected! But, the help has been ordered and is on it' s way, hopefully this time it will work out.
Moral of the story: Don't buy an EPS Sump Pump Guardian unless you want to add unnecessary stress to your life.
So last December we decided to hire a contractor to add a bathroom to our basement. We were told this project would take a few weeks... Our first bump in the road was the water that just wouldn't go away when they jackhammered the floor, apparently we have a spring that runs under our house. So we added a French drain and a sump pump. But... that sump pump runs every 5 minutes when it is damp out, and about every 15 to 20 minutes on a bright, sunny day. Which ends up being a lot of water. So my dear husband dug a 120 foot trench to the back of the yard, put in some pipe to route the water, made a really nice to look at drain, which drains into another trench that he dug to put pipe with holes in it so the water would slowly drain into the ground. So sump pump problem solved.
Next problem, our pipes are to high, and our toilet and shower would back up constantly if we hook the new pipes into them, so we get to purchase and have installed a sewage injector. The pipes run under baby girls room, and during the average shower, the sewage injector pushes the water into the main pipe about 3 times, so no showers down there when baby girl is asleep, or she sleeps no longer.
The trouble never ends, next terrible, unskilled drywall men come to our house and frame the shower with a 20 inch door opening for the shower. I could fit in sideways, but hope I don't gain any weight or become pregnant again... So we get rid of those guys and wait for 3 month for a very skilled (the reason he is booked for 3 months) contractor to finish our project. It looks amazing, we love it!
Now, we have the problem of that sump pump. What if the electricity goes out, and that sump pump fills up and starts to flood our very nicely finished basement? So we research some products that can power our sump pump, our new best friend. And we find what we think is an amazing product, the EPS Sump Pump Guardian. It is a unit that contains a battery source and you can plug your sump pump into it, and it will pump for upto 48 hours without electricity. We were very anxious to get it, our money was taken out of our account the day we ordered it, so we thought it would arrive soon. After 2 weeks, no EPS Sump Pump Guardian. So we call, leave message, and get no reply. We call every day for a 5 days, leave messages, and get no replies. Then one day dear husband actually talks to someone there and was told there was a flood and their boxes were damaged, but it would be coming soon. 1 more week goes by, more calls, more messages, even a very irate email. No responses. Then 6 weeks after we order it and our money was taken, it arrives at our doorstep.
We follow the directions, plug it in to charge it, and it keeps beeping. We reread the directions, still beeping returns and the amber light never turns off (the amber light is supposed to go off when it is charged, and a green light should replace it). I put it a call, and am greeted by the voice that I've been hearing on the answering machine for weeks, only this time it's a real person. He's very friendly, and says that it just needs to charge over night, but if there are problems, then to call in the morning. All night long we hear the beeping, it never charges. We decide to return it and look for an ulterior method to save us during a power outage. I call, and he answers again (amazing) and is apologetic, will gladly give me a return authorization number, and we will have our money refunded when the product is received. We shipped it on July 22. It arrive there on July 29. Today is August 14, and I have made my 3rd call to them asking where my refund is. It's 3 weeks after they have received it and I have been told that it's being taken care of. I was promised a phone call, and never got one. I left a message asking for a phone call, never got one. Today I am told that it was refunded, but it sometimes takes 2 days to post to my bank account, so it should be there today or tomorrow. This whole process has taken almost 3 months. Ridiculous. And my basement is still not protected! But, the help has been ordered and is on it' s way, hopefully this time it will work out.
Moral of the story: Don't buy an EPS Sump Pump Guardian unless you want to add unnecessary stress to your life.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
my first double post, I think
Last weekend, sweet girl, baby girl and I went to hang out with my parents on their boat. DH had to work. We had the greatest day ever. It was baby girl's first real boat ride, and she loved it, as long as she knew where her mommy was. I had the chance to chat with my dad and mom about the ups and downs of my life, and reminisce on some of the things that our family has done. Sweet girl had fun eating cantaloupe and hanging out with Grammy. Her Grammy is her best friend in the whole world. I love that they have that special relationship with each other. They can talk for hours about things, Grammy is a great listener, she always makes sweet girl feel very important. And Grampy is great with them too... They know he's a big, cuddly, fun guy, and they love to giggle with him, hug on him, and make him laugh. He's so interested in the things that they are doing, and sweet girl loves that he's apart of her audience. He's so proud of them both, and they can tell and love every minute of it.
