A Halloween Trick

So my poor little girl woke up with a fever today. And tugging on her right ear. A number of things didn't seem right this morning, but I brought her to daycare thinking she was just mad to have been woken up, and was just warm from sleeping buried in blankets and in a fleece sleeper. Those things get hot! But when I handed her off to my daycare provider, Kelly, she almost started to cry, which she NEVER does with Kelly. I called to check on her shortly after I got to work, and Kelly was about to take her temp, and when she did discovered 101.2 after only a short read since she wouldn't hold still. Off to the doc again we go. But not till 3:30, thank you very much pissed nurse who hates her job! I'm SO sorry I had the audacity to see if my primary was available. Sheesh!

Just call him Ralphie

So the biggest, latest, most exciting development in these parts is none other than the release of the Toys R Us catalog. Matthew has not totally grasped the concept of Christmas presents until this year. Well, I was looking through it while he was eating breakfast and I kept catching him in my peripheral vision, peeking up and over into the Toys R Us ad while I was paging through it. Finally, after this had been happening quite a few times, I told him he could look at this when I was done and after he finished breakfast. (as incentive always helps get through a meal at faster than snail pace). So I brought it downstairs by his toys when I was finished with it. The next time I came down the stairs, I found him on his tummy paging through this catalog with his serious studying face on. I went over and asked if he wanted to show me the things he likes, and he started paging backwards to show me the Thomas and race cars that he likes. That released his inner Ralphie. Don't you think we all have an inner Ralphie? You know, from A Christmas Story? Where he window shops in front of the toy store and stops dead in his tracks when he sees the object of his Christmas desire? I wish I could come up with the exact way he describes the toy gun that stops him in his tracks. Matthew has now hit Ralphie age, and is it ever funny. I love it! Last night we finished looking through the catalog, and he was selective, showing me he wanted this and that, "mommy, I want THIS, and I want THIS," while he put his hand on each thing he wants. As we were turning a page, he caught a glimpse of a page further in and exclaimed with a gasp "I WANT THESE!!!!" Hulk hands were the thing that REALLY caught his attention. I could not stop giggling. He was so funny about all of it. I think his favorite, though, is still Thomas. Of course. Just call him Ralphie! And don't forget about your inner Ralphie! He's in there somewhere!

Back at home

Simone is back at home!! Her family is now matter-of-factly saying she's not going back to the hospital, and I think given how positive they are about it, that it's got to be true. So we're all believing she's past this. We even saw her and the family on Saturday. We went and picked out pumpkins together since they were in the area anyways. And Matthew jumped around like a total fool in a giant pumpkin bouncy while we were there! And he absolutely couldn't get enough of his grandma margaret. If she walked to a different area he'd suddenly say "hey, where's grandma?" and he'd take off running in her direction. And I am very proud to say he was in underwear for this outing and didn't have any accidents!!! I plan to update The Potty Chronicles, so I will spare the extra details on that for the moment. Ellie just chilled in her stroller - maybe literally, since it was so cold outside.

Poor little Simone

Well, our niece is back in the hospital again. The fluid buildup is back. What a HUGE bummer. They happened to have a cancellation on a procedure I can't spell, so they squeezed her in to that spot to have it done again. It's basically like putting a hole in the heart, and I can't explain exactly why except that her pulmonary artery was too small. A blood clot formed in the hole, so they had to go in and re-do it today. This is a really sad thing, since she finally got to go home and again had to return. They get a day or two at home, and are back again. This little girl has been opened up so many times to have different procedures done. The good news is she is awake and was eating this evening, so all in all she's doing well. I'm so sad. Let's all pray they can stop living in the hospital soon and they will find the solution for Simone! Jeepers! They don't think she'll be in the hospital very long this time. Oh please, oh please! Let it be true.

Picture post

Thrilled with her standing self
Being a stinker about getting up from a nap
1 month after cast removal - look at that beauty of a hand!
Awwwww

Where oh where has Julie been?

