It’s been a month since I’ve done a You Capture post. My life has been super busy and one of the first things to go was taking pictures. I hate that I dropped it so easily but it was either that or the house or Isabella or date nights or work or Josh Groban. You can see why photos was the obvious choice. At any rate, I am back this week and hopefully on a more consistent basis. It was kind of nice to take a break. It was starting to feel too much like work and not as much fun. But now I’m ready to go again!
Here is a pile of Isabella’s favorite puzzles. They’re bright and colorful and she can do them in her sleep.
I love the fact that she’s wearing her new sun hat with her ice cream pajamas while holding a Santa Claus riding a bike (with a woobie in her mouth). Does it get better than that?
We’re trying to teach her that an important part of playing is cleaning up. She’s usually pretty good about it. Especially if we make it a game!
That’s it! Glad to be back to You Capture and look forward to next week’s assignment. For more photos, go check out all the links at Ishouldbefoldinglaundry.com!
I knew this day would come some time. You don’t want it to. You pray that it never does. But every parent out there tells you it will happen and then they tell you what it was like when it happened to their child. In your mind you think, nah, I’m more careful than that. We take every precaution. No way will my kid tumble down the stairs.
And then she does.
It happened just before dinner. Munchkin and I were playing with her sand box out on the deck. She was having a great time grabbing a fist full of sand and dumping it out. CJ was inside getting dinner ready and Samson was in with him. CJ had set up the baby gate to block the stairs. We don’t always do this now as she’s getting older and better at going up and down. She also knows to stop at the top and wait for mommy or daddy to help her.
Isabella asked to go down the stairs because she wanted to see the bird bath. I told her no, that she had to wait until after dinner. Then Samson came to the back door wanting out, so I opened it for him. He ran to the steps and I had to remove the baby gate. As I was setting it aside, Isabella ran over there. I told her to be careful and she stopped. I was just turning around to go back over when out of the corner of my eye I saw it.
She reached forward with her right foot to take a step down. She was holding on to the railing like always but somehow lost her balance and tumbled forward. I lurched forward in an attempt to grab her but there was no way.
And time slowed waaaaay down. I stood there at the top, helpless, watching her tumble sideways down one step and then the next. I could see each part of her body moving and where it landed. I could tell that when she got to the bottom, she would land on her feet and then roll on to her side. She was like a ragdoll as she rolled down – almost inhuman and limp. There was no sound. No noise from nature. No screams from her. No nothing.
Just slowness and silence.
It scared the crap out of me.
As soon as she got to the bottom, time righted itself and she started screaming. I sprinted down and scooped her up in my arms having already determined nothing was broken. As I comforted her I checked every part of her body and all seemed to be in tact. She was more scared than anything. I got her to calm down and asked her how each part of her felt, starting with her head. Does your head hurt? I asked. No. Do your arms hurt? No. And so on until I knew she was fine.
Then the guilt came over me. How could I have let this happen? What if she had broken her neck? What if she had died? I should have been more careful. I shouldn’t have looked away. I shouldn’t have moved the gate. I was “shoulding” all over myself. But I just had to stop and remember that it happens. It’s happened to many parents and in the end, my little girl was just fine. It was a tough lesson to learn but I guess she’s not as grown up as she seems. CJ and I talk about this – how she seems so much older than she is because she carries on normal conversations and knows hundreds of words and can count to 20 and recite the alphabet. But she’s still just 20 months.
She’s in bed now and has forgotten about the whole thing. I will never forget. In fact I’ll replay it in my mind a hundred times.
She is such a precious gift to us. Thank God nothing serious happened. I’ve always said that Isabella’s big brother/sister (Angel – the one we miscarried) is up in heaven looking out for her. Thanks Angel for taking care of your little sister tonight.
I had a 2+ hour nap today and it. felt. awesome. Seriously, I haven’t felt this rejuvenated in a long time. I’m not even sure the last time I got a nap. I think it was back when I fainted. Or maybe around Christmas. Whenever, it’s been too long. Naps, I’ve missed you.