On my ride home, both of the girls fell asleep, and I had some time to just think in a quiet peaceful environment (as peaceful as I-95 can be). I started thinking how I am so lucky to have two of the most giving, loving, patient, friendly, supportive people that I know fill the role of my parents, and my children's grandparents. I have friends who tell me stories of their parents, and of how their families were when they were growing up, and I just can't even imagine or understand because I can truly say that my parents have always done everything they could for us, and they continue to do anything that they can to help. Because of these two amazing people, I am who I am. And I'm pretty proud of the person I am, and the things I've accomplished. And I think I owe a big thank you to my mom and dad for providing me all of the love, encouragement, and guidance that has shaped me into the mom, wife, and teacher that I am. Thanks Mom and Dad! I love you!
On my ride home, both of the girls fell asleep, and I had some time to just think in a quiet peaceful environment (as peaceful as I-95 can be). I started thinking how I am so lucky to have two of the most giving, loving, patient, friendly, supportive people that I know fill the role of my parents, and my children's grandparents. I have friends who tell me stories of their parents, and of how their families were when they were growing up, and I just can't even imagine or understand because I can truly say that my parents have always done everything they could for us, and they continue to do anything that they can to help. Because of these two amazing people, I am who I am. And I'm pretty proud of the person I am, and the things I've accomplished. And I think I owe a big thank you to my mom and dad for providing me all of the love, encouragement, and guidance that has shaped me into the mom, wife, and teacher that I am. Thanks Mom and Dad! I love you!
An evening with my family
For a month or so, my baby girl has gotten into the bad habbit of pulling hair, pinching, and hitting. She pulls her own hair, sometimes mommy's hair, and her sister's hair when she doesn't expect it at all. She is a very sweet little baby, and always follows up the hitting, pinching, pulling with a nice kiss.
This evening the family was going to return some things that we had bought that were out of our budget. There is a park, and an ice cream parlor at this fine shopping establishment. We had a great plan for the evening. And then... baby girl grabbed a hold of sweet girls locks and yanked a very hard yank. Sweet girl screamed and then cried. And when her hair was finally released, she looked at her baby sister and replied,"You better not pull on my hair like that again, if you do, I'm going to not have any hair left and I'm going to have to wear a wig. Then I'm going to tell all of the students in Kindergarten about you." To this baby girl responded with a sad little face, a whimper, and then a kiss to her sisters head. Then there was a truce, and all hair was safe, at least for one evening.
We returned our things, well, my dear husband returned his, and I exchanged mine for something better :-) Then we headed to Ben and Jerry's where we were charged $4 a scoop for melted ice cream. My husband asked the guy to help him out on baby girls soooo small cone, and he added a teeny, tiny bit more. Ridiculous! It was funny to watch the other customers come out with the same small cones, discussing the outrageous price, but enjoying every lick, just as we did. Then it was off to play at the playground, toss pennies into the fountain and make wishes that we all hope come true, and home again to our toy infested house!
What a wonderful evening!
This evening the family was going to return some things that we had bought that were out of our budget. There is a park, and an ice cream parlor at this fine shopping establishment. We had a great plan for the evening. And then... baby girl grabbed a hold of sweet girls locks and yanked a very hard yank. Sweet girl screamed and then cried. And when her hair was finally released, she looked at her baby sister and replied,"You better not pull on my hair like that again, if you do, I'm going to not have any hair left and I'm going to have to wear a wig. Then I'm going to tell all of the students in Kindergarten about you." To this baby girl responded with a sad little face, a whimper, and then a kiss to her sisters head. Then there was a truce, and all hair was safe, at least for one evening.
We returned our things, well, my dear husband returned his, and I exchanged mine for something better :-) Then we headed to Ben and Jerry's where we were charged $4 a scoop for melted ice cream. My husband asked the guy to help him out on baby girls soooo small cone, and he added a teeny, tiny bit more. Ridiculous! It was funny to watch the other customers come out with the same small cones, discussing the outrageous price, but enjoying every lick, just as we did. Then it was off to play at the playground, toss pennies into the fountain and make wishes that we all hope come true, and home again to our toy infested house!