I don't know.

I've been scarce, and let me list the reasons why:

1. Ellie has a cold with ear infection
2. I just HAD to finish my Twilight obsession. That's right, I read all 4 books!
3. Appointments, appointments, appointments. I have had so many medical appointments for children that I spent all my spare time working to make up all my time away from work.
4. Exhaustion.
5. I've nearly lost my mind trying to balance the many facets of life.
6. Laundry. Load after load after miserable load.
7. Political debates. Why even bother? I'm glad there aren't any more. If you ask me, we're screwed either way. In truth, I believe what we should do is transplant Washington D.C. to a remote island somewhere and start over with all new leadership.

And here's just a random list of things going on in our lives:

1. We went to Veggie Tales Live, and Matthew fell asleep. :)
2. Sean FINALLY started a facebook account! (trust me, this is a big deal - he can stop mooching off my account now)
3. We spent last weekend (the 11th/12th) with the 'rents and had a great time.
4. Matthew took another step back into pill-dom. (aka - he's being a pill again) It is getting easier to deal with, however.
5. Ellie has become a stair-climber, master crawler, and master stander.

By the way, I'm aware I've been a whiny whiner in need of an attitude adjustment for some time now. It makes me feel bad that I can't snap out of it. Life is hard, and I need to accept it and move on. We have so many things to be thankful for. I'm just being run ragged lately. Maybe I need to start going to bed when the kids do.

And best of all, to end things on a good note, our niece is finally home from the hospital!!!! Hooray!!!!! It was nearly 3 months she was away from home, so yikes, what an adjustment for their whole family. Good luck, you guys!

Chronicle follow-up

Our son sat on the toilet for TWO HOURS last night, and never did the deed. He waited all the way till naptime today to do it in his pull up. And it was the motherload. Breathe....breathe.....serenity now

The Potty Chronicles

We've hit a new level of desperation. Making our son clean out his own underwear when he does a #2. If you don't like hearing about poop, I suggest you quit reading now. That's right. If he poops in his underwear, he's the one who has to dump it into the toilet. The logic behind this is grossing him out to the point where he gives in. Best idea? Probably not. Best at the moment? Yes. Which is all any of us can do. I tell you, you reach a point where you reach for anything that might help. The point where potty charts and rewards and new cool underwear do nothing to help the situation. We are almost completely out of diapers, and have been counting down. Matthew knows when we're out of diapers, we're out. I'll put him in pull-ups for sleeping, but we are switching to mostly underwear, and no more diapers. (check back in another couple chronicles, and we'll see if we've changed our tune by then)



I should point out he does pretty well keeping dry, but you have to really keep track of when he last peed and make him go again about every hour, before and after any meals, and before leaving for or from anywhere.



I do see a light at the end of the tunnel. Clouds keep moving over it, and then dissipating, then moving back in. I sure hope the cleaning-his-own-underwear approach doesn't backfire.... no pun intended....



On a happier subject, we made it a whole work week with no tantrums in the morning, and Matthew was given the glorious prize of a mini Tonka cement truck, to which he said "cooooollll," and "I LIKE my cement truck" in all seriousness. I wish I could write it the way I heard it. He's so serious and so emphatic on the I-Like when he tells me he likes something. It cracks me up every time.

I could not be more thankful for....

1. 4 mornings free of tantrums

2. PIZZA NIGHT!

Sean Stories

I don’t know if I’m going to have to start a regular column of my beloved husband’s Sean Stories or what. I’m starting to wonder, since a couple things that make me wonder have happened recently. And he has been saying some strange things. Like today, we were on the phone plotting where to meet for our once a week lunch date. Too bad I couldn’t hear what was going on in his mind, since he suddenly blurts out something about a smelly taco. And if you don’t know the double meaning taco has, I’m not going to tell you, and don’t ask. Use your imagination.