We’ve had a busy weekend and the nap was much needed. I don’t think I’ve been to bed before 11 p.m. since Wednesday. I’m one of those people that needs their sleep and my usual bedtime is around 9:30 p.m. So staying up 2 or more hours later than that, and still getting up at the same time, has taken its toll.
At any rate, we had a fun weekend and I spent a lot of time with Isabella. She and I both needed that. I can’t even tell you how much I love her and how much she amazes me every day.
Here are some of the highlights from the long holiday weekend.
Friday night we went to the park and she rode the teetor totter all by herself.
Yes I know she’s facing the wrong way but she’s still riding it without any help. She had a blast too. I have to make a conscious effort not to hover too close to her when we’re out at the park. I’m trying to remember to give her some independence and try things on her own, without help from me. I’m still close enough to catch her if she falls or make sure she’s doesn’t get hurt, but far enough that she is free to explore on her own. I can’t believe how grown up she’s getting! She turned 20 months today! AH!
Saturday I spent the morning getting my hair cut and colored. I wanted something fun and different so I told my hair dresser Mike to go crazy. He went darker all over and then we angled the cut to give it more body (my hair is SUPER fine and thin. I have like 3 hairs on my head. I would love to have super long hair but it would look horrible so I have to accept the fact that my options are limited).
I am happy with how it turned out though I’m still getting used to it. The sad part is that I can’t put it in a ponytail anymore. *gasp* Whatever will I do on a bad hair day?
Sunday we headed to the beach for the first day of pick up sand volleyball at Lake Manawa (while we were gone, the realtors had an open house for us and no one showed. Bummer). We set this up every year and basically spend every Sunday at the lake, playing volleyball, swimming and just chilling with friends. The weather looked worrisome in the morning but it actually turned out to be a great day, hot even! We only had enough people for doubles so I definitely got my workout in! 3 games of doubles in the hot sun was enough.
Isabella had fun too. She played on the little playground, dug around in the sand, walked along the beach and made a new friend.
We were all pretty exhausted that night. After Munchkin went to bed, CJ and I crashed out on the couch and watched some DVRed shows while chowing down on popcorn.
Today we met up with my family for brunch and then did a quick shopping trip at Babies R’Us. We got Isabella ready for summer with a some new sunglasses and a sun hat.
I know it’s blurry (used my phone real quick), but you get the idea.
Then we spent the day playing outside, either in the backyard…
…or at the park.
She has never been a fan of the swings but I was able to get her to sit on my lap today. She didn’t last long and she wasn’t happy about it, but it was a baby step.
(it was crazy windy out today which is why my hair looks like such a mess. Please don’t take that as an indication of how my new style looks!)
I even got CJ to demonstrate to me that he can in fact do pull-ups. (I tried and I can’t do them. I very impressed with people who can)
Isabella had insisted on bringing her new shades with her but of course dropped them as soon as we got to the playground. CJ was in charge of them from that point on.
Any guy who can do pull-ups is man enough to wear blue butterfly sunglasses. And hey, they actually match his Batman shirt!
That’s about it. Tomorrow it’s back to work for a short 4-day week, which is sure to mean craziness. But for once I feel like I actually got some rest over a long weekend so I’m ready to tackle the day job!
Tuesday night I went on a date with Josh Groban. He was charming, he was funny and he sang to me. It was amazing. I think he and I really made a connection.
Along with the 5000 other people in the arena.
We’ll start back at the beginning. Josh has been to Omaha 3 times. And I’ve seen him each of those times, with my mom at my side. My sister was at two of them and CJ and my dad were at one.
This time, we debated because tickets weren’t cheap and we have to keep in mind our budgets, but we decided he was worth the splurge. I got us seats on the main floor, row 28 which is the 2nd to last row in the first section.
We got there and took our seats. As we waited for the opening act to come out, I noticed a message they were flashing that said to text a question to Josh with our name and seat location and he would answer some during the show. I asked my mom what question she would want to ask and she said, “Ask him if he finds 66 year old women attractive!”
WHAT!?
Then she changed her mind and had me ask him what 3 things he would want with him if stranded on a desert island. I sent that in along with my question: what is your favorite Kanye West tweet?