What a wonderful evening!
Monday, July 31, 2006
She speaks!
For the last few weeks, sweet girl and I have been hearing some words come out of baby girl's mouth. It's so funny to see how excited sweet girl gets when she thinks she's heard a new one. "Mommy! Baby girl just said (insert word here)! Can you believe it? She's learning to talk." Today, she learned uh-oh! And it sounds so darned cute when she says it. Friday the word of the day was bunny, pronounced in two very decisive syllables buhn-nee, inspired by the story Curious George and the Bunny. She loves that book, and gets so excited when George finds the bunny again, she starts to laugh and point and says, "Bunny."
Now there is a lot of babbling going on to, and if you listen and look at her while she's talking, you might just think she's speaking a different language, but definitely a real language. She talks with expression, and changes the tone in her voice. Tonight, she was talking to my dear husband, and she was telling him all about Tam-may and bany, and ebaloubaloo. He acknowledged her and she kept right on telling him all about these people or things.
It's just amazing how her brain is growing and developing, and she's becoming a little person of her own.
And another refreshing first today... she sat still for over 30 minutes entertaining herself with duplo blocks and some of big sister's fun toys. It was amazing, I didn't think it was possible. I was beginning to think that I had lost my mind because I couldn't remember sweet girl ever being so energetic, but I'm sure she was...a lot the mind will forget in 4 years...
Well, ebaloobaloo to you!
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Just Flush it!
We have just returned from a fun filled week in Southern Shores, NC. First time visiting that far north, and we loved it. We spent lots of time on the beach, watching movies, eating ice cream, and enjoying each other's company. AND... lots of time fishing things out of trash cans, and other waste receptacles. It seems that baby girl has been watching us very carefully... She has observed that we often put things in the trash, and flush things in the toilet. Why should she know that the things we throw and flush are trash or waste? Yesterday, my dear husband forgot the rule about putting the lid down on the toilet. And poor Curious George and the Bunny took a swim. She seemed to think she was doing a good deed. I found a sippy cup in the trash, and last week when I searched and searched for a missing shoe, it was found in the hamper. Hmmm... If only I could get that girl to put the correct things in the correct containers, I might have a clean house.
My sweet girl never did these type of things. Her worst offense was pulling the toilet paper out to decorate the hallway, the living room, and the Kitchen.
Baby girl has new excitement in store for me, I think! And wrinkles, and grey hair too!
My sweet girl never did these type of things. Her worst offense was pulling the toilet paper out to decorate the hallway, the living room, and the Kitchen.
Baby girl has new excitement in store for me, I think! And wrinkles, and grey hair too!
Friday, July 14, 2006
5!
Five years ago today I became a mommy for the first time. My sweet little girl was born, and the moment I laid eyes on her, I loved her more than anything else in the world. Now, a few days after that when I was trying to figure out how to be a mommy, how to feed my baby, and how to function on so little sleep... I still loved her, I just wasn't so sure about my own self or my mommy capabilities. But we've made it for 5 years, and I think I can confidently say that we're doing just fine!
I was thinking today back to that day and how much love filled the room when she was born. I was thinking about how much love and joy she brings to our lives, our families lives, and pretty much any life that she meets. She has such a personality. Sometimes she is so dramatic, and sometimes so shy. She has a wonderful heart and cares about almost all creatures big and small. She is an amazing listener. She has learned her phone number just by listening to me say it at stores or on the phone. Amazing! She is smart! very smart! She is quite an artist too.
In the past year I've noticed that she is growing into a little girl, not a baby, not a toddler, but a real little girl. She is expressing such interest in being independent, and I know I need to let her, but I'll always be there for her when she needs me. She's so sensitive too, and on more that one occasion lately she has explained to me," Mommy, I'm sensitive, so you should tell me if you are joking or not, I might not know." How do you argue with that!
Happy Birthday sweet girl! I'm so proud to be your mommy, you are an amazing, little girl, and I'm the luckiest mommy in the world.
Monday, July 10, 2006
beautiful ballerina
I was organizing some pics, and came across this one! I love it, I think it might be my favorite picture of my sweet girl.
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