Here’s how it went down:

Julie: I’m available for lunch today
Sean: cool
J: so when and where?
S: same as usual. I’ll call you.
J: okay, but where do you want to go?
S: how about a smelly taco…oh...

DEAD SILENCE

J: Ummm….excuse me?
S&J: Childish laughter
S: continuing to giggle “I was thinking taco bell, and was going to say taco smell.”
J: fumble for words, fumble for words, fight back fits of giggles

And a few nights ago….

So I’m lying in bed, peacefully sleeping, when all of a sudden I wake up to Sean chomping on my shoulder. I jolt up and say “what ARE you doing?” He gets a major case of giggles and manages to tell me in splurts that he was dreaming he was giving our son a tickle attack. And there I am, wondering “what the hell?” to myself, and growing ever more irritated that he won’t stop giggling. What a nut. It might be good at this point to mention that Sean does strange things in his sleep. Let’s just say he has a history. And I’ll leave it at that.

Confessions of a working mom

• I am still late EVERYWHERE I go, I’d say at least 90% of the time.
• I have no vacation time at work due to sick kids LAST year and have to make up any time off these days. This means a lot of work from home, work on Saturdays, etc. Yuck!
• I have seen myself angrier than I knew I was capable of, compliments of a 3-year old having terrible 3’s instead of terrible 2’s. 3’s are much worse!! If I had known, I would have been praying for terrible 2’s right from the start. At least you’d know with 2-year-olds that there’s no point in trying to reason with them. With 3’s, you never know when it is better to reason with them, or when it is better to just let it go.
• At work I have an official Office Space stapler. This has absolutely nothing to do with motherhood, but I thought it was worth mentioning anyway.
• I can’t remember the last time I vacummed.
• I have a shopping bug. Bad. I want to shop and shop and shop. Luckily, we’ve needed enough things to keep me occupied shopping for those that I haven’t gone crazy. Yet. I hope I don’t lose willpower.
• I have piles and piles of things “to be filed.”
• I have 2,000 different ways to talk about poop and pee and using toilets, and a collection of 2,000 potty training methods that don’t work.
• I am completely, 100% addicted to caffeine. Making matters worse, a friend recently confessed that she makes a big pot of coffee, puts it in the fridge, and can pour an iced coffee whenever she so chooses. Unfortunately, this sounded like a great idea to me.
• I still cannot master the whole dinner issue. It is almost never ready before 6:30, and that’s right when the bedtime routine starts for the 9-month old, and by the time dinner is done and cleaned up, it’s time for the 3-year old to get ready for bed. I keep trying to turn a new leaf and get prepared in advance, but that means I have to do prep AFTER dinner, and I have a hard time getting myself to do anything at that time. This week, I’ve attempted to plot out the whole week, complete with lists of things to do the day before. Anal, perhaps, but I’ve got to keep myself focused somehow. (and yes, I even plotted in a lazy pizza night…)

She stands.

And life as we know it just got a little harder....

How do you spell ayeyayyay?

Because that's what I want to say a lot. Especially now while I am currently watching the vice presidential debate.

Today's ayeyayyay factor (scale of 1 to 10 - 1 being low, 10 being about ready to bang my head on the wall): 10

Influences on my rating:

• work has been insane this week
• my son fought with me a lot after dinner
• my daughter is hyper (please say it's the antibiotics)
• I don't know where Biden is getting his stats - they seem to be coming out of nowhere
• my cousin's stupid mother is ruining him
• my niece is STILL in the hospital
• my brain has been dead all week
• i'm wondering when i became such a whiner

But the good news? Tomorrow is Friday!!!!!!!! I get to wear jeans to work!!!!!!! We had McD's for din din. Yum! I finally gave my son a bath! I'm sitting!! The kids are sleeping (I think)! We have a fun Saturday with friends on the docket! And I'm going to be playing with an orchestra again! And my husband rocks! How's that for positivity?

Okay, back to my 10, just for a little while...