This is freakin’ hilarious BTW and he actually sang some of it during the concert!
Just then the opening act came out and got the show started. It was a guy named Elew playing the piano. That was it. But it was awesome. He played it in such a unique way that I can’t really describe. He made piano rock again!
When he was done the crew began preparing the stage for Josh. My mom, sis and I had some snacks, chatted and tried to pass the time. At one point we heard the lady in front of us tell the couple next to her that Josh was going to come out and play on a stage in the center of the arena, which happened to be right behind us.
AT this point, it didn’t look like a stage. It looked like the sound area. My mom butted in and said, “Josh is going to be performing right here?” They confirmed it.
Oh my goodness! Suddenly we had front row seats! My mom was all giddy and demanded my sis and I get our cameras/camera phones ready. The guy in front of us (who would now be behind us) asked my mom if she was going to start jumping up and down like a teenager when he came out. She said that she just might. We spent the next 10 minutes wondering where he was going to come out and turning back and forth from the front to the middle and back again. Then they dimmed the lights and the crowd roared. The area behind us suddenly raised up to a stage and sure enough, out came Josh!
Seriously, the only thing between him and me was a row of chairs and a group of women (who I could have totally taken out if I wanted to – I’m doing P90X yo!). He sang right away and it was awesome. He also mentioned that he filmed a segment for the Dancing with the Stars finale the day before. (By the way, did you all know that Hines Ward won? Yeah, that’s right, the Steelers are winners no matter what they do! Booyah!)
After a few songs, he ran off that stage, down the aisle and up to the front stage. He said that he wanted the show to be intimate and it was. He told stories and jokes. He is funny too. Whether or not you like his style of music, you have to admit that he’s a charmer. Let’s just say I wouldn’t kick him out of bed for eating crackers in it (my grandma said that once about Kevin Costner after we saw The Bodyguard. I was horrified).
When it came time for him to read the texts, I got ready. I just knew they would pick mine because it was so witty and original. Alas, no. The first question was about how Oprah has impacted his career. He mentioned that he had actually flown to Chicago from Omaha and back again the night before to be a part of her final episode. The next question asked him if he could ride any animal, what would it be. Then the person went on to add they would ride a fire-breathing red panda. Since she took his answer, he settled on a Jabberwocky with a red licorice saddle and bubbles coming out of it’s butt.
You guys, my mom thought that was HI-LARIOUS! I mean she was guffawing. It was funny and the crowd loved it but you have to understand my mom. This is a conservative woman who thinks the word “fart” is uncouth. And she’s laughing about Jabberwockies who fart bubbles? That, my friends, is the power of Josh Groban.
The next question was about the Kanye tweets! But it wasn’t my text. Someone else had edged me out. GAH! The nerve! But at least it prompted him to sing us a few bars from the song.
After that he came down in to the crowd and said hi to people and chatted.
Then it was back to singing on the center stage – right by me! Ha ha baby!
Then he decided to bring some people from the audience on to the stage. First he asked for a couple that had been married a long time. He found one that had 25 years. The husband seemed less than thrilled to be there, which JG pointed out, but the wife was positively beside herself. Then he found a 10 year old girl and asked her up. Finally he called out for some single ladies. I got so caught up in the moment that I started jumping up and down waving my hands in the air and screaming. My mom had to remind me that I’m not single. Oops..ha ha. Sorry Ceige.
So it ended up with 7 people up on stage with him. He had the crew bring out couches, some wine for the adults and some milk for the younger ones. He sat with them and chatted. He even flirted a little with one of them. I have to admit I was a tad jealous. Then he sang a love song to them all and that finished the first set.
They came out for an encore and he sang “You Raise Me Up” which just so happens to be the song CJ sang to me at our wedding. I remembered then that not only was I married, but happily so and to an amazing man. I wished he was there to share that moment with me.
That ended the show and we all floated out to the car, high on the music of Josh Groban (and the down pour of rain).
Seriously, I think Josh is super talented and amazing. He’s also darn cute and charming. He has to be a new addition to my freebie 5 List. This concert, along with other recent events of the week have altered my list quite a bit. Here’s the new one ( in no particular order).
Today started out fairly normal. I got up, took Samson to Doggie Day Camp, and went in to work. Normally Samson does DDC on Tuesdays but because I had training yesterday, I switched it to Wednesday. Today happened to be Luau day at DDC so it was all decorated in a Hawaiian theme and they were going to take each dog’s picture. Fun!
The first order of business when I got to work was to get breakfast. I was STARVING (what’s new?) and it just so happens that the café at work has the best hash browns. I swear they’re laced with crack or something. OMG. I needed a decent breakfast because at 8:30 I was scheduled to donate blood. The Red Cross comes in to work every quarter and I try to donate each time. When I finished they gave me a sticker and some Oreo’s. Hell yeah!
Around 10:45 a.m. I got a call from DDC that Samson was peeing blood and had been doing so all morning. She made sure to say that it wasn’t just a little blood either, but a lot. My heart sank. What if it was cancer or something? She wanted to know if they should take him over to the veterinary clinic or let him keep playing. Um, well, let me think. Yeah, perhaps taking him to the vet is the best option here. She said they’d call back when they knew more.
A few minutes later I headed out to lunch. Was going to meet up with an ex-coworker. I was driving down the street when my phone rang and it was the vet. He started telling me about Samson and my phone kept cutting in and out. I got distracted and didn’t notice the cop waiting up ahead where the speed limit changes. I slowed down as soon as I saw him but it was too late. He pulled in behind me and turned on the lights. Perfect!
I pulled over, still talking to the vet and trying to answer his questions without causing an accident. The cop came up to my window and I had to put the vet on hold. Yes, that’s right, I had a police officer outside my window, ready to write me a speeding ticket, at the same time that I had the veterinarian on the phone trying to tell me why my dog was peeing blood.
Needless to say I was a little frazzled.
I gave the officer my driver’s license and he told me to sit tight. As he walked back to the patrol car, I returned my attention to the vet. He asked for permission to run an urinalysis, which would cost about $125. That combined with the antibiotics they’d almost certainly have to give him would bring our bill to $230. I told him to go ahead. Samson is worth it.
Just as I hung up, the cop came back. He glanced in and made a snide remark about me being done with my phone call. I told him my dog was in the hospital and I was talking to the doc. He shrugged and proceeded to tell me I was going 49 in a 35 mph zone, which would be a $75 ticket. That plus the court costs would take the final total to $125. He then said something that surprised me.
“I see you donated blood this morning.”
I had totally forgotten I was still wearing the sticker. I nodded yes and then he said, “Well, given that, you probably aren’t yourself. Plus it seems you’re having dog problems. So, I’m going to give you a break today and let you off with a warning. Let that be a lesson to you.”
Yes sir! I happily signed the warning ticket and went on my merry way. Phew! I guess he took the sentiment of the sticker seriously and decided to be REALLY nice to me!
As for Samson, it turns out he has hemoglobinurnia. There are many causes but the vet thought in his case it was due to “vigorous movement of the bladder during extraneous exercise that lead to the rupture of the mucosal layer beneath the urinary bladder and causes a passage of blood with the urine”. He also had a mild UTI. So I picked him up, along with some special luau treats, medicine and a very high bill, and we went on our way. But not before they gave us this picture of him at the luau!
He doesn’t look to be suffering too much!
He came home and peed for like a good solid minute, but there was no blood in it that I could see so I think he’s on the mend. Right now he’s laying on the couch, passed out. Poor dude. I’m glad it’s nothing more serious and that he’ll be back to normal in a few days.
Let this be a lesson to all of you: it pays to donate blood – it can get you out of a speeding ticket!
(P.S. This is my 3rd time being pulled over for a speeding ticket since I started driving. I’ve never had to pay a single ticket. The first time was when I was in college in Cedar Rapids and the cop let me off because I had a Nebraska driver’s license and his grandma lived in Nebraska. The second time, I sent in my money and a few months later my check was returned to me because they never got around to processing it. And then today was the 3rd time. Now that I’ve said that, I’ve jinxed myself. I need to go find some wood and like body slam myself against it.)
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Team Trader Mom 